Yaniv Erlich

In this engaging discussion, Jennifer Dionne, founder of Pumpkin Seed and former Stanford professor, and Yaniv Erlich, CEO of Eleven Therapeutics and former Columbia professor, share insights on their shift from academia to entrepreneurship. They tackle the dilemma of whether to pursue postdoctoral positions or jump into startups, highlighting the challenges and rewards of each path. The duo emphasizes the importance of harnessing scientific skills for innovation and personal fulfillment, inspiring future scientist-founders to forge their own paths.

Yaniv Erlich, a pioneering computational geneticist, has helped construct the world's largest family tree, connecting 13 million individuals over 500 years. He reveals captivating patterns about love lives and health through genealogy. The conversation dives into how crowdsourced databases validate genealogical data using DNA analysis and unveil migration patterns. Erlich also discusses the groundbreaking application of family trees in criminal investigations, shedding light on cases like the Golden State Killer, and highlights the emotional significance of understanding ancestry.