🧬 Growth Without Venture Capital: The Bootstrapped Bioscience Playbook | Ivan Liachko (Part 4/4)
"It's not a brute force approach. It's a cleverness-based approach. It's a new kind of information that lets us do new things."
Host Jon Chee sits down with Ivan Liachko, founder and CEO of Phase Genomics, to unpack how clever, constraint-driven science turned a scrappy, bootstrapped lab into a genomics powerhouse. Ivan explains how their breakthrough technology—capturing the physical proximity of DNA—opened new frontiers in genome assembly, microbiome discovery, and cancer diagnostics, all propelled by a lean, scientist-led team and organic growth.
The episode dives into Phase’s evolution into a data-driven research leader, its focus on non-dilutive funding over venture capital, and its vision for clinical impact and therapeutic spinouts—all fueled by a passion for unlocking powerful new biological information.
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Episode Description:
"It's not a brute force approach. It's a cleverness-based approach. It's a new kind of information that lets us do new things."
Host Jon Chee sits down with Ivan Liachko, founder and CEO of Phase Genomics, to unpack how clever, constraint-driven science turned a scrappy, bootstrapped lab into a genomics powerhouse. Ivan explains how their breakthrough technology—capturing the physical proximity of DNA—opened new frontiers in genome assembly, microbiome discovery, and cancer diagnostics, all propelled by a lean, scientist-led team and organic growth.
The episode dives into Phase’s evolution into a data-driven research leader, its focus on non-dilutive funding over venture capital, and its vision for clinical impact and therapeutic spinouts—all fueled by a passion for unlocking powerful new biological information.
Key topics covered:
- Constraint-Driven Innovation: Creative solutions born from limited resources.
- Breakthrough Genomic Applications: Proximity ligation transforms genome assembly, microbiome, and cancer research.
- Bootstrapping & Organic Growth: Science-driven sales and grants fuel growth—minimal outside investment.
- Strategic Vision & Spinouts: Building a research powerhouse and launching new ventures from unique data.
- Advice for Scientists & Founders: Prioritize complementary teams, embrace uncertainty, and stay passionate.
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Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
02:08 Phase Genomics’ Three Core Applications
08:27 Meeting Co-founder and Early Team Formation
11:28 Bootstrapping with eBay Lab Gear
12:55 Scrappy, MVP-Driven Product Development
17:02 Core Customers and Clinical Use Cases
22:34 Evolving into a Research Institute with Spinouts
25:29 Non-dilutive Funding and Fundraising Approach
29:59 Clinical Vision and Anti-infective Focus
31:33 Shout-outs and Advice for Young Scientists
32:59 Staying Passionate Through Uncertainty
33:54 Outro