🧬 Barbara Alcaraz Silva - J.P. Morgan - Part 3 | From Academia to Entrepreneurship, Investing, & Advising | Co-Founding a Startup | Challenges of Early-Stage Company Building | Improve Your Investor Pitch & Connect with the Right People

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Part 3 of 4. 

My guest for this week’s episode is Barbara Alcaraz Silva, Executive Director of Early Stage Life Sciences and Healthcare, Startup Banking at J.P. Morgan. Barbara is a former researcher and entrepreneur, and an accomplished industry veteran. Her career has revolved around startups and early-stage ventures. As a graduate student, she focused on Telomeres and DNA Repair.

 

Before joining J.P. Morgan, Barbara was an advisor for biotech and medtech companies at the Manos Accelerator, where she provided mentorship in business development, fundraising, and other key areas. She also served as a Senior Investment Fellow at Life Science Angels, where she invested in emerging biotechs and managed investor relationships. Additionally, Barbara co-founded BioChron, a company that leveraged AI and machine learning to track biological aging.

Barbara’s dedication to fostering a strong community in the biotech space, combined with her expertise in science, business, and investing, makes her conversation invaluable for founders.

Please enjoy my conversation with Barbara Alcaraz Silva.

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

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

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/excedr_inc 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ExcedrInc 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/excedr 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@excedr 

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

Harvard: https://www.harvard.edu/

UCSF: https://www.ucsf.edu/

Kaiser Permanente, Division of Research: https://divisionofresearch.kaiserpermanente.org/

Manos Accelerator: https://manosaccelerator.com/

Life Science Angels: https://www.lifescienceangels.com/

The Column Group: https://www.thecolumngroup.com/

How To Spin Out of Academia: https://www.excedr.com/resources/how-to-spin-out-of-academia-and-into-a-startup

How to Fund an R&D Lab: https://www.excedr.com/resources/rd-startup-funding-first-steps

Top Accelerators in Biotech: https://www.excedr.com/resources/biotech-accelerators

Top Incubators in Biotech: https://www.excedr.com/resources/biotech-incubators

Accelerator vs. Incubator: https://www.excedr.com/resources/accelerator-vs-incubator

Top VCs in Biotech: https://www.excedr.com/blog/top-vc-firms-for-biotech

Biotech Funding Options: https://www.excedr.com/resources/biotech-startup-funding-options

Grant Funding in Biotech: https://www.excedr.com/resources/grants-public-funding-biotech-startups

00:00 Intro

01:54 The story behind Barbara’s decision to create a startup

07:33 Experience as a Program Manager at UCSF

10:43 Key lessons learned from running a startup and working as a PM

16:03 Landing investment and advisory roles at the Manos Accelerator, Life Sciences Angels

21:49 Crash course in investing and company assessment

26:21 Advice for improving your investor pitch, connecting with the right people

33:33 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.