Cold Calling Your Way Into Venture Capital

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“What I could offer is I'm willing to work hard. I'm willing to learn. I'm willing to be a good contributor.”

Philip Borden explains how realizing he did not want to pursue a PhD or spend his career at the lab bench led him toward venture capital. With a molecular biology degree, limited finance experience, and a list of biotech VC firms, he picked up the phone and cold-called his way into Frazier Healthcare in Seattle.

Philip shares why personal relationships, phone calls, and in-person conversations matter more than email when building trust. He discusses selling as communication and listening, the humility required to ask for an opportunity, and the culture lessons he learned from working alongside experienced investors.

He also explains why investors owe founders timely, respectful answers, including a clear no. The conversation closes with the small customer rituals Labshares uses to honor entrepreneurs, from ribbon cuttings to creating a fun place to work.

Key Topics Covered:

Career Exploration
Molecular Biology
Cold Calling
Venture Capital
Frazier Healthcare
Personal Relationships
Phone Communication
Founder Respect
Investor Responsiveness
Customer Experience

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Find our guest, Philip Borden, at these links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipborden

Website: https://www.labshares.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:

Labshares About Us: https://www.labshares.com/about-us

Harvard Business School: https://www.hbs.edu/

Duke University: https://www.duke.edu/

University of Washington: https://www.washington.edu/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/

Companies, Universities, & People Mentioned:

Frazier Healthcare Partners: https://www.frazierhealthcare.com

Riverside Partners: https://www.riversidepartners.com

Galen Partners: https://www.galen-partners.com

Longfellow Healthcare Partners: https://www.longfellowhc.com

Duke University: https://www.duke.edu

Harvard Business School: https://www.hbs.edu

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com

Microsoft: https://www.microsoft.com

Moderna: https://www.modernatx.com

Alan Frazier: https://www.frazierhealthcare.com

Nader Naini: https://www.frazierhealthcare.com

Patrick Herron: https://www.frazierhealthcare.com

Örn Almarsson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ornalmarsson

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

01:31 Choosing Not to Pursue Graduate School

03:40 Finding a Path Into Venture Capital

04:10 Cold-Calling Frazier Healthcare

04:54 Why the Phone Still Matters

06:49 Selling as Communication and Listening

08:10 Humility and the Frazier Culture

09:47 Moving to Seattle

11:57 Learning Through Partner Meetings

12:26 Screening Deals and Meeting Entrepreneurs

12:55 Respecting Founders in Vulnerable Moments

15:37 The Importance of Closing the Loop

18:30 Manufacturing Luck

19:04 Honoring Customers With Ribbon Cuttings

19:51 Outro