🧬The Diamond of Success: 4 Traits Every Leader Needs | Michael Newton (Part 1/4)
August 18, 2025
"Attitude is by far number one… because you just aren’t gonna achieve anything in life if you don’t bring the right energy."
In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, Jon Chee sits down with Michael Newton, CEO of Qorium, to explore the early influences that shaped his perspective on leadership, resilience, and innovation. From growing up in a gritty yet vibrant Chelsea in the 1980s, to helping in his father’s tech-focused publishing business, to finding his academic spark at Saint Ann’s and Dartmouth, Michael reflects on how his upbringing and mentors shaped his belief in the power of attitude as the foundation of success.
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"Attitude is by far number one… because you just aren’t gonna achieve anything in life if you don’t bring the right energy."
In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, Jon Chee sits down with Michael Newton, CEO of Qorium, to explore the early influences that shaped his perspective on leadership, resilience, and innovation. From growing up in a gritty yet vibrant Chelsea in the 1980s, to helping in his father’s tech-focused publishing business, to finding his academic spark at Saint Ann’s and Dartmouth, Michael reflects on how his upbringing and mentors shaped his belief in the power of attitude as the foundation of success.
Key topics covered:
- Chelsea Roots: Childhood in 1980s Manhattan and lessons in grit and diversity
- Entrepreneurial Influence: Hands-on exposure to publishing, tech, and business from his parents
- Benign Neglect Parenting: Building independence, resilience, and accountability from a young age
- Educational Turning Point: Discovering curiosity and self-expression at Saint Ann’s in Brooklyn
- The Diamond of Success: How Dartmouth mentors instilled a lifelong framework for achievement
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Subscribe to the Podcast:
Find our guest, Michael Newton, at these links:
Website: http://www.qorium.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:
Benign Neglect Parenting https://www.parents.com/benign-neglect-8758970
Companies, Universities, & People mentioned:
Qorium: http://www.qorium.com/
Saint Ann’s School https://saintannsny.org/
Dartmouth College https://home.dartmouth.edu/
Allan Stam https://www.linkedin.com/in/allanstam/
Gene Garthwaite https://history.dartmouth.edu/people/gene-r-garthwaite
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
04:32 Growing Up in 1980s Manhattan – Chelsea Roots
06:31 Neighborhood Diversity & Childhood Community
08:06 Parental Influence: Entrepreneurship & Early Tech Exposure
10:38 “Benign Neglect” Parenting and Building Independence
12:59 The Australian Community in New York
15:11 Learning Grit from a “School of Hard Knocks” Childhood
19:02 Applying Childhood Lessons to Leadership & Team Building
21:41 Educational Turning Point: Grace Church to Saint Ann’s
26:25 College Choices & Why Dartmouth Stood Out
28:07 Life at Dartmouth and Impactful Mentors
29:09 Professor Allan Stam & The Triangle (Diamond) of Success
34:38 Influence of Professor Gene Garthwaite
40:03 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.