🧬 Passion Is Chaos: Grit, Curiosity, & the Biotech Breakthrough Mindset | Ivan Liachko (Part 1/4)
June 9, 2025
"Passion is chaos. You're doing unreasonable things sometimes for reasons you can't explain to anyone why. That's just what I want.”
In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, host Jon Chee sits down with Ivan Liachko, CEO and co-founder of Phase Genomics, to reveal how a childhood passion for genetics, relentless family support, and Ivan’s trademark persistence—“better to be annoying than forgotten”—helped him break into science as an immigrant and rise to biotech leadership.
Ivan shares candid lessons on embracing unpredictability, turning setbacks into opportunities, and the parallels between research and entrepreneurship, emphasizing the power of authentic curiosity, running toward problems, and leading with bold optimism.
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"Passion is chaos. You're doing unreasonable things sometimes for reasons you can't explain to anyone why. That's just what I want.”
In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, host Jon Chee sits down with Ivan Liachko, CEO and co-founder of Phase Genomics, to reveal how a childhood passion for genetics, relentless family support, and Ivan’s trademark persistence—“better to be annoying than forgotten”—helped him break into science as an immigrant and rise to biotech leadership.
Ivan shares candid lessons on embracing unpredictability, turning setbacks into opportunities, and the parallels between research and entrepreneurship, emphasizing the power of authentic curiosity, running toward problems, and leading with bold optimism.
Key topics covered:
- Ivan’s childhood in Kyiv and early passion for genetics
- Moving and adapting to a new country and system
- Breaking into science with grit and curiosity
- His transition from the lab to launching Phase Genomics
- Navigating setbacks and uncertainty in a leadership role
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Subscribe to the Podcast:
Find our guest, Ivan Liachko, at these links:
Website: https://phasegenomics.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:
Play Nice But Win: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57005158-play-nice-but-win
Ultra-Long-Range Genomic Information: https://www.ark-invest.com/podcast/phase-genomics
Bioinformatics & Genomics: https://www.excedr.com/blog/what-is-bioinformatics-and-computational-biology
A New Tool in the Genomics Kit: https://share.snipd.com/episode/9ee3bc63-9d1a-43f2-b749-2c7a339a2b63
The CRISPR Revolution and the New Era of Genome Editing: https://www.biochemjournal.com/archives/2024/vol8issue1S/PartG/S-8-1-92-790.pdf
Cytogenomics with Phase Genomics: https://dnapodcast.com/episodes/2022/1/28/169-cytogenomics-with-phase-genomics
Connect My Variant: https://connectmyvariant.org/
The Phage Atlas Project: https://phage.directory/atlas
Companies, Universities, & People mentioned:
Phase Genomics: https://phasegenomics.com
Quest Diagnostics: http://www.questdiagnostics.com
University of Pennsylvania: https://www.upenn.edu/
Brandeis University: https://www.brandeis.edu/
Michael Dell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mdell/
David Younger: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-a-younger/
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
03:40 Early Interest in Science and Upbringing in Kyiv
05:27 First Lab Experiences and Persistence in Science
07:37 The Power of Passion in Scientific Careers
09:47 Family Support and Academic Encouragement
10:37 The Value of Persistence and Grit
13:10 Navigating College Applications as an Immigrant
15:59 Choosing Brandeis University and Embracing New Opportunities
17:36 Maximizing Luck and Serendipity in Career Choices
19:13 Breaking Out of Academic Silos and Embracing Opportunity
34:47 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.