Noubar Afeyan | Co-Founder of Moderna & CEO of Flagship Pioneering
Aug 9, 2022
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Noubar Afeyan, Co-Founder of Moderna & CEO of Flagship Pioneering, discusses growing up in war-torn Lebanon, the purpose behind his work in developing healthcare innovations, the challenges of developing mRNA technology, philanthropy and supporting refugees, the concept of making leaps of faith, and the influence of family and belief systems on success.
The speaker reflects on their upbringing in Beirut, Lebanon, highlighting the cosmopolitan nature of the city and the impact of their Armenian community.
The speaker discusses their experience as an immigrant in Montreal, Canada, and the challenges of adapting to a new environment.
The speaker emphasizes the importance of imagination, resilience, adaptability, and embracing failures in the journey of becoming a successful entrepreneur.
Deep dives
Growing up in Lebanon
The speaker shares their experience of growing up in Beirut, Lebanon, as a person of Armenian descent. They discuss the cosmopolitan nature of Lebanon, their tight-knit Armenian community, and the volatile political situation in the country. They reflect on the impact of their upbringing and the education they received, which included learning multiple languages.
Immigration and Identity
The speaker discusses their family's immigration history, with their father immigrating from Bulgaria and their mother being born in Lebanon. They highlight the irony of being born in Lebanon but not being granted Lebanese citizenship due to their father not being Lebanese. They also discuss the impact of moving to Montreal, Canada, and the challenges of adapting to a new environment.
Entrepreneurial Journey
The speaker shares their journey as an entrepreneur, starting with their studies in chemical engineering and earning a PhD in biochemical engineering. They discuss the challenges of fundraising for their first company, Perceptive Biosystems. They reflect on the lessons learned as a first-time CEO, including the importance of resilience, adaptability, and embracing failures. They also emphasize the significance of imagination and the ability to think beyond reasoning in entrepreneurial pursuits.
The Impact on Human Health
The speaker emphasizes the importance of technology in improving human health. The motivation behind their work in technology stems from personal experiences with losing their parents to cancer. Their purpose is to develop better instruments, information, drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics to address health issues. They also expanded their focus to include renewable energy, agriculture, and sustainable nutrition, all with the goal of impacting health and creating a positive change.
A Systematic Approach to Entrepreneurship
The speaker discusses their interest in exploring a more systematic and professional approach to entrepreneurship. They were dissatisfied with the gamification and lottery-like nature of traditional startup culture. This dissatisfaction led them to develop a process-oriented mindset and a commitment to changing the perception of entrepreneurship. By applying a systematic approach and incorporating variation, selection, and iteration, they aim to create breakthrough innovations and new platforms through their company, Flagship Pioneering.
Noubar Afeyan is the founder and CEO of life sciences innovation firm Flagship Pioneering. He’s also the chairman and co-founder of Moderna, known for its Covid-19 vaccine. He has helped start more than 70 public and private healthcare and life sciences companies over the course of his career.
Born in Beirut, Lebanon, to Armenian parents, he and his family fled the Lebanese Civil War to move to Montreal in 1975. Prior to founding Flagship Pioneering, Noubar was the founder and CEO of PerSeptive Biosystems, a leader in bio-instrumentation that grew to $100 million in annual revenues. He has written numerous scientific publications and is the inventor of over 100 patents.
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