AmyriAD is an LA-based clinical-stage biotech company working to advance effective therapies for the treatment of Alzheimer's Disease, bringing together decades of experience with the singular goal of easing the devastation it causes. The Company's lead drug candidate, AD101, is a small molecule under development for the treatment of Alzheimer's Disease and will be entering Phase 3 clinical trials later this year in 2023 following successful randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trials where it has been administered as an add-on to stable donepezil (Aricept®) therapy. Sharon was the global lead and development strategist for the highly successful Alzheimer’s Disease treatment, Aricept® (donepezil). From an incredible and widely varied career that started in figure skating and restaurant ownership, she has worked in high-ranking positions for several decades in the pharmaceutical industry and more recently in the startup space, leading the VC-backed AmyriAD. We talk about one of her earliest ventures delivering food to half-naked frat boys, her expat life in Japan, and why she is so passionate about advancing a cure for Alzheimer’s Disease. You can find out more about AmyriAD in the following ways: Website: https://amyriadtherapeutics.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/AmyriAD_Tx LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/amyriad-therapeutics/ Find us on: www.founders-keepers.com and www.founderskeepers.substack.com Instagram: @founderskeepers.pod Twitter: @founders.pod LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/founders-keepers-podcast Get in touch: hi@founders-keepers.com

Founded in 2016, South Rampart Pharma is a clinical-stage life science company dedicated to advancing the safe treatment of pain by developing new non-opioid small molecule solutions that lack the liver and kidney toxicity present in current pain medicines. The company's lead program, SRP-001, is currently in a Phase 1 study evaluating the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics with data expected later this year in 2023. Hernan is an accomplished academic vascular surgeon who holds degrees in molecular biology and medicine and is a former Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Research Scholar at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). He is the co-inventor of 7 issued or pending patents and has authored over 50 publications. In this episode, we talk about the innovation landscape in pain management, the challenge of translating scientific evidence into the clinic, and tackling curveballs thrown at you in business. You can find out more about  South Rampart Pharma in the following ways: Website: https://southrampartpharma.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/SR_Pharma LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/south-rampart-pharma-llc/ Find us on: www.founders-keepers.com and www.founderskeepers.substack.com  Instagram: @founderskeepers.pod Twitter: @founders.pod LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/founders-keepers-podcast Get in touch: hi@founders-keepers.com

This is a special segment podcast episode with a focus on questions around conferences, given that it’s currently conference season for bio, med and health tech organisations in the US. Blue Water Vaccines showcased at JPM Healthcare in January and is an early-stage biotech company focused on manufacturing a universal influenza vaccine in partnership with the University of Oxford in England.  Joe is a seasoned health tech entrepreneur, holding multiple degrees in everything from neuroscience to molecular genetics and business. He has a background in company creation, early-stage technology development, and both private and public market financing. Over the course of his career, he has founded or led eight entrepreneurial companies in cutting edge areas of healthcare and pharmaceuticals.  In this episode, we talk about the post-covid vaccine landscape, the value of human interactions for business, and changing with the markets.  You can find out more about  Blue Water Vaccines in the following ways:  Website: https://www.bluewatervaccines.com/  LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/blue-water-vaccines-inc  Find us on: www.founders-keepers.com and www.founderskeepers.substack.com Instagram: @founderskeepers.pod  Twitter: @founders.pod  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/founders-keepers-podcast  Get in touch: hi@founders-keepers.com

Tonix Pharmaceuticals is a pharmaceutical company based in New Jersey focused on repurposing drugs for neurological conditions and developing vaccines for COVID-19, smallpox and other biodefense projects. More recently, the FDA awarded one of its drug candidates, TNX -102 SL, with breakthrough therapy designation for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder following studies in the US military. Seth is an enormously accomplished physician, scientist and entrepreneur. In particular prior to co-founding Tonix, where he is now the current President and Chairman, he worked as an assistant professor at Columbia University on the team that discovered the CD40-Ligand (CD154) and elucidated the molecular basis of T cell helper function. This discovery alone has since led to the development of treatment candidates for numerous autoimmune diseases as well as for organ transplant rejection. In this episode, we cover the biotech revolution in vaccine development, the need for versatility in hiring, and inherent difficulty of “doing science” in the real world. You can find out more about Tonix Pharmaceuticals in the following ways: Website: https://www.tonixpharma.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TONIXPharma LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tonix-pharmaceuticals/ Find us on: www.founders-keepers.com Instagram: @founderskeepers.pod Twitter: @founders.pod LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/founders-keepers-podcast Get in touch: hi@founders-keepers.com

Convergent Therapeutics is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on developing next generation radiopharmaceutical therapies for prostate and other cancers. The company's proprietary technology involves dual-targeted radionuclide therapy that has been licensed to Convergent by Cornell University (USA).  If FDA-approved, its flagship therapeutic would be the first antibody approved to direct a radioisotope to prostate cancer. Dr Kantoff is a board-certified physician in internal medicine and medical oncology; a member of numerous professional societies and editorial boards; author of more than 500 articles and books; and has lectured throughout the world on the topic of cancer treatments. He has been honored with the Harvard Medical School Kantoff-Sang Lectureship Award, and recognized with the first Prostate Cancer Foundation Mentor of Excellence Award.  In this episode, we cover raising money in difficult climates, the important “engine of discovery” that is the biotech industry, and dealing with the unpredictable both as a physician and a company CEO. You can find out more about  Convergent Therapeutics in the following ways: Website: https://convergentrx.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ConvergentRx LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/convergent-therapeutics/ Find us on: www.founders-keepers.com Instagram: @founderskeepers.pod Twitter: @founders.pod LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/founders-keepers-podcast Get in touch: hi@founders-keepers.com

