Zach Weinberg, co-founder and CEO of Curie.Bio, is redefining early-stage biotech investing with an operator’s mindset and a founder-first philosophy. His approach combines funding with operational support and direct access to world-class drug hunters to dramatically increase odds of success. Today, Zach sits down with Nick Chirls, GP at Asylum Ventures and Beezer Clarkson, LP at Sapphire Partners to discuss the massive risk associated with traditional therapeutics startups, how pairing a drug discovery partner with a seed investor solves those inefficiencies, and how biotech, the global economy and the political landscape are all closely connected.

Learn more about Sapphire Partners: ⁠https://sapphireventures.com/sapphire-partners⁠

Learn more about OpenLP: ⁠https://openlp.vc⁠

Learn more about Asylum Ventures: ⁠https://asylum.vc

Learn more about Curie.Bio: https://curie.bio

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CHAPTERS:

(0:00) Welcome to Origins

(5:08) Was Hunter High School Harder Than Penn?

(10:22) Transitioning From SaaS to Biotech

(20:55) Why Is Building a Biotech Venture Firm So Hard?

(27:55) Building Curie.Bio

(32:24) Zach on Drug Discovery

(43:12) Biotech in China

(49:42) AI in Biotech

(54:51) "The Manhattan Project of Biology"