🧬 Jason C. Foster - Part 1 | From Paper Routes to Pharma | Navigating the Dot-Com Bubble | Building a $1B Addiction Medicine Business in 4 Years
January 27, 2025
Part 1 of 2: My guest today is Jason C. Foster, CEO and Executive Director of Ori Biotech. Ori is revolutionizing Cell and Gene Therapy manufacturing through the development of its proprietary platform, IRO®. By automating and standardizing Cell and Gene Therapy manufacturing, Ori and IRO® offer scientists the tools they need to streamline development and support widespread patient access to life-saving treatments.
Jason's experience prior to Ori includes more than 20 years of life science leadership in operations, sales, marketing, technology, and investing, during which he developed deep expertise in commercial strategy and a thorough understanding of healthcare markets across the UK, US, and EU.
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Part 1 of 2: My guest today is Jason C. Foster, CEO and Executive Director of Ori Biotech. Ori is revolutionizing Cell and Gene Therapy manufacturing through the development of its proprietary platform, IRO®. By automating and standardizing Cell and Gene Therapy manufacturing, Ori and IRO® offer scientists the tools they need to streamline development and support widespread patient access to life-saving treatments.
Jason's experience prior to Ori includes more than 20 years of life science leadership in operations, sales, marketing, technology, and investing, during which he developed deep expertise in commercial strategy and a thorough understanding of healthcare markets across the UK, US, and EU.
In this episode, you'll hear about:
- Jason Foster's early entrepreneurship, from paper routes to creative ventures
- His transformative time at Columbia Business School, learning valuable lessons about decision-making and international perspectives
- Jason's entry into healthcare through Merck-Medco
- His experience growing a small pharmaceutical company from 5 to 400 employees, focusing on addiction medicine
- The decision to move his family to London to start the European branch of the business
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Enriched Notes:
Topics Mentioned:
University of Virginia https://www.virginia.edu/
Columbia University https://www.columbia.edu/
How to Spin Out of Academia https://www.excedr.com/resources/how-to-spin-out-of-academia-and-into-a-startup
How VC-Backed Startups Win When They Lease https://www.excedr.com/blog/how-vc-backed-startups-win-when-they-lease
Marketing & Sales Strategies for Startups https://www.excedr.com/blog/marketing-sales-strategies-for-biotechs
People Mentioned:
Larry Sabato https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Sabato
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
04:51 Early years and entrepreneurial experiences
10:10 College decision process and time at the University of Virginia
18:05 Jason's experience in Washington D.C. and introduction to healthcare policy
20:57 Jason's decision to pursue an MBA at Columbia University
25:04 Memorable lessons from Columbia MBA program
30:47 Jason's transition to the private sector and joining Merck Medco
36:41 Insights on effective sales techniques in the pharmaceutical industry
43:19 Jason's career progression after Columbia and joining Medco Health Solutions
51:02 Jason's move to a small pharmaceutical company in Richmond, Virginia
54:59 Outro
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