The Biotech Startups Podcast 🧬 Innovation & IP Strategy: The Blueprint for Success in Biotech | Eswar Iyer (Part 3/4)
Sep 8, 2025
31:03
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"If you gain so much knowledge in each of your respective fields, you should be pushing something deeper. Yes, it's harder, but isn't that what you really want to do?"
In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, Eswar Iyer shares his journey from George Church’s groundbreaking lab to launching spatial biology at 10x Genomics and founding Aikium, candidly revealing how mentorship, bold decision-making, and cross-functional teamwork drive innovation and company creation.
He explores navigating tough challenges, learning the business side of biotech, and embracing risk to tackle unsolved problems in drug discovery using AI and high-throughput data, delivering an insider’s perspective on both technology evolution and startup disruption in the life sciences sector.
Key topics covered:
- The Role of Mentorship: George Church’s advice fueled Eswar’s bold career moves
- Building Spatial Biology at 10x Genomics: Turning concepts into breakthrough products
- Startup Culture & Team Building: Forming agile expert teams to solve tough problems
- Commercializing Innovation: Rapidly bringing ideas to market and securing IP
- Rethinking Drug Discovery: Using AI to unlock new therapeutic targets
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Subscribe to the Podcast:
Find our guest, Eswar Iyer, at these links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eswar-iyer/
Website: https://www.aikium.com/
Find our host, Jon Chee, at these links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonchee
Learn more about Excedr:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/excedr/
Website: https://www.excedr.com
Intro & Outro Songs Created by OkKyojin, Owned by Excedr:
Website: https://flow.page/kyojin
Resources & Articles:
10x Genomics Platform Development and Visium HD: https://www.10xgenomics.com/platforms/visium
High-Throughput Data Generation in Protein Engineering: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4632782/
Do You Need a Co-Founder https://www.excedr.com/resources/do-you-need-a-co-founder-for-your-startup
How Do VCs Evaluate Founders & Co-Founders
https://www.excedr.com/blog/how-do-vcs-evaluate-founders-co-founders
How Do VCs Evaluate Founders & Co-Founders
https://www.excedr.com/blog/how-do-vcs-evaluate-founders-co-founders
Companies, Universities, & People mentioned:
10x Genomics: https://www.10xgenomics.com/
Cartana (Part of 10x genomics): https://cartana.se/
Broad Institute: https://www.broadinstitute.org/
D. E. Shaw Research: https://www.deshawresearch.com/
Atomwise: https://www.atomwise.com/
Nvidia: https://www.nvidia.com/
Tarjei Mikkelsen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tarjei-mikkelsen-b448265b/
Shankar Shastry: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shankarshastry/
Venkatesh Mysore: https://www.linkedin.com/in/venkatesh-mysore-27ab08160/
Ben Hindson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-hindson-09739813/
Josephine Lee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephineylee/
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
00:00 Intro
01:40 Reflections on Opportunity and Mentorship
03:23 Transition from George Church’s Lab to Industry
08:04 Discovering 10x Genomics and Career Decision-Making
09:33 Moving to California and Settling In
11:29 Early Days and Company Culture at 10x Genomics
13:11 Building Spatial Biology Platforms and Prototyping
16:30 Learning the Business Side of Biotech
18:28 Key Takeaways from 10x Genomics—Innovation and Teamwork
22:43 Deciding to Leave 10x Genomics and Pursue Startups
25:31 Assembling the Aikium Co-Founder Team and Mission
27:57 Rethinking Drug Discovery with AI and Data
29:46 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.