Running Through Walls

SmithRx CEO and co-founder Jake Frenz joins Venrock's Siobhan Nolan Mangini to talk about the company's mission to fix the opaque and broken US drug ecosystem. SmithRx started by tearing down the existing misaligned model of PBMs with a per member model that is incentivized to deliver the lowest possible cost for patients. The two get into how his personal challenges with the US healthcare system and his grit and tenacity as a Marine have informed where SmithRx is today and why it's unrelenting in capitalizing on the tidal wave of enterprises and policymakers who are ready for a better drug solution. 

Bob Kocher speaks with Brad Stulberg, on the many lessons in his newly-published book The Way of Excellence, including why we find excellence on the side of the mountain, not at its peak. Drawing on the ancient Greek concept of Arete, Brad argues that you find true success in pursuit itself: the bidirectional process where chasing a goal, whether writing a book, building a company, or competing in sport, shapes your character as much as you shape the outcome. They go deeper on the optimistic lessons from his book, including why joy is life's true renewable energy source.

Leading AI researcher and Professor at the Santa Fe Institute Melanie Mitchell joins Ethan Batraski for a conversation on how our current generation of AI is powerful, promising, and still badly in need of transparency about how it actually "thinks." She gives advice on how to redesign our benchmarks as true measures instead of targets, and how we can incorporate dynamic testing and deeper interpretability to close the gap between today's AI systems and true intelligence.

Siobhan Nolan Mangini sat down with author and UCSF physician Bob Wachter for a fireside chat about his new book on AI in healthcare, A Giant Leap. In this special live-recorded episode, he reflects on what he learned from interviewing top leaders across healthcare and technology about the coming wave of AI in healthcare. The discussion unpacks how AI could ease clinician burnout and expand access to care, while raising deeper questions about incentives, cost, and what role humans should ultimately play in the delivery of healthcare.

Ethan Batraski speaks with Astronomer CEO Pete DeJoy several months into taking the helm at the company he cofounded over 8 years ago. They discuss the company's journey from their earliest days stewarding the Apache Airflow open-source project to how they're driving the renaissance of the data engineer in the age of AI today, and the team's remarkable authenticity and resilience when the Coldplay kiss cam put the company on the the national stage.

Farzad Mostashari, CEO and founder of Aledade, and Sunny Kishore, Associate Professor at UCSF, join Bob Kocher for a conversation about why U.S. blood pressure control has stalled for two decades despite having the tools to do far better. Sunny and Bob recently co-authored a piece in the New England Journal of Medicine about this paradox, and Farzad launched the Million Hearts campaign to prevent heart attacks so they are uniquely positioned to break down the problem and identify solutions. The episode offers practical guidance for clinicians and patients alike: combine focused lifestyle changes with timely treatment intensification, make blood pressure visible and urgent, and treat prevention as both lifesaving and economically smart care.

Bryan Mistele, co-founder and CEO of INRIX, joins Venrock's Brian Ascher to deep dive on the company's use of their Innovation Week to maintain startup-style innovation two decades into their journey. Their conversation serves as a master class for how to foster new ideas from within, from geographic and departmental diversity, to encouraging junior team members to lead, to how they've accelerated implementation with AI. And it's not just morale boosting, they've seen over 70% of projects turn into active deployments and operational improvements for INRIX.

One of the critical questions in our first annual Beyond the Battlefield survey was how we more effectively get technology from the private sector to the battlefield. Who better to discuss that than the man responsible for making those decisions for the US Department of Navy, Chief Technology Officer Justin Fanelli. He joins Morgan Hitzig for a deep dive on the results and what they mean for the future of our warfighters.

Ezekiel Emanuel joins Venrock's Bob Kocher to talk about his newest book, Eat Your Ice Cream: Six Simple Rules for a Long and Healthy Life and dive deeper on what surprised him and how his own life changed through his research. From the magnitude of the impact of social relationships to how to build new neural pathways and expand your mind to fiber becoming the new protein supplement, their conversation is a fun ride through his New York Times bestseller.

