The Biotech Startups Podcast 🧬 The Hidden Advantages of Starting Up in a Downturn | Eswar Iyer (Part 4/4)
Sep 11, 2025
34:26
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"If you lose that passion, why would somebody else do this? And it comes down to how hungry you are. How bad do you want it?"
In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, host Jon Chee talks with Eswar Iyer, co-founder of Aikium, about launching a biotech platform during a market downturn and building a resourceful, mission-driven team focused on data-rich therapeutic design.
Eswar shares hard-won lessons on blending computational and experimental innovation, maintaining intentional focus, forging the right partnerships, and fostering a culture of resilience and critical thinking. They also explore fundraising strategies, the rapidly evolving biotech landscape, and the personal leadership philosophies that shape success in early-stage company building.
Key topics covered:
- Founding Aikium: Overcoming early hurdles and launching in tough times
- Data-Driven Therapeutics: Harnessing AI and experiments to create smarter molecules
- Team & Culture: Building a focused, resilient, and mission-driven team
- Strategic Partnerships: Tackling hard problems with top industry and clinical partners
- Fundraising & Personal Philosophy: Staying passionate and disciplined to fuel growth
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Links:
Subscribe to the Podcast:
Find our guest, Eswar Iyer, at these links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eswar-iyer/
Website: https://www.aikium.com/
Find our host, Jon Chee, at these links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonchee
Learn more about Excedr:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/excedr/
Website: https://www.excedr.com
Intro & Outro Songs Created by OkKyojin, Owned by Excedr:
Website: https://flow.page/kyojin
Resources & Articles:
OpenAI Scaling Laws Research: https://openai.com/index/scaling-laws-for-neural-language-models/
Common Mistakes Biotech Startups Make & How to Avoid Them https://www.excedr.com/blog/common-business-mistakes
How to Outfit a New Lab on a Startup Budget https://www.excedr.com/resources/how-to-outfit-a-new-lab-on-a-startup-budget
Companies, Universities, & People mentioned:
Aikium: https://aikium.com/
D. E. Shaw Research: https://www.deshawresearch.com/
Bakar Labs: https://bakarlabs.berkeley.edu/
Shankar Shastry: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shankarshastry/
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
01:52 The Scientific Challenge: Modeling Protein Interactions
04:00 Founding Aikium: Launching in a Market Crash
06:44 Building the Platform & The Power of a Critical Team
10:19 Aikium's Unique Approach: Solving the Hardest Problems
12:54 Partnering with Top Hospitals & Pharma to Go-to-Market
14:40 Fundraising Philosophy: The Non-Negotiable Role of Passion
18:02 The Founder's Journey: High Stakes and High Responsibility
20:00 The Future of Aikium: Scaling with Agentic AI & Taking on New Targets
23:09 Shout-Outs to Family, Co-Founders, and Investors
25:19 Advice to a 21-Year-Old Self: Doubt Less, Move Faster
32:19 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.