Ben Portney - Entrepreneurial Exploration in Grad School

Ben Portney, Ph.D. is a Senior Associate at Flagship Pioneering, a life sciences venture capital firm specializing in company creation for transformational technologies. Ben is an entrepreneur-scientist, having previously worked in several ventures during his time as a graduate student including NSF I-Corps, an equity research externship at T. Rowe Price, and co-founding the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Network club at the University of Maryland. Ben received his PhD from the University of Maryland, focusing on cancer stem cell biology. In this episode, we discuss Ben’s career at Flagship starting from his time as a Venture Labs Fellow, as well as the unique model Flagship uses to found companies. Ben additionally shares lessons from his entrepreneurial experiences in graduate school, particularly relating to trying different careers and being open to exploration. We also touch on how graduate education has evolved to meet students’ increasing interest in biotech and entrepreneurial ventures. Hosted by Roshan Chikarmane and Jenna Glatzer.