Morgan Hitzig speaks with two of Forterra's leaders, Josh Araujo, CEO, and Scott Sanders, CGO about how they refounded Forterra in flight and their approach to implementing autonomy at scale. Their conversation serves as a roadmap for building in defense tech, from finding investors who understand the market to the right approach to dual-use and shoring up supply chains– and when to light things on fire and start over.

Dominik Schumacher, CEO and co-founder of Tubulis GmbH, joins Venrock's Nimish Shah to dive deeper on the company's ADC technology which specifically targets cancer cells thereby reducing side effects on the rest of the body, dramatically improving outcomes and quality of life for patients. They cover how their chemistry sets them apart from similar ADC treatments, what other diseases their breakthrough can target, and how staying data-driven helped him seamlessly move from the lab to leadership.

Siobhan Nolan Mangini, Bob Kocher and Bryan Roberts delve deeper into their 2026 predictions for healthcare in this special episode of Running Through Walls. They discuss what they've already gotten right on AI, what they see ahead for inflation and TrumpRx, and more. To read all 10 of their annual predictions, plus 2 bonus predictions, check out their article in Fortune Magazine.

Hunter Smith, Rhythm Pharmaceutical's Chief Financial Officer, joins Venrock's Nimish Shah for a conversation about how he manages the financial intricacies of a public company to enable them to change the lives of patients with rare neuroendocrine diseases. They go deep on how Hunter and the rest of the leadership team's journey took the stock from single-digits to over $100 today, how they motivated their team along the way, and the unique considerations for healthcare companies ahead of and after an IPO.  

Matt Holt, Managing Director & President, Private Equity at New Mountain Capital speaks with Venrock's Bryan Roberts and Siobhan Nolan about how the healthcare industry should come together to build a system that optimizes for patient outcomes through the rebuilding of trust on all sides. While there's significant work to do, they're optimistic about how AI can help us get past regulatory complexity and upside down incentive structures faster.

Sam Kulkarni, PhD, CEO and Chairman of CRISPR Therapeutics, joins Venrock's Nimish Shah for a conversation about how they're using gene editing to find potential cures so miraculous, it almost sounds like science fiction. Sam shares advice on how to fundraise in the extraordinarily capital-intensive biotech market, having the courage to go after difficult things and face detractors, and how CEOs should find opportunity in volatility.

Dylan Parker, Co-Founder and CEO of Moment, joins Venrock investor Nick Beim to discuss how Moment is transforming the fixed income market, starting with rebuilding execution and portfolio management for some of the largest players in U.S. wealth management. Their discussion ranges from how to win in an industry with a risk tolerance of zero, never letting your talent bar drop, when to diversify from your core product, and beyond.

Ellen Lord, former Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (A&S) at the Departmet of Defense, joins Venrock investor Morgan Hitzig to discuss the defense tech ecosystem, building resilient supply chains and efficient teams, and making the often conflicting timelines between VC, government, and early stage companies work for industry and our warfighters. Plus, our new favorite piece of advice: "you have two ears and one mouth, use them proportionately."

The results of our 9th annual Healthcare Prognosis are in and the healthcare experts who took our survey aren't too optimistic about what's ahead. Bryan Roberts and Bob Kocher sat down to discuss the most interesting findings, their perspective on what it means and what's ahead, and even offer a few glimmers of optimism.

Punit Soni, CEO and Founder of Suki, joins Venrock partner Bob Kocher for a conversation about how AI will invisibly assume administrative burdens in healthcare, enabling a future where doctors get to do what they love – serving patients. They discuss building companies during generational step changes, advice for getting started in health tech, jumping on high-growth rocket ships, and more.

