NFXBio: TechBio Platforms Developing a Universal Vaccine & Beating Treatment-Resistant Cancer
The NFX Podcast
We believe creating something of true significance starts with seeing things others do not. NFX is a venture firm exclusively focused on pre-seed & seed stage startups.
James CurrierPete FlintOmri Amirav-DroryMorgan BellerGigi Levy-Weiss
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NFXBio: TechBio Platforms Developing a Universal Vaccine & Beating Treatment-Resistant Cancer

E154 • Nov 22, 2022 • 52 mins

In this episode, Nick Goldner and Jacob Glanville share their founder journeys and discuss platform technologies in biotech. They delve into the business models of Resistance Bio and Sentivax, strategies for infectious diseases, and the challenges of scientific entrepreneurship. The conversation shifts to fundraising experiences and understanding investor feedback, concluding with visions for the future of biotech.

Key Points

  • Understanding the fundamental principles of evolution can lead to the development of novel therapies for diseases like cancer and create universal vaccines.
  • Building a platform technology in biotech requires focusing on the most impactful applications, actively engaging with investor feedback, and adapting the business model to align with the needs of both customers and investors.
  • The future of healthcare through platform technologies in biotech could lead to the eradication of certain pathogens and transform cancer into a manageable, chronic condition, thereby significantly improving human health and longevity.

In biology we have a saying: what doesn’t kill you mutates and tries again.

Cancer. Deadly viruses. These problems are so hard to tackle because the goalposts are always moving. Thanks to evolution, these diseases often outpace therapies and vaccines.

Today, NFX General Partner and Head of NFX Bio Omri Amirav-Drory is sitting down with two Founders using platforms to stay a step ahead of evolution. Jacob Glanville, Founder of Centivax, has developed a platform to create broad spectrum vaccines capable of arming the immune system against rapidly mutating viruses (like COVID-19 or influenza). Nick Goldner, Founder of resistanceBio, discusses his approach for mapping all the possible resistance paths a cancer can take in the human body – and developing therapies to shut those escape routes down.

Here’s why we need platforms to tackle biology’s biggest problems, what it takes to build a platform company, and their advice for fundraising in Techbio.

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