🧬 “Get the Info, Take the Shot”: The DIY Mindset Behind Success | Roy Maute (Part 1/4)
February 16, 2026
In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, we explore Roy Maute's foundational years—from a curious kid in Dallas, Texas, to an aspiring scientist at UC Berkeley. Roy, CEO and co-founder of Pheast Therapeutics, takes us back to his childhood home where an architect father and artist mother fostered a DIY ethos through weekend home renovations and creative projects that taught him no task was off-limits. He shares how Golden Age science fiction novels from his grandfather and Jurassic Park sparked his fascination with genetic engineering, his transition from a small Dallas magnet school to Berkeley's "sink or swim" environment, and the serendipitous dorm-mate connection that landed him his first lab position mixing salt solutions and caring for mice. Roy reflects on the patient mentorship, California's natural beauty, and early glimpses of Silicon Valley's startup culture that shaped his path before heading to Columbia University for the rigorous training that would define his scientific career.
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“There is no task around you that's off-limits—just get the information, get the supplies, and give it a shot.”
In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, we explore Roy Maute's foundational years—from a curious kid in Dallas, Texas, to an aspiring scientist at UC Berkeley. Roy, CEO and co-founder of Pheast Therapeutics, takes us back to his childhood home where an architect father and artist mother fostered a DIY ethos through weekend home renovations and creative projects that taught him no task was off-limits. He shares how Golden Age science fiction novels from his grandfather and Jurassic Park sparked his fascination with genetic engineering, his transition from a small Dallas magnet school to Berkeley's "sink or swim" environment, and the serendipitous dorm-mate connection that landed him his first lab position mixing salt solutions and caring for mice. Roy reflects on the patient mentorship, California's natural beauty, and early glimpses of Silicon Valley's startup culture that shaped his path before heading to Columbia University for the rigorous training that would define his scientific career.
Key topics covered:
- Childhood Influences: Growing up with creative parents who emphasized DIY projects, from home renovations to laboratory curiosity
- Science Fiction as Inspiration: How Isaac Asimov novels and Jurassic Park introduced genetic engineering as a world-building tool
- Berkeley's Sink or Swim Culture: Navigating the transition from a small Dallas magnet school to thousands of undergrads at UC Berkeley
- Landing the First Lab Position: The serendipitous dorm connection that led to grunt work in a neurological development lab and foundational scientific training
- Falling for California: Discovering the Bay Area's natural beauty, international culture, food scene, and nascent startup ecosystem
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Subscribe to the Podcast:
Find our guest, Roy Maute at these links:
Website: https://www.pheast.com/
Find our host, Jon Chee, at these links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonchee
Learn more about Excedr:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/excedr/
Website: https://www.excedr.com
Intro & Outro Songs Created by OkKyojin, Owned by Excedr:
Website: https://flow.page/kyojin
Resources & Articles:
Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Basics: https://singularityhub.com/2022/07/17/just-because-you-can-doesnt-mean-you-should-what-genetic-engineers-can-learn-from-jurassic-world/
Neurological Development Research in Mice: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC509294/
Random Mutagenesis Genetic Screening Techniques: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.06.18.495938.full
Berkeley's Academic Culture and Research Opportunities:https://www.berkeley.edu/research/
Companies, Universities, & People mentioned:
UC Berkeley: https://www.berkeley.edu/
Columbia University: https://www.columbia.edu/
Konstantinos Zarbalis: https://www.linkedin.com/in/konstantinos-zarbalis-41b40514/
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
00:03:54 Growing Up in Dallas: Curiosity, Chaos, and Sci-Fi
00:06:33 Hands-On Learning: From DIY Renovations to Lab Work
00:10:53 Targeting a Science Career at UC Berkeley
00:13:13 Landing a First Lab Role Through Serendipity
00:17:36 The Importance of Mentorship and "Grunt Work"
00:19:53 The Decision to Pursue Graduate School
00:21:43 Falling for the Bay Area's Innovation and Nature
00:24:23 Choosing Columbia University and Moving to NYC
00:27:31 Outro
The Biotech Startups Podcast gives you a front-row seat to the business and science of building a biotech. Hosted by Jon Chee, CEO of Excedr, the show features honest conversations with founders, execs, and investors about their work, their companies, and how they got there. From scientific breakthroughs to startup lessons, each episode explores what it really takes to grow a life science company—from pre-seed to IPO.