Charlie Glazer, Head of Healthcare Equity Capital Markets at Jefferies, joins Venrock partner Nimish Shah for a conversation on what will move the needle for the healthcare market in the months ahead. He shares advice on transactions including crossovers, reverse mergers, IPOs and also, his thoughts on what makes a strong management team, and how companies can prepare to impress public investors.

Jonathan Violin, CEO of Crescent Biopharma and Venture Partner at Fairmount, speaks with Venrock partner Nimish Shah about how the company is keeping a frenetic and exciting pace to generate a new class of drugs while preparing to launch on the public markets later this year.

Cameron Turtle, CEO of Spyre Therapeutics,Inc. speaks with Venrock partner Nimish Shah about Spyre's priorities for 2025, building a collaborative and productive Board, how culture shines through when the going gets tough, and the best advice he's ever received.  This podcast was recorded in December 2024. Please be advised that comments made during this podcast contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements relating to Spyre Therapeutic, Inc.'s ("Spyre") expectations regarding Spyre's product candidates including their potential safety and efficacy, business and clinical trial plans, milestones and timelines. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements and are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. For further details concerning these risks and uncertainties, please refer to Spyre's SEC filings, including its most recent annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. These forward-looking statements are only as of the date they were made and are qualified in their entirety by reference to the cautionary statements herein. Spyre does not undertake or accept any duty to make any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements.  

Bruce Perkins, healthcare advisor and former Humana leader, speaks with Venrock partners Bryan Roberts and Bob Kocher about how he built Humana into a juggernaut of Medicare Advantage and his prognostications for the industry amid CMS-HCC model version 28, GLP-1s, margin structure recovery, and ongoing drug price negotiations.

Bob Kocher and Bryan Roberts take the mic for a special episode highlighting their predictions for healthcare in 2025. They go deeper on their thoughts about Medicare Advantage under the new administration, how a resurgence of IPOs and M&A could play out, where Big Tech may actually be good at healthcare, and more. To read all 10 of their annual predictions, check out their article in Fortune Magazine.

Ashish Jha, Dean of Brown University's School of Public Health, speaks with Venrock partners Bryan Roberts and Bob Kocher about the chapters of his career in public health before, during, and after the pandemic. He shares what he got right and wrong during his time as White House COVID-19 coordinator, how he managed 40-50 media interviews a day, where we have work to do on public health issues, and more. 

Elizabeth Pemmerl, Chief Revenue Officer at GitHub, speaks with Venrock partner Ethan Batraski to discuss her nearly decade-long journey with GitHub. Pemmerl shares how she transitioned from working in the public sector to GitHub, go-to-market strategies, balancing developer vs. enterprise needs, changing developer behavior and more. 

David Stark, Chief Medical Officer at Morgan Stanley, speaks with Venrock partner Bob Kocher to discuss his career journey from practicing medicine to taking a non-clinical role in business. Stark shares how he views his role as Chief Medical Officer, advice for other doctors who want to transition out of practicing medicine, what he's proudest of at Morgan Stanley and more.

Alex Rosemblat, former Chief Marketing Officer at Datadog, speaks with Venrock partner Ethan Batraski to discuss his 11-year run at the helm of Datadog's Marketing Team and what's next for his career. Rosemblat shares insights into leading Datadog's go-to-market strategy, advice for other marketing leaders tackling this for a new product or company for the first time, his biggest learning from Datadog and more. During the conversation, Rosemblat recommended Digital CMO's Guide to Marketing Measurement by Bryan Semple.  Book mentioned: https://vnrk.co/3VuFvxg 

Heather Turner, CEO at Carmot Therapeutics, speaks with Venrock partner Nimish Shah to discuss her time as CEO. Turner shares how she guided the company through its acquisition by Roche, advice for other CEOs on the verge of an acquisition, her perspective on the GLP-1 market and what excites her about the future of biotech. 

