Here we go…

1. Scientist

2. Drug developer (this is nothing to do with academic science btw)

3. Entrepreneur (product, market, commercialisation)

4. Politician (building and maintaining relationships, networking)

5. Project Manager

6. Psychologist (oh yes, you’re the company’s psychologist)

7. Salesperson (storyteller, fundraiser, spokesman, communicator)

8. FBI Negotiator (IP, partners, investors, FDA, tech transfer)

9. Team Leader (the coach who must turn a team of stars into a star team)

10. Buddhist monk (master of emotions and resilience playing a 15+ year game against all odds)

What did I miss???

Because you are all the above and everything else I’ve missed, here’s my advice to you: Be an Olympic athlete. Be a killer founder. Be a pro.

You have to grow faster than your company as a person. The world of biotech is so fast-paced and you, the leader on top, have to develop and upscale constantly to keep up.

It takes conscious, deliberate, and intentional practice. Here are 11 practices for biotech Olympians:

1. Surround yourself with the best mentors, coaches, and advisors.

2. Hang out with the smartest people.

3. Talk to other founders who are on a similar journey to yours.

4. Join support communities and networks like Nucleate or the Henri Termeer Foundation

5. Carve time in your calendar every day to read and learn.

6. Read all those great resources on the Pillar website

7. Go for a walk and listen to those amazing podcasts of the BIOS Community, Biotech 2050 and First Rounders

8. Join the Biotech Hangout hosted by Daphne Zohar every Friday

9. Keep up with the latest news in the biotech world (FierceBiotech, The Timmerman Report, Endpoint News, STAT News)

10. Build, but most importantly, maintain those relationships.

11. Take care of your body, mind and spirit.

I was watching this documentary on Netflix about wingsuit flying… and I thought… what are these guys doing? Is this real?

I went back to the office the next day and I thought, biotech success is 100x harder than that!

That’s why I fell in love with biotech. That’s how you guys won me over. Because I wanted to work with Olympians. Because to me, biotech is an Odyssey with the noblest purpose. So, here’s to the Olympians!