🧬 Rafael Rosengarten - Part 4 | Lessons in Scaling a Biotech Startup | Using AI to Transform Cancer Diagnostics | The Genialis Supermodel & krasID
January 23, 2025
Part 4 of 4: My guest today is Rafael Rosengarten, CEO and Co-Founder of Genialis, the RNA biomarker company. Genialis is reimagining biomarkers for every target, drug, and patient using a combination of precision oncology, RNA, and AI.
Rafael, a biomedical research veteran, combines academic excellence with industry innovation. A Dartmouth graduate with a Yale doctorate, he conducted postdoctoral research at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where he co-invented the j5 DNA assembly tool. As co-founder of the Alliance for AI in Healthcare, he advocates for responsible AI integration in medicine, drawing from his extensive background in evolution, immunology, bioengineering, and genetics.
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Part 4 of 4: My guest today is Rafael Rosengarten, CEO and Co-Founder of Genialis, the RNA biomarker company. Genialis is reimagining biomarkers for every target, drug, and patient using a combination of precision oncology, RNA, and AI.
Rafael, a biomedical research veteran, combines academic excellence with industry innovation. A Dartmouth graduate with a Yale doctorate, he conducted postdoctoral research at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where he co-invented the j5 DNA assembly tool. As co-founder of the Alliance for AI in Healthcare, he advocates for responsible AI integration in medicine, drawing from his extensive background in evolution, immunology, bioengineering, and genetics.
In this episode, you'll hear about:
- Scaling Genialis during COVID-19 and refining the company’s mission
- The importance of company culture and building a motivated, cohesive team
- Developing krasID and the Genialis supermodel to advance cancer diagnostics
- Raising Series A funding amid biotech market challenges
- The role of leadership and innovation in driving biotech success and shaping the future of precision oncology.
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Enriched Notes:
Topics Mentioned:
Genialis: https://www.genialis.com/
Taiwania Capital: https://www.taiwaniacapital.com/
Debiopharm Innovation Fund: https://www.debiopharm.com/innovation-fund/
Taiwania Capital: https://www.taiwaniacapital.com/
Debiopharm Innovation Fund: https://www.debiopharm.com/innovation-fund/
Genialis krasID: https://www.genialis.com/krasid/
Genialis Supermodel: https://www.genialis.com/supermodel/
How to Bootstrap a Biotech: https://www.excedr.com/resources/how-to-bootstrap-biotech-startup
Biotech Funding Options: https://www.excedr.com/resources/biotech-startup-funding-options
Top VCs in Biotech: https://www.excedr.com/blog/top-vc-firms-for-biotech
AI in Cancer Diagnostics: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2020.588221/full
Predictive Biomarkers in Oncology: https://oncologypro.esmo.org/education-library/esmo-books/esmo-handbooks/translational-research/predictive-biomarkers
How Biotech Partnerships Support Research: https://www.excedr.com/blog/how-biotech-partnerships-support-research
People Mentioned:
Cheng Wu (Founding Partner, Taiwania Capital): https://www.linkedin.com/in/cheng-wu-4614a8a/
Tiasha Stanković (COO, Head of People at Genialis): https://www.linkedin.com/in/tjasakk/?originalSubdomain=si
Luka Ausec (Chief Discovery Officer at Genialis): https://www.linkedin.com/in/luka-ausec-378009150/
Miha Å tajdohar (Co-founder, CTO at Genialis): https://www.linkedin.com/in/mstajdohar/
Marinka Zitnik (AI Researcher, Associate Professor of Bioinformatics): https://dbmi.hms.harvard.edu/people/marinka-zitnik
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
02:04 Scaling Genialis during COVID-19 and adapting as CEO
04:27 How pivotal clients influence a startup’s growth path
07:15 Addressing critical mistakes in clinical data pipelines
09:43 Redefining Genialis’ mission and fostering strong culture
12:19 Adapting to remote work while reinforcing team values
14:57 Raising Series A funding amid challenging market conditions
20:50 The importance of team culture and resilience
25:37 The Genialis supermodel and its impact on oncology AI
29:12 Two-year vision for Genialis and its three pillars
32:59 Closing questions and advice for entrepreneurs
38:59 Outro
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