Hey Brand Builders, If you’ve ever wondered how anyone actually scales a biotech company in one of the most regulated, complex industries on earth — without venture capital and big-pharma profit pressure — this episode is for you. I’m sitting down with Eric Moyal, Founder and Executive Director of Project Insulin, a nonprofit on a mission to produce its own generic insulin and sell it directly to patients at cost. No price gouging, no games with insurance, and a clear focus on the 1.3 million Americans who are currently rationing their insulin. We get into: • How Eric’s journey as a professional nonprofit fundraiser and his sister’s rare illness pushed him into health equity work • The moment he realized insulin hasn’t meaningfully changed in 30 years — but the price has • What it really takes (time, money, and emotional stamina) to develop a biosimilar drug from scratch • Why he chose a nonprofit model over a traditional startup • How LinkedIn and intentional networking literally built the foundation for Project Insulin • The mindset shift founders need when they’re building something that might take 5–10 years to fully materialize If you’re building anything in biotech, health equity, regulated industries, or long-timeline ventures, this is a masterclass in patience, planning, and asking for help. ________________________________________ About Eric Moyal Eric Moyal is the Founder and Executive Director of Project Insulin, a nonprofit working to produce a generic long-acting insulin and sell it directly to patients at cost, regardless of insurance status. He’s a professional nonprofit fundraiser, board member for a CRPS organization, and a deeply mission-driven founder with a background in higher-ed fundraising, health equity, and relationship-based capital raising. When he’s not grinding on drug development timelines, you can find him in spin class, eating Frosted Mini-Wheats, or demystifying LinkedIn for other founders. ________________________________________ Connect with Eric & Project Insulin • Website: projectinsulin.org • Email: emoyal@projectinsulin.org • Learn how to volunteer, host a fundraiser, or support their next phase of drug development on the site. ________________________________________ Chapters / Timestamps 0:00 – Intro: Why insulin access and health equity matter 2:00 – Rapid Fire: Coffee vs tea, cereal, mornings, and spin class 5:15 – Founder tools: LinkedIn, Monday, and staying out of procrastination mode 7:00 – How Eric actually uses LinkedIn to build real relationships 11:00 – “Professional fundraiser”: what that really means in the nonprofit world 15:00 – Eric’s sister, rare illness, and learning the cost of healthcare the hard way 18:30 – The Boston-to-Miami bike ride for awareness and fundraising 22:30 – CRPS, TOS, and becoming a board member for a rare disease nonprofit 24:30 – Meeting his partner with Type 1 diabetes and discovering insulin hasn’t changed in 30 years 26:30 – The moment he realized insulin is a money problem, not a science problem 27:30 – What Project Insulin actually does and how the model works 30:30 – Cutting out the middlemen: pharma, PBMs, wholesalers, and insurance 35:00 – From U.S. launch to global impact: regulatory pathways and ambitions 36:30 – Who Project Insulin is really for: the 1.3M Americans rationing insulin 39:00 – Access, awareness, and partnerships with clinics, FQHCs, VA, and ADA 43:00 – Eric’s 3-month, 6-month, and 3-year roadmap for drug development and fundraising 47:00 – What he wishes he’d known earlier (and why he’d still start with networking) 51:00 – Burnout, LinkedIn comparison, and the lie that “everyone else is winning” 55:00 – “Nobody cares” (in the best way): why you should still celebrate your small wins 57:00 – Who Eric needs to meet next: health equity funders, operations leaders, and volunteers 1:00:00 – Dana’s closing + how to support Project Insulin and The Brand Blueprint ________________________________________
