Raising Biotech

S4, E8: Infinimmune – From a Scientific Hunch to an $838M Merck Partnership, with CEO and co-founder Wyatt McDonnell

In this episode, Surani explores the unconventional start-up story of Infinimmune, an antibody discovery company founded in 2022 by five former 10x Genomics scientists. S

S4, E7: From the Archive – Revisiting Synchron and Brain-Computer Interfaces, 2 Years Later

In this July summer episode, we slow things down again and revisit a conversation from the Raising Biotech archive. Today's episode is a replay from November 2023, featu

S4, E6: Investor Spotlight: From Cancer Physician to Biotech Investor, with Dr Jakob Dupont of Sofinnova Investments

In this special Investor Spotlight edition of Raising Biotech, Surani sits down with Dr. Jakob Dupont, Executive Partner at Sofinnova Investments, to explore one of the m

S4, E5: Compass Pathways and the Quest to Bring Psychedelics to Psychiatry, with CEO Kabir Nath and Prof David Nutt

In this episode, Surani explores one of biotech’s most controversial and ambitious frontiers: psychedelic medicine. At the center of the story is Compass Pathways, the

S4, E4: The Weight of the Moment: How GLP-1s are Rewiring Biotech Investing, Expert Analysis

In this episode, Surani takes a deep dive with experts into biotechs hottest new hype cycle -- GLP-1s. Over the past couple years, biotech investing has felt like it’s en

S4, E3: Inside Opus Genetics’ Pivot – Skepticism, Proxy Fights and a Comeback, with CEO George Magrath

In this episode, Surani speaks with George Magrath, CEO of Opus Genetics, about the realities of leading a public biotech company through a major strategic pivot and inte

S4, E2: From Medicine to IPOs - Dr Sheila Gujrathi on Raising Biotech Against the Odds

In this episode, we focus on the personal journey of Sheila Gujrathi, a physician turned biotech builder whose career spans medicine, big pharma, rapid IPOs, and billion

S4, E1: From the Archive - Revisiting eGenesis and Xenotransplantation with Pig Organs, Two Years On

In this early-January episode, we slow things down, and reflect... Today’s episode is a replay from the Raising Biotech archive — a conversation originally recorded in N

S3, E6: Veradermics puts hair loss back on the investor agenda with $150 million Series C - with CEO Dr Reid Waldman and InThought's Julie Hoggatt

In this episode, we dive into one of the most universal aesthetic concerns on the planet: pattern hair loss. Despite affecting more than 80 million people in the US and o

S3, E5: Special Analysis: What's going on with European Biotech? - Reporting from BioEurope in Vienna

In this special on-the-ground episode of Raising Biotech, Surani takes you inside BIO-Europe 2025 in Vienna — the dealmaking, the caffeine, and the cautious optimism shap

S3, E4: ReproNovo’s strategic trash-to-treasure bet on fertility and reproductive health - with CEO Jean Marie Duval

In this episode, we dive into ReproNovo’s “trash to treasure” biotech story. Founded in Switzerland in 2021, the company is reimagining reproductive medicine, one of the

S3, E3: AltruBio’s Cinderella story from bankruptcy talks to a $225M Series B to tackle autoimmune diseases - with CEO Dr Judy Chou

In this episode, we look at AltruBio’s Cinderella story. While the company officially launched in 2020, its roots go back more than 20 years with a rich immunology pipeli

S3, E2: The Biotech Bromance: Serial CEO and Investor’s 20‑Year Journey of Building Biotechs with Steve Butts, Arrivo Bio and Dave Adair, Solas BioVentures

This episode of Raising Biotech takes a different turn — not just the story of a biotech, but of a partnership. Steve Butts, CEO of Arrivo BioVentures, and Dr. Dave Adair

S3, E1: How Xaira Therapeutics went from incubation to a billion dollar launch - with Vik Bajaj, CEO Foresite Labs

In this episode, we go inside the creation of Xaira Therapeutics — the biotech startup that raised over a billion dollars at launch without a product or clinical data.

It's been a while! Season 3 update from Surani

In this bonus episode, Surani shares an honest update on what’s been happening behind the scenes at Raising Biotech, why Season 3 took longer than planned, and what to ex

S2, E6: iOmx and shaking up the immuno-oncology field with CEO Apollon Papadimitriou, Professor Phillip Beckhove (RCI) and Jared Holz (Mizuho)

In this episode of Raising Biotech, Surani finally delves into the scary zone of cancer with German biotech iOmx. The company has raised a total of EUR 115 million (Serie

S2, E5: Cerevance and a new approach to Parkinson's disease with CEO Craig Thompson and CNS expert Prof Karl Kieburtz (URMC, Clintrex)

In this episode of Raising Biotech, Surani delves into the world of CNS and Parkinson's disease with Cerevance. CEO Craig Thompson joins the podcast to speak about Cereva

S2, E4: Sparrow Pharmaceuticals and tackling the ravaging effects of steroids with founder David Katz and experts Dr Peter Merkel (UPenn), Dr Leon Henderson-MacLennan (InThought)

In this episode of Raising Biotech, Surani learns that it's never too late to launch a biotech as Sparrow Pharmaceuticals was born when its founder, Dr David Katz, was re

S2, E3: Ray Therapeutics leveraging optogenetics to tackle vision loss with CEO Paul Bresge and Dr José-Alain Sahel (University of Pittsburgh)

In this episode of Raising Biotech, Surani explores the fascinating world of vision restoration and optogenetics with Ray Therapeutics. The company raised an oversubscrib

S2, E2: Fauna Bio tapping animal evolution and AI for drug development with CEO Ashley Zehnder and Prof Elinor Karlsson, Broad Institute (MIT/Harvard)

In this episode of Raising Biotech, Surani explores the truly unique story of Fauna Bio -- a female trio founding team that is studying evolution and the intersection of