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Leaving Merck to Build a Biotech From Scratch | Örn Almarsson (2/4)

Örn Almarsson · Part 2

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Showing 12 of 251 episodes

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Episode 78Part 1Sep 14, 2026

How a Guitarist Became a Drug Delivery Pioneer | Örn Almarsson (1/4)

Örn Almarsson

“Perfect is the enemy of good. How do we get there?” Örn Almarsson traces the early experiences that shaped his approach to science, from growing up in Iceland and Denmark to playing electric guitar and discovering a deeper curiosity about chemistry. He describes his first research opportunity at the University of Iceland, an early industry project in Copenhagen, and the mentors who pushed him toward bioorganic chemistry. The conversation follows his move to UC Santa Barbara, his work with Tom Bruice and Alex Klibanov, and the networking connection that led to Merck.

Research & TranslationCareers & Personal Growth

Part 2 of 2

Episode 78Part 2Sep 17, 2026

Leaving Merck to Build a Biotech From Scratch | Örn Almarsson (2/4)

Örn Almarsson

“You gotta build that over time thoughtfully.” Örn Almarsson explains why thoughtful networking matters, especially when you don't need anything right away. He also reflects on evolving professional networks, learning from failure, and the entrepreneurial culture that drew him to the United States. At Merck, a three-month visa detour exposed Örn to another laboratory and reinforced the value of adaptability. He then describes leaving a secure role for Transform Pharmaceuticals, building a small team and collaborative culture, developing new formulation technologies, and helping create the patents and assets that led to a Johnson & Johnson acquisition.

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Company BuildingLeadership & TeamsLab Operations

Start here · 4-part series

Episode 77Part 1Aug 31, 2026

What Rural Indiana Can Teach Biotech Founders About Trust | Philip Borden (1/4)

Philip Borden

“It's the relationships that have always mattered a lot more to me on selecting a partner on that front.” Philip Borden grew up in Plymouth, Indiana, in a family shaped by agriculture. He talks about his grandparents' farms, his father's work as an agricultural lender, and the early lessons he absorbed about local businesses and long-term relationships.

AI & Drug DiscoveryFundraising & FinanceClinical Development

Part 2 of 4

Episode 77Part 2Sep 3, 2026

Cold Calling Your Way Into Venture Capital | Philip Borden (2/4)

Philip Borden

“What I could offer is I'm willing to work hard. I'm willing to learn. I'm willing to be a good contributor.” Philip Borden explains how realizing he did not want to pursue a PhD or spend his career at the lab bench led him toward venture capital. With a molecular biology degree, limited finance experience, and a list of biotech VC firms, he picked up the phone and cold-called his way into Frazier Healthcare in Seattle.

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Fundraising & FinanceCompany BuildingLeadership & Teams

Part 4 of 4

Episode 77Part 4Sep 10, 2026

Don't Build Your Own Cathedral: The Hidden Cost of Lab Space | Philip Borden (4/4)

Philip Borden

“Don't build your own cathedral.” After more than two decades in healthcare investing, Philip Borden decided to become an operator. He explains how a conversation with longtime friend Jeff Behrens led him to Labshares and why the shared lab model immediately resonated with his experience watching biotech companies struggle with infrastructure.

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Fundraising & FinanceCompany BuildingLab Operations

Part 3 of 4

Episode 77Part 3Sep 7, 2026

The Biotech Deal That Became a Leadership Crisis | Philip Borden (3/4)

Philip Borden

“Sometimes like it is not a straight line, man. You know, that things can go in wildly unexpected directions.” Philip Borden describes leaving Frazier Healthcare Partners for Harvard Business School, where the case method broadened his perspective beyond healthcare and investing. He explains why he returned to healthcare investing after graduation.

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Fundraising & FinanceCompany BuildingLeadership & Teams

Start here · 4-part series

Episode 74Part 1Jul 19, 2026

Video Games & a Whim Led Me to Microsoft | Javier Tordable (1/4)

Javier Tordable

Part 1 of 4 of our series with Javier Tordable, founder and CEO of Pauling AI. In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, Jon Chee sits down with Javier Tordable, founder and CEO of Pauling AI, a company building the first fully autonomous drug discovery platform that enables scientists to go from a research idea to validated drug molecules in days, not years. Named after Linus Pauling, the only person in history to win two unshared Nobel Prizes, the company reflects Javier's conviction that first principles engineering can be applied to one of science's most consequential problems.

