🧬 Jacob Glanville - Centivax - Part 4 | How to Choose the Right Venture Capital Partner | Fundraising as “Dating” | Finding Proper Alignment & The Win-Win | VC Network as a “Polishing Engine”

Part 4 of 4.  
 
My guest for this week’s episode is Jacob Glanville. Jacob is the Founder, CEO, and President of Centivax and was formerly the Co-founder, CEO, and President of Distributed Bio. 

Join us as we sit down with Jake to discuss: how important it is to understand a venture capital firm’s investment thesis and values, tips to successfully pitch to them, the perks of viewing potential VC relationships as “dating,” and how that mindset can help you find the right partner. 

Jake also covers the importance of finding a win-win for all parties during VC negotiations. Learn more about his thoughts on the benefits of a VC’s network, which emulates a “polishing engine” for a startup, and how it can be just as valuable as the money itself. 

Finally, listen to some of the incredible things that Centivax is working on currently and where they plan to be in the near future. 

Please enjoy my conversation with Jake Glanville. 

Find Our Guest, Jacob Glanville, at these links: 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobglanville 
https://twitter.com/CurlyJungleJake
https://www.centivax.com
https://twitter.com/centivax

Find Our Host, Jon Chee, at these links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonchee
https://www.excedr.com

Social & Website
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/excedr/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@excedr
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/excedr_inc
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ExcedrInc
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/excedr
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@excedr
Podcast Website: https://www.thebiotechstartupspodcast.com/ 

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro  
01:54 Episode start 
03:05 Understanding VC’s “investment thesis”, know what your future partner values 
04:06 Art’s power to convey ideas without words, relaying truth without language 
06:13 Fundraising as “dating”, friendliness after rejection, ask for advice & feedback
09:03 Choosing the right VC, dollar amount, expertise, & network 
11:32 Respectful of time & interests, reputation checks, market comps, fair deals  
14:09 Having VC options to choose from, NFX, GHIC & working toward global health 
15:41 VC investment and resources, the role of lawyers during fundraising 
17:50 Finding the win-win, the value of networking, getting to the next level 
21:05 What’s in store for Centivax, RNA/LNP, getting Universal Vaccines into people 
25:55 Excedr’s role in allowing an inflection point launch for Centivax 
26:47 Making friends, Jake’s shouts out those who have supported him
30:11 Outro  

Enriched Notes:

Topics Mentioned:
Distributed Bio https://www.criver.com/charles-river-acquired-distributed-bio
Centivax https://www.centivax.com/
Venture Capital https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venture_capital
Investment Thesis https://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/investment-thesis.asp
Tzʼutujil People https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tz%CA%BCutujil_people
Precedent Transactions https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/precedent-transaction-analysis.asp
Comparables https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/comparables.asp
NFX Ventures https://www.nfx.com/
Global Health Investment Corporation (GHIC) https://ghicfunds.org/
Twist Bioscience https://www.twistbioscience.com/
RNA/LNP Delivery System https://www.nature.com/articles/s41578-021-00358-0
Contract Research Organizations (CROs) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contract_research_organization
In-Vivo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_vivo
HAI Titer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemagglutination_assay
Building Backward to Biotech Book https://www.amazon.com/Building-Backwards-Biotech-Entrepreneurship-Cutting-Edge-ebook/dp/B09VCRFNPD

People Mentioned:
Omri Amirav-Drory, Ph.D. https://www.linkedin.com/in/omri-amirav-drory-50572727/
Emily Leproust https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-leproust/
Sawsan Youssef: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sawsan-youssef-b274b010/
Stephanie Weisner https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-wisner-5aa4556a/
Nicholas Bayless https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-bayless-07862722/
Mark Davis https://med.stanford.edu/davislab.html
Sarah Ives https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivessarah/  

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.