🧬 David Li - Meliora Therapeutics - Part 2 | From Finance to Biotech Entrepreneurship | Building Solid Teams & Navigating Market Dynamics | Lessons in Early-Stage Startups

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Part 2 of 4. 

My guest for this week’s episode is David Li, CEO and co-founder of Meliora Therapeutics. Meliora's goal is to develop life-saving cancer therapies using cutting-edge science and machine learning. The company derives a comprehensive picture of how drugs interact with cancer biology by combining biofunctional readouts from numerous modalities using advanced machine learning and other computational techniques. 

Before Meliora, David served as Chief Business Officer at Everest Detection, an early detection liquid biopsy startup, and was head of commercial operations at Benchling, a life sciences software platform company which has achieved a $6 billion valuation and has attracted over $500 million in funding.

David began his career in Goldman Sachs Healthcare Investment Banking Group and KKR's Private Equity Group, where he advised and invested in transactions worth over $10 billion in enterprise value. His multifaceted experiences in the financial and life science sectors give him a wide range of experiences that founders can learn from.

Please enjoy my conversation with David Li.

00:28 Intro

01:56 Working in Finance at Goldman Sachs and KKR, rethinking how to make an impact

04:59 Switching to early-stage entrepreneurship, prioritizing team strength and market dynamics

06:25 Experience at Benchling, data software issues & digitization in the life sciences

11:09 The role of luck in success, figuring out what you can and can’t control

14:02 Challenges and lessons working in startups, maintaining internal conviction

17:43 Contemplating a new role after Benchling, joining Everest Detection

20:25 The different skills David learned while building a team, getting wins early on

23:56 Outro

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Podcast Website: https://www.thebiotechstartupspodcast.com/ 

Goldman Sachs https://www.goldmansachs.com/

KKR https://www.kkr.com/

Benchling https://www.benchling.com/

Everest Detection https://everestdetection.com/

Salesforce https://www.salesforce.com/

Digitization of Life Sciences https://www.deloitte.com/global/en/Industries/life-sciences-health-care/perspectives/gx-digital-transformation-in-life-sciences.html

Vesting https://etonvs.com/startup-101/vesting-101/

Go-to-Market Motion/Strategy https://www.wrike.com/go-to-market-guide/faq/what-is-go-to-market-motion/

Marketing & Sales Strategies & Tools https://www.excedr.com/blog/marketing-sales-strategies-for-biotechs

Structuring Sales Comp at a Startup https://www.vouris.com/blog/sales-compensation-plan-for-startups

Content Marketing https://mailchimp.com/marketing-glossary/content-marketing/

Product Marketing vs. Growth Marketing https://userpilot.com/blog/product-marketing-vs-growth-marketing/

Bryan Slingerland https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-slingerland-a7a14b35/

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.