The Biotech Startups Podcast 🧬 Oguzhan Atay - Part 2 | From Immigrant to Biotech Innovator | Battling Deportation with Nobel Laureate Support | Building a $140M Prenatal Testing Empire
Feb 13, 2025
01:04:56
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Part 2 of 2: Our guest today is Oguzhan Atay, Co-founder & CEO of BillionToOne. BillionToOne is a precision diagnostics company that quantifies biology to create powerful molecular diagnostics. They work to improve disease detection by counting molecules with their proprietary molecular counting platform. They place patients at the forefront of everything they do and are currently applying their proprietary technology to non-invasive prenatal screening and liquid biopsy.
Oguzhan holds a Ph.D. from Stanford in Systems Biology, where he implemented machine learning algorithms and mathematical models to solve specific problems in cellular biology and developed a data-driven mathematical framework to simplify the analysis of complex biological networks. He also has a degree in Molecular Biology from Princeton, as well as minors in Computer Science, Physics, and Applied Mathematics.
Oguzhan not only combines deep technical expertise with visionary leadership, but he also has an incredibly inspirational immigrant journey, which makes this series a must-listen for first-time founders, scientists, and industry leaders alike.
In this episode, you'll hear about:
- Oguzhan's journey from Turkey to Stanford
- BillionToOne's origin, including Y Combinator's role and initial funding challenges
- The company's innovative prenatal testing approach
- Expansion into oncology with blood tests for therapy selection and monitoring
- Oguzhan's personal struggles with immigration issues while starting the company and the support of his mentors
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Find Our Guest, Oguzhan Atay, at these links:
Find Our Host, Jon Chee, at these links:
Excedr Socials & Website
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Podcast Website: https://www.thebiotechstartupspodcast.com/
Enriched Notes:
Topics Mentioned:
BillionToOne https://billiontoone.com/
Y Combinator https://www.ycombinator.com/
Common Mistakes Biotechs Make & How to Avoid Them https://www.excedr.com/blog/common-business-mistakes
How to Fund an R&D Startup https://www.excedr.com/resources/rd-startup-funding-first-steps
Guide to the Venture Capitalist Decision https://www.excedr.com/resources/guide-to-the-venture-capitalist-decision-making-process
People Mentioned:
David Tsao https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidtsao/
Jim Collins https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_C._Collins
Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
02:28 - The origin of BillionToOne and early challenges
06:48 - Y Combinator's role and initial funding struggles
12:24 - Meeting co-founders and pivoting based on market needs
17:17 - Realizing the importance of the problem in the United States
24:11 - Building physical infrastructure and scaling operations
32:04 - Company culture, hiring philosophy, and growth strategy
38:55 - Expanding into oncology and future product lines
46:40 - Plans for going public and becoming a generational company
53:42 - Shoutouts to supporters and overcoming immigration challenges
59:34 - Advice to his 21-year-old self: keeping an open mind
01:02:51 - Outro
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.