🧬 100 Discovery Interviews Built a $3M Biotech Launchpad at Berkeley | Darren Cooke (Part 4/4)
October 23, 2025
"If anyone comes to me and says, 'Hey, I’ve got this idea. I think we could do something with it,' I’m like, 'You gotta take the I-Corps class first... it really changes your mindset.'"
In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, Darren Cooke, Interim Chief Innovation & Entrepreneurship Officer and Executive Director of the Life Sciences Entrepreneurship Center at the University of California, Berkeley, reveals how 100 discovery interviews turned a $3 million campus experiment into a powerhouse for biotech innovation.
He shares the creation of Berkeley’s flagship fellows program, the launch of speed teaming and venture grants, and how simple ideas like fostering connection and collaboration transformed campus culture. Darren also reflects on the leadership of Chancellor Rich Lyons and offers candid lessons on perseverance, mentorship, and the art of “showing up.”
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"If anyone comes to me and says, 'Hey, I’ve got this idea. I think we could do something with it,' I’m like, 'You gotta take the I-Corps class first... it really changes your mindset.'"
In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, Darren Cooke, Interim Chief Innovation & Entrepreneurship Officer and Executive Director of the Life Sciences Entrepreneurship Center at the University of California, Berkeley, reveals how 100 discovery interviews turned a $3 million campus experiment into a powerhouse for biotech innovation.
He shares the creation of Berkeley’s flagship fellows program, the launch of speed teaming and venture grants, and how simple ideas like fostering connection and collaboration transformed campus culture. Darren also reflects on the leadership of Chancellor Rich Lyons and offers candid lessons on perseverance, mentorship, and the art of “showing up.”
Key topics covered:
- Launching the Life Sciences Entrepreneurship Center: Transforming a blank-slate idea into a thriving biotech launchpad
- Building Transformative Programs: Creating standout tracks like fellows, I-Corps, speed teaming, and venture grants
- Changing Campus Culture: Flipping Berkeley’s outlook to embrace innovation and collaboration
- The Power of Connection: Sparking new partnerships and opportunities across the campus ecosystem
- Reflections and Advice: Actionable mentorship lessons and founder tips for real-world impact
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Find our guest, Darren Cooke, at these links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ddcooke/
Website: http://berkeley.edu/
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:
How UC Berkeley Became an Unexpected Leader in Entrepreneurship and Startups: https://iande.berkeley.edu/StartupCampus
Startup Campus (How UC Berkeley became a leader in entrepreneurship) https://a.co/d/5pCg83q
Berkeley SkyDeck Demo Day: https://skydeck.berkeley.edu/tag/demo_day/
Bakar Faculty Fellows Program: https://bakarfellows.berkeley.edu/
QB3 Speed Teaming program: https://qb3.org/event/bio-startup-speed-teaming/
Companies, Universities, & People mentioned:
UC Berkeley: https://www.berkeley.edu/
Haas School of Business (UC Berkeley Haas): https://haas.berkeley.edu/
Venture Capital Fund: https://tinyurl.com/29dnsjpb
Berkeley SkyDeck: https://skydeck.berkeley.edu/
QB3 (California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences): https://qb3.org/
Bakar Labs: https://bakarlabs.berkeley.edu/
Rich Lyons: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rich-lyons-30332b1/
David Kirn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidkirnmd/
Tobias Schmid: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taschmid/
Paul Alivisatos: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-alivisatos-4b313b6/
Ariel Notcovic: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ariel-notcovich/
Justin Reese,: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-reese-3419b24/
Hannah Weber: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-weber001/
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
02:01 Darren’s Berkeley Faculty Journey
03:03 The $3 Million Startup Experiment
05:24 Launching the Fellows Program
08:43 The I-Corps Mindset Shift
10:25 Signature Berkeley Showcase Event
11:51 Speed Teaming for Startup Connections
14:17 Haas & Life Sciences Cross-Campus Partnerships
17:18 Startup Success Story: Reese & Weber
20:10 Berkeley’s Shift Toward Entrepreneurship
24:45 Chancellor Lyons’ Impact & Venture Fund
27:38 Scaling Programs and Entrepreneur in Residence
32:24 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.