Raising Biotech
Episodes
S4, E4: The Weight of the Moment: How GLP-1s are Rewiring Biotech Investing, Expert Analysis
01 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 h...
S4, E3: Inside Opus Genetics’ Pivot – Proxy Fights, Investor Skepticism and a Public Market Comeback, with CEO George Magrath
04 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Surani speaks with George Magrath, CEO of Opus Genetics, about the realities of leading a public biotech company through a major stra...
S4, E2: From Medicine to IPOs - Dr Sheila Gujrathi on Raising Biotech Against the Odds
04 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we focus on the personal journey of Sheila Gujrathi, a physician turned biotech builder whose career spans medicine, big pharma, rapi...
S4, E1: From the Archive - Revisiting eGenesis and Xenotransplantation with Pig Organs, Two Years On
07 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Note: This episode includes a full replay of an interview originally recorded in November 2023, with new introductory and closing remarks recorded in ...
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
03 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 pe...
S3, EP5: Special Analysis: What's going on with European Biotech? - Reporting from BioEurope in Vienna
05 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
S3, E4: ReproNovo’s strategic trash-to-treasure bet on fertility and reproductive health - with CEO Jean Marie Duval
01 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we dive into ReproNovo’s “trash to treasure” biotech story. Founded in Switzerland in 2021, the company is reimagining reproduc...
S3, E3: AltruBio’s Cinderella story from bankruptcy talks to a $225M Series B to tackle autoimmune diseases - with CEO Dr Judy Chou
03 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
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
06 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 BioVentur...
S3, E1: How Xaira Therapeutics went from incubation to a billion dollar launch - with Vik Bajaj, CEO Foresite Labs
02 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we go inside the creation of Xaira Therapeutics — the biotech startup that raised over a billion dollars at launch without a produc...
It's been a while! Season 3 update from Surani
02 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 p...
S2, E6: iOmx and shaking up the immuno-oncology field with CEO Apollon Papadimitriou, Professor Phillip Beckhove (RCI) and Jared Holz (Mizuho)
18 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 EU...
S2, E5: Cerevance and a new approach to Parkinson's disease with CEO Craig Thompson and CNS expert Prof Karl Kieburtz (URMC, Clintrex)
11 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 t...
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)
04 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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, D...
S2, E3: Ray Therapeutics leveraging optogenetics to tackle vision loss with CEO Paul Bresge and Dr José-Alain Sahel (University of Pittsburgh)
28 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Raising Biotech, Surani explores the fascinating world of vision restoration and optogenetics with Ray Therapeutics. The company ra...
S2, E2: Fauna Bio tapping animal evolution and AI for drug development with CEO Ashley Zehnder and Prof Elinor Karlsson, Broad Institute (MIT/Harvard)
21 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
S2, E1: Mana.bio and programmable lipid nanoparticles with CEO Yogev Debbi and RNA expert Dr Barry Ticho
14 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Raising Biotech, Surani explores the multi-layered start-up story of Israeli lipid nanoparticle biotech Mana.bio. This is a tech me...
S1, E6: Alltrna and tRNA therapeutics for rare genetic diseases with CEO Michelle Werner and rare diseases expert Dr David Weinstein
19 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Raising Biotech, Surani explores the untapped world of tRNA therapeutics with Flagship Pioneering-founded company Alltrna. The comp...
S1, E5: Arialys and a neuropsychiatry drug revival with CEO Jay Lichter and experts Marty Jefson (Pinteon) and Dr Leon Henderson-MacLennan (InThought)
12 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Raising Biotech, Surani delves into Arialys and its mission to revive an autoimmune encephalitis drug from the grave after big phar...
S1, E4: Synchron and breakthrough brain implants with CEO Dr Tom Oxley, CCO Kurt Haggstrom and experts Dr Elad Levy (UB), Dr David Putrino (Mount Sinai)
05 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Raising Biotech, Surani delves into Synchron and its mission to develop a potential first-in-class implantable brain computer inter...
S1, E3: eGenesis and xenotransplantation with CEO Mike Curtis and Dr Adam Griesemer, NYU
28 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Raising Biotech, Surani Fernando speaks with eGenesis CEO Mike Curtis on its mission to create pig donor organs for humans waiting ...
S1, E2: Ochre Bio with CEO/Co-founder Jack O'Meara and liver expert Dr Scott Friedman, Mount Sinai
21 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Raising Biotech, Surani speaks with CEO and co-founder Jack O'Meara of Ochre Bio, a company dedicated to tackling the large and uns...
S1, E1: Empress Therapeutics with CEO/Co-founder Jason Park + experts Prof Jim Collins, MIT and Dr Leon Henderson-MacLennan, InThought
21 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the first episode of Raising Biotech, Surani speaks with CEO and co-founder Jason Park of Empress Therapeutics, a Flagship Pioneering company that ...
Raising Biotech Trailer
13 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A new narrative podcast series hosted by journalist Surani Fernando that explores biotechs raising impressive funds to develop ambitious medical break...