Mati Gill, CEO of AION Labs, on Funding Life-Saving Startups, Lessons From Working at Teva Pharmaceuticals in Crisis & Life After Getting Shot

On this episode of Invested, Michael hosts Mati Gill, CEO of AION Labs, Israel’s first global biotech venture studio. Backed by Pfizer, Merck KGaA, AstraZeneca, Teva, and AWS, AION Labs pioneers a new model for company creation: uniting pharma giants, tech leaders, and investors to collaboratively build AI-first startups in drug discovery and development. Instead of the typical biotech trajectory—where most startups fail—AION ensures founders start with the right problem, data, talent, guidance, and backing from day one. Mati brings a rare blend of experiences across pharma, government, and security. Before AION, he was a senior executive at Teva Pharmaceuticals, leading global public policy and advising the CEO during major restructuring. Earlier, he served as Chief of Staff at Israel’s Ministry of Public Security, and as an IDF reserve officer he coordinated international operations with UN peacekeepers.

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KEY TOPICS 

• 01:13 Early Life in Ohio and Moving to Israel

• 04:55 Military Service and Law School: Path to Public Service

• 06:43 Teva’s Origins and Growth into a Global Leader

• 11:24 Mergers, Acquisitions, and Teva’s Challenges

• 13:59 Leaving Teva and Founding AION Labs

• 14:12 What AION Labs is and Why the Name Matters

• 18:10 Merck, Teva, AWS, and VC Partners Joining AION

• 20:22 DenovAI and Antibody Discovery

• 23:08 Accelerating Drug Development with AI and Pharma Partners

• 24:43 AI in Gene Editing and the Baby KJ Case

• 27:39 Why Biology Expertise Must Balance AI

• 34:01 From Doubt to Investment: DenovAI’s Validation

• 36:59 Government Support and the Israel Innovation Authority

• 39:33 Which Startup Could Be AION’s First Mega Hit?

• 40:17 Core Values: Israel, Family, and Mission

• 44:21 Why Most Drugs Fail and How AI Can Help

• 45:59 Enhancement vs. Health: The Ethics of Gene Editing

• 48:18 Theranos, Transparency, and Governance Lessons

• 51:25 The One Disease to Cure: Alzheimer’s

• 55:41 What Teva Taught Mati About Scale and Missed Opportunities

• 57:01 Being Shot Near Gaza and Lessons from Survival

• 01:02:05 Public Service: Always on Loan to Israel

• 01:02:45 Will AI Cure Cancer?

RESOURCES

Follow Mati on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/matigill

Follow Mati on X - https://x.com/matigill

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CREDITS

Executive Producer: Erica Marom 

Producer: Myron Shneider

Video and Editing: Ron Baranov

Music and Creative Direction: Uri Ar 

Content and Editorial: Kira Goldring

Design: Rony Karadi