The Biotech Startups Podcast 🧬 Mike Stadnisky - Thielsen Capital - Part 1 | Familial Exposure to Business & Science at a Young Age | The Importance of “Care Before You Share” | Actively Managing Your Time | A PhD is a 10,000 Hour Degree
Mar 13, 2024
50:51
Part 1 of 3.
My guest for this week’s episode is Mike Stadnisky, Managing Director of Thielsen Capital. Thielsen Capital is a seed-stage financing syndicate network bringing together life science investors, operators, and innovators to drive exceptional outcomes for founding teams, investors, and science. Before Thielsen, Mike was the CEO of Phitonex, which Thermo Fisher acquired. He was also VP & GM of Informatics at BD Life Sciences and was the CEO of FlowJo before its acquisition by BD. He has also taught at MIT Sloan, authored 10 patents, and won the 2019 International Society for the Advancement of Cytometry Innovation Award.
My guest for this week’s episode is Mike Stadnisky, Managing Director of Thielsen Capital. Thielsen Capital is a seed-stage financing syndicate network bringing together life science investors, operators, and innovators to drive exceptional outcomes for founding teams, investors, and science. Before Thielsen, Mike was the CEO of Phitonex, which Thermo Fisher acquired. He was also VP & GM of Informatics at BD Life Sciences and was the CEO of FlowJo before its acquisition by BD. He has also taught at MIT Sloan, authored 10 patents, and won the 2019 International Society for the Advancement of Cytometry Innovation Award.
Join us as we sit down with Mike Stadnisky as he discusses his early exposure to leadership in business and the obsession that drew him to science. How he acquired critical and transformative skills as a student brand manager at Red Bull, his experience in Michael Brown’s lab at UVA, and his thoughts on the importance of lab culture and team dynamics in research environments. Please enjoy my conversation with Mike Stadnisky.
Find Our Guest, Mike Stadnisky, at these links:
Find Our Guest, Mike Stadnisky, at these links:
Find Our Host, Jon Chee, at these links:
Timestamps:
00:28 Intro
02:03 Episode starts, Mike’s upbringing and early exposure to private enterprises and leadership skills
07:46 How Mike’s early exposure to science sparked his obsession with it over business
10:10 Mike attending Clemson for Biochem and his lab experience as an undergraduate
15:14 Mike’s transformative experience working with Red Bull, learning the ability to interact with passionate people
25:28 Mike’s realization that his time at Red Bull was ending and how he knew it was time to go back to the lab to finish his PhD
31:07 Grad school at UVA and experiences in Michael Brown’s lab
39:09 Mike’s decision to not go down the academic path
42:28 Mike's advice on how to be successful in graduate school
49:52 Outro
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
Enriched Notes:
Topics Mentioned:
What Type of Equipment Is Used in Chemistry Research? https://www.excedr.com/blog/what-type-of-equipment-is-used-in-chemistry-research
What Is Molecular Biology? https://www.excedr.com/blog/what-is-molecular-biology
Lab Equipment List for Synthetic Biology Research https://www.excedr.com/blog/lab-equipment-list-for-synthetic-biology-research
Biology Lab Equipment List To Open Your New Lab in 2024 https://www.excedr.com/blog/biology-lab-equipment-list
What Is Flow Cytometry & How Do Flow Cytometers Work? https://www.excedr.com/blog/what-is-flow-cytometry-how-do-flow-cytometers-work
How Flow Cytometers Work & How We Save You Time & Money https://www.excedr.com/biotech-life-sciences/flow-cytometer
17 Incubators for US-Based Biotech Startups in 2024 https://www.excedr.com/resources/biotech-incubators
Biotech Startup Support https://www.excedr.com/resources-category/biotech-startup-support
A Guide to Grant Funding for Biotech Startups https://www.excedr.com/resources/grants-public-funding-biotech-startups
People Mentioned:
Michael Brown https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-brown-68843a10/
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.