Mark McKenna, chairman and CEO at Mirador Therapeutics, speaks with Venrock partner Nimish Shah to discuss his most recent role at Prometheus Biosciences and the beginning of his new company, Mirador. McKenna shares a behind-the-scenes look into leading Prometheus during its acquisition by Merck, why he started Mirador Therapeutics, advice for other CEOs, what he values in a team and more.

We have a special episode today because Venrock's 8th annual Healthcare Prognosis results are in! From drugs (e.g., GLP-1s, pricing negotiations) to fundraising and optimism around the equity market to cybersecurity and AI regulations - this year's survey covers it all. In this episode, partners Bryan Roberts and Bob Kocher sit down to share their perspectives on the most interesting findings.

Sami Inkinen, founder and CEO of Virta Health, speaks with Venrock partner Bob Kocher to discuss how Virta has evolved since he was on the podcast seven years ago. Inkinen shares how he views the GLP-1 craze, insights on his go-to-market strategy, advice for founders entering the healthcare market, and how Virta uses AI and technology. 

Latané Conant, Chief Revenue Officer at 6sense, speaks with Venrock partner Brian Ascher to discuss how her previous marketing role prepared her for her promotion to Chief Revenue Officer. Conant shares her approach to keeping product market fit, her opinion on Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs), how AI could impact sales and marketing and more.

Isan Chen, CEO of MBrace Therapeutics, speaks with Venrock partner Racquel Bracken to discuss his career trajectory leading up to his founding of MBrace. Chen shares the impetus behind his decision to become an oncologist, why he switched from academic medicine to the industry side, lessons learned from years in drug development and more.

Patrick Conway, CEO of Optum Rx, sits down with Venrock partners Bryan Roberts and Bob Kocher to discuss his first few months on the job. Conway also shares his views on the best early metric indicators of success, the effectiveness of Medicare Advantage Star Ratings, the role of technology in value-based care and more.

Ed Park, co-founder and CEO of Devoted Health, sits down with Venrock partners Bryan Roberts and Bob Kocher to discuss the founding of Devoted. Park talks about his priorities for the next five years, the value he sees in AI and LLMs, Medicare Advantage industry changes, his favorite interview question for job candidates and more. 

Ying Huang, CEO of Legend Biotech, speaks with Venrock partner Nimish Shah about his career path to Legend Biotech and the lessons he learned from transitioning from Wall Street to an operating role. Huang also discusses what he prioritized when he first started the role, the most rewarding parts of his job and what characteristics he looks for when hiring people for his team. 

Brad Stulberg, best-selling author of The Practice of Groundedness and co-author of Peak Performance, speaks with Venrock partner Bob Kocher about Stulberg's new book, Master of Change: How to Excel When Everything is Changing—Including You. Stulberg and Kocher discuss ways to rethink change, the concept of rugged flexibility and paths for embracing and growing from life's constant instability.  

Senthil Sundaram, CEO of Terns Pharmaceuticals, speaks with Venrock's Nimish Shah about the lessons learned balancing personal health events while being CEO of a young company. Sundaram also discusses the "Working Genius" model, an approach focused on leveraging the types of work that bring an employee energy, and his attitude towards team-based leadership and how it propels growth in the workplace.  

Dr. Sheila Gujrathi, a biotech industry veteran with a strong track record as an entrepreneur, physician executive, translational scientist, board member, and drug developer, speaks with Venrock's Nimish Shah about the lessons learned in her career at biotech companies both big (Genentech) and small (Gossamer Bio, Receptos, Inc.). Dr. Gujrathi also discusses the importance of building a team of people with shared values, the most challenging parts of being a CEO, and how she's helping to push diversity in biotech forward.    

Sam Kintz, co-founder, and CEO of Enliven Therapeutics, speaks with Venrock partner Nimish Shah about the journey that led him to found Enliven. Kintz delves into lessons learned during his time at Roche Venture Fund, and how his time at Stemcentrx and Abbvie revealed what truly matters most to him – being a part of an entire drug development story. Kintz discusses his decision to pursue a reverse merger (and how he persuaded everyone involved to follow this path), what defines a great leader, and shares the best advice he received from one of his mentors.