AI & Drug DiscoveryCompany BuildingLeadership & Teams

Part 2 of 4

Episode 74Part 2Jul 22, 2026

16 Years at Google Taught Me How to Scale From 1 to 150 People | Javier Tordable (2/4)

Javier Tordable

Part 2 of 4 of our series with Javier Tordable, founder and CEO of Pauling AI. In this part of the podcast, Javier Tordable shares his early career journey—from starting at Microsoft to spending 16 years at Google as a Staff Engineer and Technical Director. He reflects on the engineering-driven culture at Microsoft and the welcoming environment that shaped his foundation in tech.

Start with Part 1

AI & Drug DiscoveryCompany BuildingLeadership & Teams

Part 3 of 4

Episode 74Part 3Jul 26, 2026

From Games to Cancer Research: Why Drug Discovery Is an Economics Problem | Javier Tordable (3/4)

Javier Tordable

Part 3 of 4 of our series with Javier Tordable, founder and CEO of Pauling AI. In this part of the podcast, Jon and Javier explore Javier's years as technical director in Google's Office of the CTO, where he worked with the world's biggest gaming companies—Nintendo, Ubisoft, Electronic Arts, and Unity—helping them leverage Google Cloud technology. Javier then shares the deeply personal story of how his father's passing from cancer became the turning point that pulled him into life sciences, and how he taught himself biochemistry and pharmacology through Harvard Medical School's HMX program.

Start with Part 1

AI & Drug DiscoveryCompany BuildingClinical Development

Part 4 of 4

Episode 74Part 4Jul 29, 2026

This Ex-Googler Replaced a Whole Drug R&D Team | Javier Tordable (4/4)

Javier Tordable

Part 4 of 4 of our series with Javier Tordable, founder and CEO of Pauling AI. In this part of the podcast, Javier Tordable unpacks why he left Google to solo found Pauling AI and how its agentic platform automates computational chemistry—from docking to ADMET—collapsing months into days.

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AI & Drug DiscoveryCompany BuildingLeadership & Teams

Start here · 4-part series

Episode 71Part 1Jun 14, 2026

The Rule of Three: Career, Family & One Other Thing | Mati Gill (1/4)

Mati Gill

Part 1 of 4 of our series with Mati Gill, CEO of AION Labs. In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, Jon Chee sits down with Mati Gill, CEO of AION Labs—a first-of-its-kind AI venture studio backed by Teva, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Merck, and Amazon Web Services. Before AION Labs, Mati spent six years in the IDF, ran a minister's bureau, and rose from legal intern to global legal COO at Teva over more than a decade. Part one covers the formative years: moving from Columbus, Ohio to Jerusalem at 12, extending military service by three years, and the two teachers who handed him D's and changed how he works.

AI & Drug DiscoveryCompany BuildingLab Operations

Part 2 of 4

Episode 71Part 2Jun 17, 2026

From Law School to Teva: Learning a 45,000-Person Organization | Mati Gill (2/4)

Mati Gill

Part 2 of 4 of our series with Mati Gill, CEO of AION Labs. In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, Jon Chee sits down with Mati Gill, CEO of AION Labs. Mati traces his path from juggling a minister's bureau with Israeli law school to joining Teva as an intern with no private-sector experience, then learning a 45,000-person org from the chart up — until Teva's financial crisis handed him the mandate to build the innovation program that became AION Labs.

Start with Part 1

AI & Drug DiscoveryCompany BuildingLeadership & Teams

Explore every biotech conversation

Leaving Merck to Build a Biotech From Scratch | Örn Almarsson (2/4)

Search the archive

How a Guitarist Became a Drug Delivery Pioneer | Örn Almarsson (1/4)

Leaving Merck to Build a Biotech From Scratch | Örn Almarsson (2/4)

What Rural Indiana Can Teach Biotech Founders About Trust | Philip Borden (1/4)

Cold Calling Your Way Into Venture Capital | Philip Borden (2/4)

Don't Build Your Own Cathedral: The Hidden Cost of Lab Space | Philip Borden (4/4)

The Biotech Deal That Became a Leadership Crisis | Philip Borden (3/4)

Video Games & a Whim Led Me to Microsoft | Javier Tordable (1/4)

16 Years at Google Taught Me How to Scale From 1 to 150 People | Javier Tordable (2/4)

From Games to Cancer Research: Why Drug Discovery Is an Economics Problem | Javier Tordable (3/4)

This Ex-Googler Replaced a Whole Drug R&D Team | Javier Tordable (4/4)

The Rule of Three: Career, Family & One Other Thing | Mati Gill (1/4)

From Law School to Teva: Learning a 45,000-Person Organization | Mati Gill (2/4)

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