Stanford Biotech Group Podcast

In this episode of the Stanford Biotech Group Podcast, our Co-VP of Communications, Mikaela Ribi, sits down with Tim Schnabel, founder and CEO of Switch Bioworks, a Stanford spinout engineering microbes to produce sustainable nitrogen fertilizer. Together, we explore his journey from PhD research to entrepreneurship, the challenges of translating scientific discoveries into practical solutions, and what it takes to build a biotechnology company from the ground up.

Our guest is Dr. Bob Soh, a partner at Brandon Capital, Australia’s biggest life sciences venture capital firm.

Bob talks with Rui Yip about why Australia’s strong research base hasn’t produced a bigger biotech industry, and why overseas biotechs often run their Phase 1 trials here. They also cover how veterans of big pharma are helping launch new companies, how the local pool of biotech venture capital is growing, and what’s being done to keep promising companies, manufacturing and know-how in the country as they scale.

Caitlyn Miller, CEO and co-founder of TwoStep Therapeutics, joins the SBG podcast to discuss her Series A biotech's five-target peptide platform for solid tumors, the path from Stanford PhD to funded company, and what no one tells you about founding.