310 episodes

In the Decade of Biotech when there will be myriad opportunities to invest in angel-scale biotech startups. After decades of angel investing, I am focusing on the life science side of my portfolio and invite other angels to do the same. Here's why: https://www.labcoatventures.com/why-we-are-focused-on-early-stage-biotech/

I’m Sal Daher, host of the Angel Invest Boston Podcast. After immigrating to Boston as a child and attending Belmont High School, I studied engineering at MIT and Stanford. Decades of work in international finance followed. During that time, I invested in a handful of ventures founded by friends and acquaintances. Now, I’m a member of Walnut Ventures and MIT Angels and spend most of my time as an angel investor. Startups in my portfolio include: SQZ Biotech, Gelesis, Akili Interactive, Vedanta Biosciences, FineTune Learning, Concrete Sensors, Squadle, doDoc, Pixability, Mavrck, Viral Gains, Streamroot, XMOS, Alice's Table and others. Exits include: Exos (Microsoft), Rifiniti (KKR) and PIKA Energy (Generac).

Angel Invest Boston Sal Daher

    • Business
    • 5.0 • 181 Ratings

In the Decade of Biotech when there will be myriad opportunities to invest in angel-scale biotech startups. After decades of angel investing, I am focusing on the life science side of my portfolio and invite other angels to do the same. Here's why: https://www.labcoatventures.com/why-we-are-focused-on-early-stage-biotech/

I’m Sal Daher, host of the Angel Invest Boston Podcast. After immigrating to Boston as a child and attending Belmont High School, I studied engineering at MIT and Stanford. Decades of work in international finance followed. During that time, I invested in a handful of ventures founded by friends and acquaintances. Now, I’m a member of Walnut Ventures and MIT Angels and spend most of my time as an angel investor. Startups in my portfolio include: SQZ Biotech, Gelesis, Akili Interactive, Vedanta Biosciences, FineTune Learning, Concrete Sensors, Squadle, doDoc, Pixability, Mavrck, Viral Gains, Streamroot, XMOS, Alice's Table and others. Exits include: Exos (Microsoft), Rifiniti (KKR) and PIKA Energy (Generac).

    Sal Daher - Lessons Learned

    Sal Daher - Lessons Learned

    In the final episode of the podcast I, Sal Daher, review important lessons I learned in seven years of interviews and decades of investing. In my voice and in the voice of my guests, I recapitulate the discoveries most salient to me and invite listeners to find their own nuggets in the sound archive which will remain available on Apple Podcasts and other platforms. AngelInvestBoston.com will have 250 episode pages with sound, notes, and in most cases, annotated transcripts.
    I’ll be publishing new content at Substack.com focused on keeping fit as we age. You can find me there under Sal Daher or under Aging Fit. Startups will show up occasionally. Here’s a link to the Substack:
    Sal Daher's Substack - Aging Fit
    Thanks for listening.
    Highlights:
    ·      Lesson 1: Company-Specific Risk – The Bad & The Good – Why It Matters in Startup Investing ·      Lesson 2A: “You know nothing, Jon Snow” – The Need for Tight Risk Control ·      Lesson 2B: “You Know Nothing, Jon Snow” – Whence a Real 400X Return ·      Lesson 3A: What to Look for in a Startup? What to Look for in a Founding Team? ·      Lesson 3B: The Most Significant Results from Ed Roberts’ Research ·      Lesson 4A: It’s Important Not to Keep Your Idea Secret but to Talk to Many People About It ·      Lesson 4B: The Google Problem – Why Founders Should Be Open About their Ideas ·      Lesson 3B Recapitulated: Robust Finding: Larger Teams Do Better; Startups Tend to Have Teams that Are Too Small ·      Lesson 5A: Focus, Focus, Focus ·      Lesson 5B: Focus, Focus, Focus ·      Lesson 6: Take the Money & Run ·      Lesson 7:  It’s a Long Way from the Lab to the Clinic ·      Why I Am Ending the Podcast – Archive Available – See You at Substack.com     Guest: Sal Daher 
        Topics: angel investing strategies, co-founders, biotech, exits, pivots, partnerships with strategics

    • 38 min
    Sal Daher - Lessons Learned - PODCAST LAUNCH DELAYED UNTIL 12/29/23 at 1:30 AM - Apologies!!

    Sal Daher - Lessons Learned - PODCAST LAUNCH DELAYED UNTIL 12/29/23 at 1:30 AM - Apologies!!

    Lessons Learned is a compilation of hard-won lessons in angel investing. They come from my podcast interviews over these seven years as well as from my three decades of angel investing. Hints on how to build your portfolio, how to eliminate sure losers and other practical advice will be offered in the voice of my guests and in my own voice. Sorry that the release of the episode is delayed until Friday 12/29 due to personal matters and this year's Christmas calendar. Thanks for listening.

    • 2 min
    Tom Weldon - A Fountain of Youth

    Tom Weldon - A Fountain of Youth

    Aging Fit Substack: Learn More
     
    Repeat life science entrepreneur Tom Weldon is now taking on aging. He is commercializing a compound to extend health span developed at a prominent institution. Composed of substances generally considered as safe by the FDA, the formula has shown impressive results in mice and, to date, in one human, Tom himself. Intriguing chat with a dynamic founder.
     
    Sponsored by Purdue University entrepreneurship and Peter Fasse, patent attorney at Fish and Richardson.
     
