The Biotech Startups Podcast 🧬 Quin Wills - Ochre Bio - Part 4 | Quin’s Journey Through Y Combinator | The Role of Empathy in Team Dynamics | Adapting in a Shifting Biotech Industry | Ochre Bio’s Fundraising Journey & Future Plans
Jun 13, 2024
22:26
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Part 4 of 4.
My guest for this week’s episode is Quin Wills, CSO and Co-Founder of Ochre Bio, a pioneering biotechnology company developing RNA therapies for chronic liver diseases. Using a combination of genomic deep phenotyping, precision RNA medicine, and testing in live human donor livers, Ochre is developing therapies for liver health challenges ranging from increasing donor liver supply to reducing cirrhosis complications.
In addition to his work at Ochre, Quin is also a highly accomplished academic with a medical degree from Witwatersrand University and doctoral degrees from Cambridge and Oxford in computational biology, mathematics, and statistical genomics.
Along with his academic accomplishments, Quin also co-founded SimuGen and has worked at the University College London, the Mayo Clinic, and Novo Nordisk before he went on to co-found Ochre Bio. Quin's diverse experiences offer a wealth of insights that everyone can draw inspiration from.
Join us this week and hear about Quin’s:
- Unique journey through Y Combinator and its impact
- Thoughts about empathy’s role in organizational and team dynamics
- Strategies for adapting as an entrepreneur in a shifting biotech landscape
- Experience expanding Ochre Bio globally and the challenges of scaling
- Fundraising journey and his unconventional tips for aspiring entrepreneurs
Please enjoy my conversation with Quin Wills.
Find Our Guest, Quin Wills, at these links:
Find Our Guest, Quin Wills, at these links:
Find Our Host, Jon Chee, at these links:
00:28 Intro
01:46 Applying to and joining Y Combinator
03:19 Building a full stack solution for Ochre Bio and generating critical data
05:04 The impact of COVID-19, expanding globally to Taiwan and the US
08:48 Day-to-day operations and scientific structure of Ochre Bio
09:42 Investing in chemistry, establishing XLAB and its role in innovation and decision-making
11:42 Balancing innovation and value-driven projects, defining metrics of success
12:38 Quin’s fundraising journey, insights, and philosophy
13:49 The importance of focus and ending unproductive projects quickly
16:11 Ochre Bio’s evolution and future plans
17:19 Quin’s shoutouts and advice to his 21-year-old self
20:03 Outro
Social & Website
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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/excedr_inc
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ExcedrInc
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Enriched Notes:
Topics Mentioned:
JP Morgan https://www.jpmorgan.com/global
Y Combinator https://www.ycombinator.com/
Ochre Bio https://www.ochre-bio.com/
Covid 19 Pandemic https://www.who.int/europe/emergencies/situations/covid-19
Biotech Accelerators https://www.excedr.com/resources/biotech-accelerators
Full-Stack Solution in Biotech https://www.synthego.com/blog/full-stack-genome-engineering
Tissue Cell Culture https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4843260/
How Much Does Lab Space Cost? https://www.excedr.com/blog/how-much-does-lab-space-cost
Series A, B, & C https://www.excedr.com/resources/series-funding-explained
Biotech Fundraising https://www.excedr.com/resources/biotech-startup-funding-options
When & How to Pivot a Biotech https://www.excedr.com/blog/when-how-to-pivot-a-biotech-startup
People Mentioned:
Jacob Glanville https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobglanville
Vinod Khosla https://www.linkedin.com/in/vinod-khosla-65387416/
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.