🧬 Terry Lo - Vizgen - Part 3 | Transitioning to Vizgen From Akoya | What is Spatial Genomics | The Importance of Genetic Mapping | How to Grow Your Company During Turbulent Times

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Part 3 of 3.

My guest for this week’s episode is Terry Lo, President and CEO of Vizgen. Vizgen is developing and commercializing the next generation of genomics tools to expand on the capabilities of spatially resolved transcriptomics.

Terry is a pioneer in the emerging Spatial Biology market, with a proven track record of driving exceptional growth across global life science organizations, including Bristol-Myers Squibb, Roche, Hologic, and PerkinElmer. In addition to his two decades of experience scaling and building multinational biopharma and diagnostic groups, he is also an expert in developing business strategies for novel, innovative products.

Join us as we conclude our conversation with Terry, where we talk about him working in the revolutionary fields of spatial biology and spatial genomics, the challenges of growing a five person company, and some of the exciting things that Vizgen has on the horizon. We also discuss the importance of genetic mapping, Terry gives some advice for weathering turbulent economic times, and we talk about the important influence his parents had on his development. Please enjoy my conversation with Terry Lo.

Find Our Guest, Terry Lo, at these links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/terry-lo-034a034/
https://vizgen.com/

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

Timestamps:
00:28 Intro
01:25 Revolutionizing spatial biology and scaling up Akoya Bioscience's operations
04:30 Recognizing a new opportunity emerging in spatial genomics and transitioning from Akoya to Vizgen
06:09 How Vizgen came to be and what early development was like on a 5 person team
07:53 What the spatial genomics field was like at that time and what is it like now
09:32 Vizgen's go-to-market strategy and how it is different from others
12:25 How Vizgen communicates the technical aspects behind what makes their product so accurate
14:33 Meaning behind the statement "Every disease has a map, every cure has a path"
18:14 Tips for running a business during turbulent economic times
20:22 Dealing with fundraising while being a private company that isn't profitable yet, managing rapid growth of the company
22:48 Exciting developments for Vizgen in 2024
25:57 Terry shouts out his parents and talks about their influence on him
27:08 Terry's advice to his 21 year old self
28:26 Outro

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Enriched Notes:

Topics Mentioned:
Spatial Genomics https://vizgen.com/what-is-spatial-genomics/
Spatial Biology https://www.akoyabio.com/why-spatial-biology/
Vizgen https://vizgen.com/
Akoya Bioscience https://www.akoyabio.com/
Cell Atlasing https://www.humancellatlas.org/

How to Fund an R&D Startup https://www.excedr.com/resources/rd-startup-funding-first-steps
Unleashing Innovation https://www.excedr.com/resources/rd-tax-credits-incentives
Biotech Partnerships https://www.excedr.com/blog/how-biotech-partnerships-support-research
Pre-Money vs. Post-Money: What's the Difference? https://www.excedr.com/resources/pre-money-vs-post-money
What Is Financial Modeling & How Can It Help with Fundraising? https://www.excedr.com/resources/what-is-financial-modeling
Equipment Leasing vs. Financing: What's the Difference? https://www.excedr.com/blog/equipment-leasing-vs-financing
Finance https://www.excedr.com/category/finance
What Is a C-Corp & Why Do Investors Prefer It? https://www.excedr.com/resources/c-corp-investors-prefer
What Is Due Diligence? How to Prepare For It & Avoid Mistakes https://www.excedr.com/resources/what-is-due-diligence
A Guide to Writing a Small Business Grant Proposal https://www.excedr.com/blog/how-to-write-a-small-business-grant-proposal
How to Write a Business Plan for Your Biotech Startup https://www.excedr.com/resources/how-to-write-a-business-plan-for-biotechs
How to get Funding for Lab Research in 2024  https://www.excedr.com/blog/how-to-get-funding-for-lab-research

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.