E52: Charting the Course of Biotech with Laura Deming, GP of Longevity Fund, and Will Eden of Sylvan Consulting

This week on Turpentine VC, we’re releasing a conversation between Erik Torenberg, Laura Deming of The Longevity Fund and Will Eden of Sylvan Consulting (prior to that, with Thiel capital) focused on the past, present and future of biotech.Recorded in 2019, they discuss platform companies and the evolving biotech investment landscape, examining segments like therapeutics, cell and gene therapies. Will and Laura share insights on the historical waves of biotech, the FDA's role, and the intersections of biotech and tech investment strategies. They address challenges in evaluating biotech startups, the growth in longevity research since 2011, and the potential for extending life spans through various scientific advancements.🔥 Apply to join over 400 founders and Execs in the Turpentine Network: https://hmplogxqz0y.typeform.com/to/JCkphVqj—RECOMMENDED PODCASTS:🎙️ This Won't Last - Eavesdrop on Keith Rabois, Kevin Ryan, Logan Bartlett, and Zach Weinberg's monthly backchannel. They unpack their hottest takes on the future of tech, business, venture, investing, and politics.Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1765665937Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2HwSNeVLL1MXy0RjFPyOSzYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWontLastpodcast—SPONSORS:🛠️ Building an enterprise-ready SaaS app? WorkOS has got you covered with easy-to-integrate APIs for SAML, SCIM, and more. Join top startups like Vercel, Perplexity, Jasper & Webflow in powering your app with WorkOS. Enjoy a free tier for up to 1M users! Start now at https://bit.ly/WorkOS-TCR💥 Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist.—LINKS:The Longevity Fund: https://www.longevity.vc/Sylvan Consulting: https://www.sylvanconsulting.bio/—FOLLOW:Laura DemingWebsite: https://www.ldeming.com/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-deming-b255362a/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurademingWill EdenWebsite: https://becomingeden.com/start-here/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamaeden/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/williamaedenErik TorenbergLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eriktorenberg/Twitter: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg—TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Intro(01:17) Breaking down biotech investments(04:31) The rise of digital health(06:12) Innovations in nanotechnology(07:02) Understanding platform companies and The Longevity Fund’s focus(10:43) Historical Context of Biotech Investing(11:55) Evolution of biotech investing over past decades(14:56) New modalities in biotech(18:42) Challenges in biotech startups(21:47) Sponsors: WorkOS | Squad(32:00) Impact of public market sentiment(39:00) The Martin Shkreli effect(42:23) The rising costs of drug development(43:40) FDA's evolving role in drug approval(44:44) Innovations in clinical trials(46:44) Comparing FDA and venture capital(48:06) The role of VCs in creating biotech companies(57:15) The future of patents and pharma(01:03:16) Deterministic vs. indeterministic worldviews in biotech(01:14:49) Current state and future prospects of longevity research(01:21:54) Wrap