A few months ago, I received an exclusive invitation to the 46th St. Gallen Symposium in Switzerland as a Leader of Tomorrow. The St. Gallen Symposium is the world’s premier opportunity for healthy debates between generations. Each year since 1970,…
Why you should pitch your idea, even if it’s to that random stranger?
This article first appeared on Biotechin.Asia, and is republished with permission. This was part of a series of articles for scientists and life science professionals for starting their own company and setting up their business. This first article, in particular, is on…
How to select the right VC for your company
This article first appeared on Biotech Likemind’s blog, and is republished with permission. The search for the right partner During the fundraising process, the first thing on an entrepreneur’s mind is making sure that one gets the best deal possible,…
The VC method for valuation of an early stage company
This article first appeared on Biotech Likemind’s blog, and is republished with permission. Valuation of early stage companies It can be very challenging to put a dollar value on early stage companies, because there are many qualitative factors that play…
Basics of Venture Capital
This article first appeared on Biotech Likemind’s blog, and is republished with permission. What is venture capital? Entrepreneurs are the lifeblood of fledgling companies. But when the company needs to scale, and scale quickly, significant financing can be required, often…
Singapore as an entrepreneurial hub
A few days ago, Scott Anthony, Managing Partner of Innosight, wrote an article on the Harvard Business Review about Singapore as a entrepreneurial hub. While he brings out many excellent points, especially the fact that there’s probably too much seed…
How to ace the elevator pitch
In 2014, I had the opportunity to observe dozens of intake and discussion panels for Springboard, CONNECT’s flagship program, which is a free accelerator program for San Diego companies. One of the main focuses of Springboard is to hone the…
The secret to a successful graduate career: Be Proactive
Let’s face it – Graduate school (and I would include post-doctoral stints here too) is an intense educational phase when expectations are heaped on the students to do cutting-edge research, to publish, to have a social life, to gain professional development, to find…
Is an MBA necessary to become a life science VC?
A month ago, a mentor strongly advised that I do an MBA. The mentor, a corporate attorney who has his own firm, asked me to consider a part-time remote MBA to get the qualification, and gain the accompanying knowledge. Anyone…
Top 9 tips from the BIO2014 Biotech Entrepreneurship Boot Camp
Entrepreneurship boot camps are fun, and always filled with an eclectic mix of people who have a passion – a passion for starting something new. I spent the past two days at the 10th Biotech Entrepreneurship Boot Camp, that is held in conjunction…