Venrock partners Andrew Gottesdiener and Nimish Shah speak with Michael Henderson, CEO of Apogee Therapeutics, about his role's unique challenges and opportunities. Henderson discusses his accelerated career trajectory, valuable lessons that have helped shape his success, and Apogee's recent Series B financing round. Henderson delves into the importance of culture building, including Apogee's guiding principles (CORE: Care, Original, Resilient, Ego-Less), and his strategies for navigating a challenging biotech industry.  

Venrock's Nick Beim speaks with Steve Lockshin, founder of Vanilla, about lessons learned as a serial entrepreneur in wealth management services. Lockshin shares what drives him as an entrepreneur, the need for more digestible information in estate planning, and his most valuable lessons learned on the path to building Vanilla. Lockshin also discusses the importance of humility and how it helped guide his decisions as a business leader.

Venrock partner Nick Beim speaks with Bill McNabb, former chairman and CEO of Vanguard, an asset management company that pioneered low-cost investing for the consumer. McNabb shares important leadership lessons including the importance of being humble, having a clear definition of success, and knowing what makes a high-performing team. McNabb reveals significant decisions he made during his time at Vanguard, such as having "no layoffs" during a crisis, and highlights the importance of thinking long-term while still being agile.

Farzad Mostashari, founder and CEO of Aledade, speaks with Venrock's Bryan Roberts and Bob Kocher about improving the quality and efficiency of patient care with a focus on preventative care. With the recent launch of Aledade Care Solutions and new focus on Medicare Advantage, Mostashari delves into Aledade's efforts to scale and deliver where average primary care practices can't. Mostashari also reveals his approach to value based care incentive structure, and why building a valuable solution requires a long time horizon.

Venrock partners Bryan Roberts and Bob Kocher, speak with Heather Fernandez, co-founder and CEO of Solv, about Solv's mission, building more cap table diversity in tech, and the healthcare field today. Fernandez delves into Solv's Series C funding round where she created a special purpose vehicle (SPV) focused on women of color, bringing in first-time investors who wouldn't otherwise have access. Fernandez also shares how Solv is unlocking capacity with software, its pricing strategy, and its goals for the next 2-3 years.

Larry Hamann, co-founder, president, and CEO of Interdict Bio, speaks with Venrock Vice President Mariana Mihalusova about lessons learned from his career in drug discovery. Hamann delves into where his love for organic chemistry stems from and why inclusive environments are essential to building successful teams. He also speaks about the do's and don'ts when structuring collaborations with big pharma, when a drug is "good enough" to move forward in development and new approaches he's excited for.

Venrock partner Bob Kocher speaks with Dr. Drew Altman, CEO of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) and founding publisher of Kaiser Health News (KNH), about dealing with misinformation and skepticism with expertise and facts. Altman reveals how misinformation, fragmented media, and a broken political system exacerbate the public's low trust in experts. Altman discusses KHN's origin story, the importance of busting liars without elevating them, and his thoughts on the Inflation Reduction Act. 

Jim Del Favero, Head of Product at Figure, a fintech company using blockchain to help homeowners better tap their home equity, joins Venrock partner Brian Ascher to discuss what makes a great product manager. Del Favero reveals why great PMs focus on outcomes, not outputs, and critically think about the problem that needs to be solved. Del Favero and Ascher also talk through common mistakes PMs make, the engineering and PM relationship, and data-driven vs. years of experience decisions.

Venrock partner Brian Ascher speaks with Nicole Alvino, co-founder and CEO of Firstup, about effective workforce communication both digitally and in person. Alvino highlights fostering employee connection through authentic and transparent communication, using the power of video to drive engagement, and discusses expectations for corporate social responsibility. Plus, Alvino reveals a non-obvious lesson learned – employees want to hear from their peers (not just their leaders).