🧬 How Trauma Informs Purpose: Building Biotech Success | Sandra Shpilberg (Part 1/4)
September 29, 2025
"I walk around the world wanting to tell everyone that healing is possible. All types of healing are possible: physical healing, mental healing, spiritual healing. Healing is possible."
In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, we explore the remarkable journey of Sandra Shpilberg, Co-founder and COO at Adnexi, from her early childhood in Uruguay to becoming a serial entrepreneur in biotech. Sandra shares the profound experiences that shaped her leadership philosophy, beginning with her family's Holocaust survivor background and her grandparents' courageous decision to start over in a new country with nothing but hope.
Sandra opens up about the defining moments that forged her resilience - from a traumatic accident at age four that sparked her lifelong belief in healing, to her family's immigration to Brooklyn when she was 16. She describes navigating American education without knowing English, watching her parents rebuild their careers, and her own journey from Wall Street to Wharton to discovering her true calling in biotech during a transformative internship at Genentech. The conversation reveals how these experiences instilled the entrepreneurial mindset and fearless approach to starting over that continues to drive her success.
🧬 The Biotech Startups Podcast is powered by Excedr—helping life science startups accelerate R&D and commercialization with founder-friendly equipment leasing. Skip the upfront costs, stay lean, and focus on breakthrough science.
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"I walk around the world wanting to tell everyone that healing is possible. All types of healing are possible: physical healing, mental healing, spiritual healing. Healing is possible."
In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, we explore the remarkable journey of Sandra Shpilberg, Co-founder and COO at Adnexi, from her early childhood in Uruguay to becoming a serial entrepreneur in biotech. Sandra shares the profound experiences that shaped her leadership philosophy, beginning with her family's Holocaust survivor background and her grandparents' courageous decision to start over in a new country with nothing but hope.
Sandra opens up about the defining moments that forged her resilience - from a traumatic accident at age four that sparked her lifelong belief in healing, to her family's immigration to Brooklyn when she was 16. She describes navigating American education without knowing English, watching her parents rebuild their careers, and her own journey from Wall Street to Wharton to discovering her true calling in biotech during a transformative internship at Genentech. The conversation reveals how these experiences instilled the entrepreneurial mindset and fearless approach to starting over that continues to drive her success.
Key topics covered:
- Holocaust Legacy & Immigrant Entrepreneurship: How family history shaped her fearless approach to starting over
- The Power of Childhood Trauma: How a severe burn accident instilled her belief that healing is always possible
- Immigration at 16: Rebuilding life in Brooklyn and learning resilience through adversity
- Wall Street Foundation: Early career lessons about mentorship and strategic positioning
- Healthcare Calling: MBA experience and Genentech internship that confirmed biotech as her purpose
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Subscribe to the Podcast:
Find our guest, Sandra Shpilberg, at these links:
Website: https://adnexi.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:
Remicade (infliximab) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infliximab
Xolair (omalizumab) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omalizumab
Companies, Universities, & People mentioned:
JPMorgan Chase & Co.: https://www.jpmorganchase.com/
Citigroup Inc.: https://www.citigroup.com/
Pace University: https://www.pace.edu/
Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania): https://www.wharton.upenn.edu/
Genentech: https://www.gene.com/
Johnson & Johnson: https://www.jnj.com/
BioMarin Pharmaceutical: https://www.biomarin.com/
Amy Burroughs https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyburroughs/
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
04:59 Early Life and Family History
08:09 Childhood Accident and Healing
13:43 Immigrating to the United States
19:49 Family Adjustments and Resilience
23:53 Navigating U.S. High School and College Application
28:49 First Job and College to JPMorgan
31:46 JPMorgan Career Lessons
33:59 Transition to Citigroup and Management
37:35 Applying and Attending Wharton MBA
41:09 Interning at Genentech and Career Pivot
55:09 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.