Show Notes
"Passion is chaos. You're doing unreasonable things sometimes for reasons you can't explain to anyone why. That's just what I want.”
In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, host Jon Chee sits down with Ivan Liachko, CEO and co-founder of Phase Genomics, to reveal how a childhood passion for genetics, relentless family support, and Ivan’s trademark persistence—“better to be annoying than forgotten”—helped him break into science as an immigrant and rise to biotech leadership.
Ivan shares candid lessons on embracing unpredictability, turning setbacks into opportunities, and the parallels between research and entrepreneurship, emphasizing the power of authentic curiosity, running toward problems, and leading with bold optimism.
Key topics covered:
- Ivan’s childhood in Kyiv and early passion for genetics
- Moving and adapting to a new country and system
- Breaking into science with grit and curiosity
- His transition from the lab to launching Phase Genomics
- Navigating setbacks and uncertainty in a leadership role
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Resources & Articles
- Play Nice But Win: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57005158-play-nice-but-win
- Ultra-Long-Range Genomic Information: https://www.ark-invest.com/podcast/phase-genomics
- Bioinformatics & Genomics: https://www.excedr.com/blog/what-is-bioinformatics-and-computational-biology
- A New Tool in the Genomics Kit: https://share.snipd.com/episode/9ee3bc63-9d1a-43f2-b749-2c7a339a2b63
- What is CRISPR: https://www.excedr.com/resources/what-is-crispr-cas9-definition-and-overview
- The CRISPR Revolution and the New Era of Genome Editing: https://www.biochemjournal.com/archives/2024/vol8issue1S/PartG/S-8-1-92-790.pdf
- Cytogenomics with Phase Genomics: https://dnapodcast.com/episodes/2022/1/28/169-cytogenomics-with-phase-genomics
- Connect My Variant: https://connectmyvariant.org/
- The Phage Atlas Project: https://phage.directory/atlas
Organizations & People
- Phase Genomics: https://phasegenomics.com
- Quest Diagnostics: http://www.questdiagnostics.com
- University of Pennsylvania: https://www.upenn.edu/
- Brandeis University: https://www.brandeis.edu/
- Michael Dell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mdell/
- David Younger: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-a-younger