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My guest for this week’s episode is Barbara Alcaraz Silva, Executive Director of Early Stage Life Sciences and Healthcare, Startup Banking at J.P. Morgan. She is also a former scientist-entrepreneur whose graduate studies focused on Telomeres and DNA Repair. Barbara has worked with many startups, including co-founding her own company, BioChron. While at the Manos Accelerator, she worked as an advisor for Biotech and Medtech companies, providing mentorship in business, fundraising, and capital, and offering guidance to startup companies. Additionally, Barbara worked as a Senior Investment Fellow at Life Science Angels, investing in up-and-coming biotechs and managing investor relationships.
After her time at Life Science Angels, Barbara became the Director of Early-Stage West Coast Life Science and Healthcare banking at SVB and is currently the Executive Director of Early Stage Life Sciences and Healthcare, Startup Banking at J.P. Morgan, where she is leading the national life sciences and healthcare practice. Barbara’s dedication to building a strong community in the biotech space and her expertise in science, management, and investing make her conversation one that founders don’t want to miss.
Join us this week and hear about:
- Barbara’s academic journey and graduate school lab experience at UC Irvine
- Her insights from her time at the Beckman Laser Institute and her groundbreaking research on DNA repair using lasers
- Her international fellowship at King's College London, where she explored stem cell biology
- How her transition to entrepreneurship was shaped by navigating different lab environments and overcoming funding challenges
Please enjoy my conversation with Barbara Alcaraz Silva.
Find Our Guest, Barbara Alcaraz Silva, at these links:
Find Our Host, Jon Chee, at these links:
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Enriched Notes
Topics Mentioned:
People Mentioned:
Timestamps:
00:28 Intro
01:59 Episode starts, applying to grad school
06:07 Starting at the Beckman Laser Institute
12:18 Barbara’s first time managing a team during her PhD
16:24 Fellowship at King’s College London, postdoc experience at UCSF
19:31 Barbara shares her outreach efforts for postdoc positions and responses she received
23:46 Barbara discusses her experience at UCSF and the differences in lab culture
26:36 Outro
The Biotech Startups Podcast gives you a front-row seat to the business and science of building a biotech. Hosted by Jon Chee, CEO of Excedr, the show features honest conversations with founders, execs, and investors about their work, their companies, and how they got there. From scientific breakthroughs to startup lessons, each episode explores what it really takes to grow a life science company—from pre-seed to IPO.
