Ep 53: Cradle CEO Stef van Grieken on the State of AI x Bio and Selling SaaS to Pharma

Jacob sits down with Stef van Grieken, Co-Founder & CEO of Cradle. Cradle has raised over $100M from investors like IVP and Index Ventures to build and expand their AI-enabled protein engineering platform. They discuss how Cradle plans to use their new Series B funding, what’s been happening in AI bio, the technical underpinnings of Cradle’s platform, and more.

[0:00] Intro
[0:22] Cradle Bio's Rapid Growth and AI Innovations
[0:53] The State of AI in Drug Development
[1:15] Challenges and Opportunities in AI Biospace
[2:21] Cradle Bio's Approach to Biologics Development
[3:11] AI's Role in Hit Identification and Lead Optimization
[7:42] Cradle Bio's Software and Customer Base
[10:33] Inside Cradle Bio's Lab and Data Strategy
[24:10] Future Directions and Protein Modalities
[26:21] Navigating the Pharma SaaS Market
[28:48] Challenges in Adopting New Protocols
[30:15] Software vs. Service Companies
[31:47] Gaps in Drug Development
[33:46] Advances in AI and Bio
[41:28] Future of Drug Discovery
[44:18] Advice for Aspiring Bio Entrepreneurs
[48:03] Quickfire

Out-Of-Pocket: https://www.outofpocket.health/