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"I had to make a decision because I knew that if nothing changed, I was just gonna fail out of EECS. I remember EECS actually sent me a letter where they were like, 'Hey, if your GPA continues this low, you will be kicked out next semester.'"

In part one of our conversation with Alfredo Andere, we delve into his journey from Mexico to the prestigious EECS program at UC Berkeley. Alfredo shares his early fascination with technology, the challenges of adapting to a new educational system, and the pivotal moments that shaped his academic and personal growth.

Raised in various cities across Mexico, Alfredo's passion for technology was sparked by reading biographies of tech leaders like Steve Jobs and Elon Musk. His entrepreneurial spirit emerged early when he organized a forum that attracted high-profile speakers, including former Mexican presidents, to his all-boys Catholic high school. Despite initial struggles with calculus at Berkeley, Alfredo's determination and commitment to his studies ultimately led to his success in the competitive EECS program.

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Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-biotech-startups-podcast/id1679591994

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PSL162R2s0zOwU5913Zv4

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@excedr 

Website: https://www.thebiotechstartupspodcast.com/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alfredoandere/

Website: https://www.linkedin.com/company/latchbio/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonchee

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/excedr/ 

Website: https://www.excedr.com

AWS (Amazon Web Services): https://aws.amazon.com/

AstraZeneca: https://www.astrazeneca.com/

GCP (Google Cloud Platform): https://cloud.google.com/ 

EVO https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6589126/

AlphaFold 2: https://alphafold.ebi.ac.uk/

Dyno Therapeutics: https://www.dynotx.com/

Bulk RNA-seq: https://www.scdiscoveries.com/support/what-is-bulk-rna-sequencing/

Apple: https://www.apple.com/

LatchBio: https://latch.bio/

UC Berkeley: https://www.berkeley.edu/

Uri Levine: https://il.linkedin.com/in/uri-levine

Felipe Calderon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/felipe-calderon-9b104a23/?originalSubdomain=mx

Vicente Fox: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincente-fox-president/?originalSubdomain=mx

00:00 Intro

02:50 Alfredo's upbringing in Mexico and early influences

05:24 Reading biographies of tech leaders and early inspirations

08:09 Developing interest in technology and Apple

11:51 High school experience in Mexico

15:40 The importance of relationships in Mexican business culture

20:10 Creating a forum that attracted high-profile speakers

23:13 The power of persistence and networking

27:10 Application process to US universities and choosing Berkeley

31:22 First experiences at Berkeley and academic challenges

35:14 Struggling with calculus and the pivotal decision to commit

35:39 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.