Todd Zion, PhD, Repeat Founder - Magical Proteins

Join Sal's Investment Syndicate List: Click to Join Repeat biotech founder Todd Zion on SmartCells (acquired by Merck for $500MM) and his current venture Akston Bio which is doing cool things with proteins. Todd has valuable insights on VC funding, angel investing and founding teams. This interview's a peach! Intro of Todd Zion, PhD Co-Founder of SmartCells (Merck) and Akston Bio Todd Zion Was Fascinated by the Potential of Polymers to Do Powerful Things Smart Drug Delivery – Making Insulin Adapt to Blood Glucose Levels "…then got bitten by the bug, like I said, of the entrepreneurial spirit that runs quite strong through MIT." "…with SmartCells, we made a conscious effort to build a company that could be capital efficient and achieve what angels want out of an investment…" Jeff Behrens' Experience at Siamab Is Discussed Todd Zion Is Leery of Raising Big Money Because It Raises Costs "…you should always be betting on the jockey and not necessarily the horse." "Sometimes you may throw out really good ideas, due to a lack of resources." "…anyone with ten million spends the last million better than the first nine." "...in a venture-funded world, there's a huge amount of price inflation." "…if anyone wants a job at Akston, you can get a covered garage parking in the winter." Akston's Basic Technology: Coupling a Protein to an Antibody to Enhance the Function of the Protein Reversing the Body's Autoimmune Response to Insulin Which Causes Type 1 Diabetes. The Importance of a GMP (good manufacturing practices) Facility of Your Own Creating an Ultra Long-Acting Insulin for Dogs & Cats Akston Pivoted to Making a Protein-Based COVID Vaccine From the Design of the Molecule to Human Trials Took Only 11 Months Advantages of Protein-Based Vaccines: Easy to Make, Easy to Store and Contain No Genetic Components Akston's Protein-Based Vaccine Is Expected to Be as Effective as J&J's Parting Thoughts from Todd Zion If It's Easy and Obvious You're Probably Doing It Wrong Advice Applies to Angel Investors as Well Making Money Is Important But, You Need Deeper Motivation or You'll Quit Repeat Founding Teams Can Be Really Powerful – The Blues Brothers   Topics: biotech, partnerships with strategics, venture capital, co-founders, angel investing strategies