    Highlights:
    Sal Daher Introduces Tom Weldon What Problem Rejuvant Addresses "... Then the first time the combination is not additive, take it out. That's a process that would probably take a year or two, but it ensures that you'll have an optimal result. Or, you can buy Rejuvant, because we did all that work already..." "... if you decide that you'd like to try Rejuvant and you go on subscription, we give you a free DNA methylation test at time zero and then we give you another one after six months, which is included in the cost ... They're different and they have different algorithms. All of them except two that I'm aware of, one of which is what we provide, requires your current chronologic age as an input..." "... It was actually discovered by Steve Horvath and he developed the first biologic clock ... Your DNA is damaged every second that you're alive. Prior to puberty, your body does an exceptional job of repairing all of that. However, after that, it starts to decline..." "... Is there any evidence that repair is actually at work? How do we know that it's not just removing the methyl molecule from the DNA, and you have damaged the DNA that's just not methylated?..." "... How long have you been on Rejuvant?..." How Tom Became an Entrepreneur "... This company had this trajectory and now it's just gone Chapter 7 recently. That is the tough side of these life science technology companies because the technology moves so fast..." "... very difficult space. What I have seen in the medical device space, these 510k pathway devices where there is an existing predicate device, and then you can design something which is, no worse and perhaps much better than the predicate device..." Advice to the Audience  
    Topics: biotech, discovering entrepreneurship, founding story

    • 45 min
    Paul Hartung - Fund a Biotech Startup in Hard Times

    Paul Hartung - Fund a Biotech Startup in Hard Times

    Aging Fit Substack: Learn More
     
    Life science board member and advisor Paul Hartung is back with wise tips on how to fund your biotech startup in these had times. Listen or read below.
     
    Sponsored by Purdue University entrepreneurship and Peter Fasse, patent attorney at Fish and Richardson.
     
    Highlights:
    Paul Hartung, Experienced Biotech Board Member & Advisor Paul Hartung Closed a Financing in the Midst of the Last Recession Seek Out the Right Grant Funding, Watch Expenses Pitch Contests Don’t Provide Much Money but Can Spotlight Your Startup Peer-Reviewed Publications Can Raise Visibility of Life Science Startups Look Outside Your Area, Consider Syndication Across Angel Groups Watch Out for Funds That Can’t Make Good on Term Sheets – It Happens More than You Think Be Upfront About Your Future Funding Plans “The nature of the investors change. For each stage of financing what you want to do is make sure that you identify who the lead investor is. Very important.” Lead Investors Summation About Strategic Investors  
    Topics: biotech, fundraising, raising money

    • 9 min
    Sal Daher - Startups in the IRA? Pros & Cons from Decades of Investing

    Sal Daher - Startups in the IRA? Pros & Cons from Decades of Investing

    Aging Fit Substack: Learn More
     
    In my fourth decade of angel investing, I’m happy with my investments but regret having put them in my IRAs. Here are pros and cons of having illiquid, operationally complex and hard-to-value assets in IRAs.
     
    Sponsored by Purdue University entrepreneurship and Peter Fasse, patent attorney at Fish and Richardson.
     
    Highlights:
    Investing in Startups via an IRA Can Be Burdensome, Here’s Why How I came to Have so Much of my Net Worth in my IRAs Thank You Citibank for Encouraging a Young Banker to Save Thank You Bob Smith for Allowing Me to Fish When the Fish Were Running Why The Fish Are Not Running Any More “Some weeks I spend half my time dealing with IRA-related paperwork. I have many better things to do with my life.” The Initial Investment Is a Lot of Work for Everyone Involved Corporate Actions Guarantee Constant Attention to the IRA Is Required Then There Are the Required Annual Valuations It Gets Worse! The Upside of Investing in Startups from the IRAs Conclusion  
    Topics: angel investing strategies

    • 12 min
    Raul Rosa - Art and Craft

    Raul Rosa - Art and Craft

    Aging Fit Substack: Learn More
     
    Raul Rosa, artist, musician, and sound engineer, discusses his work with the Angel Invest Boston Podcast, some of his favorite interviews, and his own startup, Podspot.
     
    Sponsored by Purdue University entrepreneurship and Peter Fasse, patent attorney at Fish and Richardson.
     
    Highlights:
    Sal Daher Introduces Raul Rosa Raul's Favorite Interviews Fortified Bike Howard Stevenson PodSpot Wistia Piction Health Savran Technologies Advice to the Audience  
    Topics: discovering entrepreneurship, COVID, robotics/AI

    • 35 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
181 Ratings

181 Ratings

flaurasourus ,

Fantastic show!

A must-listen for founders, investors and operators in Boston’s tech ecosystem. Sal does a great job digging into fascinating new ventures and their founder’s stories.

J Dubs 93 ,

Angel Investing

Great podcast to follow and listen to if you want to learn more about Angel Investing and hear from innovative CEO’s.

Andy_C_B ,

Highly Entertaining, Educational, and Inspiring

Angel Invest Boston is my favorite podcast because it is highly entertaining, educational, and inspiring. The Richard Lane interview is a great example. Richard's application of new product development skills to cell phones and senior tech was highly educational. Richard's use of that experience to advise new founders was inspirational.

Angel Invest Boston interviews guests with rich histories of working with early stage ventures in key roles such as investor or founder. The host, Sal Daher, has a talent for drawing out his guests’ stories in a manner that is highly engaging and entertaining.

I became an Angel Invest Boston listener to achieve my goal of learning more about successful practices for angel investing, leading innovation, and managing early stage companies. Angel Invest Boston always succeeds in meeting those goals. In addition, the life stories of Angel Invest Boston guests have opened my eyes to the many and varied paths that can lead to angel investing and entrepreneurship.

Angel Invest Boston podcasts inspire me. At family dinners, I love to share the stories of challenges that podcast guests have overcome to achieve a compelling mission. Don’t tell my kids, but I’m trying to inspire them to take on big challenges one day.

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