🧬 Rafael Rosengarten - Part 4 | Lessons in Scaling a Biotech Startup | Using AI to Transform Cancer Diagnostics | The Genialis Supermodel & krasID

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Part 4 of 4: My guest today is Rafael Rosengarten, CEO and Co-Founder of Genialis, the RNA biomarker company. Genialis is reimagining biomarkers for every target, drug, and patient using a combination of precision oncology, RNA, and AI.
Rafael, a biomedical research veteran, combines academic excellence with industry innovation. A Dartmouth graduate with a Yale doctorate, he conducted postdoctoral research at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where he co-invented the j5 DNA assembly tool. As co-founder of the Alliance for AI in Healthcare, he advocates for responsible AI integration in medicine, drawing from his extensive background in evolution, immunology, bioengineering, and genetics.
In this episode, you'll hear about:

• Scaling Genialis during COVID-19 and refining the company’s mission
• The importance of company culture and building a motivated, cohesive team
• Developing krasID and the Genialis supermodel to advance cancer diagnostics
• Raising Series A funding amid biotech market challenges
• The role of leadership and innovation in driving biotech success and shaping the future of precision oncology.

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Find Our Guest, Rafael Rosengarten, at these links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rrosengarten/https://www.genialis.com/
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Enriched Notes:

Topics Mentioned:Genialis: https://www.genialis.com/
Taiwania Capital: https://www.taiwaniacapital.com/
Debiopharm Innovation Fund: https://www.debiopharm.com/innovation-fund/Genialis krasID: https://www.genialis.com/krasid/Genialis Supermodel: https://www.genialis.com/supermodel/How to Bootstrap a Biotech: https://www.excedr.com/resources/how-to-bootstrap-biotech-startupBiotech Funding Options: https://www.excedr.com/resources/biotech-startup-funding-optionsTop VCs in Biotech: https://www.excedr.com/blog/top-vc-firms-for-biotechAI in Cancer Diagnostics: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2020.588221/fullPredictive Biomarkers in Oncology: https://oncologypro.esmo.org/education-library/esmo-books/esmo-handbooks/translational-research/predictive-biomarkersHow Biotech Partnerships Support Research: https://www.excedr.com/blog/how-biotech-partnerships-support-research
People Mentioned:Cheng Wu (Founding Partner, Taiwania Capital): https://www.linkedin.com/in/cheng-wu-4614a8a/Tiasha Stanković (COO, Head of People at Genialis): https://www.linkedin.com/in/tjasakk/?originalSubdomain=siLuka Ausec (Chief Discovery Officer at Genialis): https://www.linkedin.com/in/luka-ausec-378009150/Miha Štajdohar (Co-founder, CTO at Genialis): https://www.linkedin.com/in/mstajdohar/Marinka Zitnik (AI Researcher, Associate Professor of Bioinformatics): https://dbmi.hms.harvard.edu/people/marinka-zitnik
Timestamps:00:00 Intro02:04 Scaling Genialis during COVID-19 and adapting as CEO04:27 How pivotal clients influence a startup’s growth path07:15 Addressing critical mistakes in clinical data pipelines09:43 Redefining Genialis’ mission and fostering strong culture12:19 Adapting to remote work while reinforcing team values14:57 Raising Series A funding amid challenging market conditions20:50 The importance of team culture and resilience25:37 The Genialis supermodel and its impact on oncology AI29:12 Two-year vision for Genialis and its three pillars32:59 Closing questions and advice for entrepreneurs38:59 OutroThe Biotech Startups Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so