The Biotech Startups Podcast 🧬 Cyriac Roeding - Part 2 | From Digital Clocks to Global Mobile Marketing | Cracking Coca-Cola's 160 Million Bottle Code | Silicon Valley's Pine-Scented Entrepreneurship | Leapfrogging Technology in the Amazon Jungle
Jan 2, 2025
30:50
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Part 2 of 4: My guest today is Cyriac Roeding, founder, investor, and CEO of Earli, a company on a mission to transform cancer into a manageable condition. Using innovative gene therapy approaches, Earli’s technology forces cancer cells to produce a synthetic, non-human biomarker—overcoming the limitations of relying on naturally occurring biomarkers that cancer may or may not provide.
Cyriac is a serial entrepreneur and investor who has created ventures at the intersection of physical and digital worlds. He has invested in startups like OpenAI and served as CEO of Shopkick, which was acquired for $250 million. His current focus, Earli, has raised nearly $60 million from top investors. Cyriac's journey from launching his first startup at 15 to being named a World Economic Forum Tech Pioneer showcases his valuable insights into building successful startups.
In this episode, you’ll hear about:
- How Cyriac's early fascination with technology manifested through building a digital clock from scratch
- The transformative experience in Tokyo that served as a "reset button," exposing him to radical cultural differences
- His strategic career progression from Roland Berger to McKinsey
- The pivotal move from a failing mobile auction business to pioneering "mobile marketing"
- The challenging transition to CBS Mobile, where starting from zero employees allowed him to leapfrog competitors by implementing innovative features
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Links
Subscribe to the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-biotech-startups-podcast/id1679591994
Find Our Guest, Cyriac Roeding, at these links:
Find Our Host, Jon Chee, at these links:
Excedr Socials & Website
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Topics Mentioned:
Earli Inc https://www.earli.com/
Roland Berger https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_Berger_(company)
People Mentioned:
Chris Burggraeve https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisburggraeve/
David Katz https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidakatz1/
Nancy Tellem https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-tellem-5a3b8311/
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction and recap of previous episode with Cyriac Roeding
02:06 Cyriac's experience moving to Japan and cultural observations
03:58 Early technology interests: building digital clocks and programming robots
07:44 Discussion on trial and error in business and innovation
09:21 First job experiences at Roland Berger consulting in Tokyo and Munich
12:14 Journey to McKinsey and writing "The Secrets of Software Success"
14:09 First visit to Silicon Valley and falling in love with the entrepreneurial spirit
16:20 Starting a mobile technology company during the dot-com era
20:26 Success with Coca-Cola mobile marketing campaign and company profitability
22:01 Moving to CBS and initial challenges in Los Angeles
25:06 Building CBS Mobile strategy and innovative mobile initiatives
27:06 World travels observing mobile phone usage across different cultures
29:52 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.