CONNECT Care is a UK-based startup that uses tech to track prescriptions for elderly patients and their carers. Supported by Innovate UK, their founding team brings together a combined 20 years of deep industry expertise at the intersection of digital health, pharmacy, and the oft-neglected social care. Through working with NHS partners across the country to roll out trials of its prescription tracking tech, they have a mission to make medicines management and access easier for patients and the people who care for them. Issa is a graduate of Oxford and Harvard universities, and founded CONNECT Care in 2021 with business partner Mehfuz, having since raised £1.4m in funding to date, including a £614,000 grant from Innovate UK and capital from angel investors. In this episode, we talk “adherence” as a dirty word, how chaos and turmoil can create opportunity, and why - to paraphrase the former Zuckerberg motto - moving fast and breaking things doesn’t always work for healthcare. You can find out more about  CONNECT Care in the following ways: Website: weconnect.care/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/connectedhealthsystems/ Find us on: www.founders-keepers.com Instagram: @founderskeepers.pod Twitter: @founders.pod LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/founders-keepers-podcast Get in touch: hi@founders-keepers.com

Kicking off the first episode of Founders Keepers of 2023 is Pete O’Heeron - the Founder and CEO of FibroBiologics. FibroBiologics is a clinical-stage regenerative medicine company based in Houston, Texas, developing a pipeline of treatments for chronic diseases using fibroblast cells. They hold over 150 US and international issued patents and patents pending across various clinical pathways, including disc degeneration, orthopedics, multiple sclerosis, wound healing, reversing organ involution, and cancer. Pete is a seasoned leader in his field with over 25 years of experience in medical technology and biotech development. Prior to founding FibroBiologics/FibroGenesis, LLC, he founded an operational investment group, Advanced Medical Technologies, LLC, that identified early-stage opportunities in the medical field with strong intellectual property potential. He also founded NeoSurg Technologies, sold to Cooper Surgical in 2006. In this episode, we cover having a high tolerance for the word “no”, working without a proverbial safety net, and revolutionising the regenerative medicine world. You can find out more about FibroBiologics in the following ways: Website: https://fibrobiologics.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fibrobiologics/ Find us on: www.founders-keepers.com Instagram: @founderskeepers.pod Twitter: @founders.pod LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/founders-keepers-podcast Get in touch: hi@founders-keepers.com

Luna is a platform for teenager health and wellbeing. Their app recently launched in the UK on Apple and Google Play stores following a $600,000 pre-seed investment from Octopus Ventures and Syndicate Room, and the app is freely available to teens, but also their parents, guardians, and teachers to holistically support young people during their formative years. Jo and Jas are both former management consultants, and met as MBA candidates at the Oxford Said Business School when they conceived the idea for luna. Luna went on to win the programme’s annual pitching competition, and was formally launched in 2021. In this episode, we talk dragon’s den-style pitching, handing out flyers on the streets of London, and their amazing “luminary” fan base. This is also the last episode of Founders Keepers for 2022 - thank you to everyone who has listened along this year; we'll be back with a bang in January 2023 with an incredible line-up of even more founders' stories. You can find out more about Luna in the following ways: Website: https://www.weareluna.app/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearelunaapp/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wearelunaapp  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lunalifeltd/ Find us on: www.founders-keepers.com Instagram: @founderskeepers.pod Twitter: @founders.pod LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/founders-keepers-podcast Get in touch: hi@founders-keepers.com

UK-based Credentially’s AI platform aims to revolutionise the staff onboarding and verification process in the healthcare sector, making it faster, cheaper and easier for doctors and nurses to book onto work shifts, and was a key player in the NHS Covid Clinical Assessment Service facilitating the efficient sign-up and verification of thousands of doctors on a volunteer basis. Credentially was launched in 2016 by founders Kit Latham, a former emergency department doctor who met Credentially’s co-founder, software engineer Artem Stalpouski, whilst undertaking a Masters in healthcare technology. In this episode, we cover being part of the Techstars accelerator, “speed-dating” with prospective mentors, and addressing the healthcare paperwork crisis. You can find out more about Credentially in the following ways: Website: https://www.credentially.io/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/credentially_io LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/credentially/ Find us on: www.founders-keepers.com Instagram: @founderskeepers.pod Twitter: @founders.pod LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/founders-keepers-podcast Get in touch: hi@founders-keepers.com

Launched in 2017, Mojo is an AI-powered fertility care platform that helps people to understand, test, and improve their fertility in preparation for starting a family. Having raised a total of US$5.5 million over 2 funding rounds, Mojo's main offering is an at-home fertility testing kit that provides detailed results to users within 48h of sampling, alongside on-demand consultations with UK-leading fertility specialists. The company achieves rapid test turnaround through their WHO-complaint, proprietary, in-house built AI-powered microscope that revolutionises both accessibility to and the level of standard in sperm analysis. , and has been profiled in Wired magazine as well as multiple other media outlets. Mo has a PhD in materials engineering and nanotechnology, and set up Mojo in 2017 along with three other founders to apply his research skillset to a real-world problem. In this episode we cover his personal health reasons behind starting Mojo, shining the light on male fertility issues, and how “failing a lot” has helped his entrepreneurial journey. You can find out more about Mojo in the following ways:  Website: https://mymojo.ai/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mymojo.ai/  Twitter: https://twitter.com/MyMojoAI LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/my-mojo/ Find us on:  www.founders-keepers.com  Instagram: @founderskeepers.pod  Twitter: @founders.pod  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/founders-keepers-podcast  Get in touch: hi@founders-keepers.com