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"A lot of decisions when you're doing a startup come down to being naive enough to not know how hard it's going to be—and taking that leap of faith."
In part three of our conversation with Alfredo Andere, co-founder of LatchBio, we dive into the early days of building a biotech startup from scratch. Alfredo shares how his team’s chemistry and blind faith led them to drop out of college and fully commit to solving biotech’s data infrastructure challenges. He details their rigorous market research process, which involved conducting hundreds of user interviews, and how this groundwork helped them raise an oversubscribed $5 million seed round led by Lux Capital.
Alfredo also reflects on the stark contrast between cutting-edge data tools at tech giants like Google and the outdated methods still used in biotech, emphasizing the massive opportunity to revolutionize life sciences.
Key topics covered:
- Building trust and chemistry as a founding team: The decision to drop out and go all-in on LatchBio
- Biotech’s data problem: Why outdated tools are holding back life sciences innovation
- Market research done right: 200+ pages of notes and six paying customers before launching a product
- Raising $5M in seed funding: How preparation and customer validation gave LatchBio a competitive edge
- Lessons on naivete in entrepreneurship: Why bold risks are essential for tackling big problems
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Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
01:56 Team Chemistry and Founding Relationships
04:30 Exploring Different Project Ideas
06:34 The Decision to Drop Out of College
09:00 The Role of Naivete in Entrepreneurship
11:38 Biotech vs. Computer Science: Understanding Complex Systems
13:14 Taiwan Incubator Experience
17:22 Market Research: 200+ Pages of User Interviews
21:05 Biotech's Data Infrastructure Problem
25:21 Raising an Oversubscribed $5M Seed Round
29:38 The Future of Biotech Data Analysis
30:30 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.
