To market a drug, you must objectively prove to the FDA that it has the health benefit you claim.
I founded Loyal around the idea that the FDA would approve an aging drug for healthy lifespan extension itself, NOT any specific disease.
Mar 22, 2022 • 11 tweets • 5 min read
Today we are opening X-Thousand Dogs, our next canine aging study, to the dog-loving public!
We need dogs of all sizes + ages + breeds to participate
The goal: map out DNA structure change w age/environment/health & explore if these changes can be PREDICTIVE of future health
We are giving away 2,000 23andme-style kits.
Pet parents swab their dog 2x (yay technical replicates!), return swab to Loyal, & give their dog the enclosed Wolfie-approved treat :)
We will return what we learn about your dog's health, aging, genetics
This is an open secret in the aging field. @LauraDeming & I are sharing our stories today so that women entering aging know this BEFORE interacting with Aubrey.
Allegations include sexual harassment & abuse, including against minors
Aubrey and SENS nearly killed both of our aging careers before they began.
I've raised one of the largest seed rounds ever for a female solo founder, for a weird, moonshot company that doesn't quite fit in most VC's pre-ordained view of the world ;)
I've written a behemoth post on how this round happened, my mistakes, and - most fun - the bloopers!
My favorite lessons:
Don't try to learn all the patterns/social etiquette on your own. Find a generous founder or VC to walk you through it.
Don't be tempted to minimize timelines, $ to milestone, etc to satisfy the VC. You get labeled as an amateur + sets you up for failure
Jan 12, 2021 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
Hypothesis: it is easier to hire all-star employees in bio than in tech
1- No FAANG golden handcuffs.
The Pharmas pretty ubiquitously suck to work at, the HQs lack the bells and whistles of tech, and pay for junior people is easily matched by a startup
2- Less founder culture in bio.
Bad for creating new bio co's, but great for hiring. Scientists are much more likely to look for a job than try to start a company
Jul 12, 2020 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
Building a biotech company in Silicon Valley is amazing, but I quickly learned to not take common startup-isms at face value & to validate for myself that they translate over to building in bio. Many don't. Here's some differences I've noticed so far: celinehh.com/tech-vs-biotech
& a few faves:
TECH: Rolling derisking, early signs of product-market fit
BIOTECH: Derisking comes in bursts over years (biological milestones), early signals less reliable
TECH: Outsourcing product development or engineering unadvisable
BIOTECH: Common to use contractors
We are giving away 2,000 23andme-style kits. 