The Biotech Startups Podcast 🧬 Letting Go to Level Up: Oxford, Identity, & Tenacity in Biotech | Bogdan Knezevic (Part 2/4)
May 1, 2025
34:16
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"If you think you're above whatever-taking out the proverbial trash or doing the proverbial dishes or the laundry, whatever-that's when a company is cooked."
In this episode, Bogdan Knezevic shares his journey from undergrad in Calgary to winning a Rhodes Scholarship and pursuing a PhD at Oxford, reflecting on the personal motivations, cultural shifts, and tough choices that shaped his path-including stepping away from elite swimming and ultimately realizing academia wasn’t for him. He opens up about the isolating yet magical environment of Oxford, the challenge of redefining his identity, and the gritty realities of working in early-stage biotech, emphasizing the importance of humility and hands-on work for startup founders.
The conversation offers a candid look at how self-discovery, setbacks, and a willingness to “do the dishes” can shape a leader’s growth in biotech.
Key topics covered:
- The Rhodes Scholarship decision: Chasing big dreams, family inspiration, and Oxford’s legendary pull
- Life at Oxford: A magical, isolating, and truly global grad experience
- Transitioning from elite athletics: Letting go of swimming to discover a new sense of self
- Academia vs. industry: Swapping academic uncertainty for the fast pace of biotech startups
- The value of humility and grit: Rolling up your sleeves and doing the unglamorous work that makes startups thrive
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Subscribe to the Podcast:
Find our guest, Bogdan Knezevic, at these links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bogdanknezevic/
Website: https://www.kaleidoscope.bio/
Website: https://www.kaleidoscope.bio/
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:
Biotech Fundraising Milestones Resource: https://blog.kaleidoscope.bio/biotech-milestones-for-effective-fundraising/
Exhalation (book): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation
Stories of Your Life and Other (book): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others
Andrew Ng’s Machine Learning Courses: https://www.coursera.org/collections/machine-learning
Companies, Universities, & People mentioned:
Kaleidoscope Bio: https://www.kaleidoscope.bio/
Frequency Therapeutics (Korro Bio): https://www.korrobio.com/
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
02:00 Early ambitions, family roots, and the Rhodes Scholarship spark
04:12 Chasing Oxford: Inspired by books and family legacy
07:01 Arriving at Oxford: Awe, isolation, and timelessness
10:42 Oxford life: Constant change, global mix, and “town vs. gown”
13:37 Adjusting to the UK: New ways to communicate and grow
16:24 Leaving swimming: Letting go and finding a new identity
19:43 Starting over at Oxford: Redefining success and self
23:07 Grad school grind: Uncertainty and academic culture shock
27:11 First taste of biotech: Startup life over academia
29:09 Startup reality: Humility, grit, and doing the dirty work
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.