Building a Biotech Ecosystem in Dallas: Inside BioLabs Pegasus Park with Dr. Gabby Everett

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Most of the experiments that you're
going to do are going to fail.
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That failure really teaches you
resilience and it teaches you that
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grit and it really tests your motivation,
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right? This experiment
has failed six times,
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but yet I'm going to wake up in the
morning and I'm going to do it again.
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Welcome to Learning From Leaders,
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a podcast from Southwestern Medical
Foundation where we dive into a world of
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wisdom, mentorship and innovation,
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exploring the insights and life lessons
of seasoned community and business
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leaders. I'm Michael McMahon,
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president and CEO of
Southwestern Medical Foundation.
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I invite you to subscribe now and join
us on this empowering journey of growth
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and leadership. Now,
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let's learn from the best and
drive meaningful change together.
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Welcome to Learning from Leaders,
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the podcast where we explore how
community leaders are creating impact and
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inspiring others.
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Today we're talking about what it actually
takes to build a biotech ecosystem,
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going beyond great science and uncovering
the infrastructure, the partnerships,
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and the leadership that help
startups move from idea to impact.
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Our guest today is Dr. Gabby Everett,
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the Director of Business
Operations and Strategy,
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and the site head at Biolabs Pegasus Park,
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a shared lab and office space designed
to help life science startups grow with
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the resources and community
that they need. Gabby,
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thank you so much for
joining the show today.
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Absolutely. Thank you for having.
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Me. So to kick us off,
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can you just tell us a little bit about
what Biolabs is and what its mission is,
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and tell us a little
about your role there.
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Sure, absolutely.
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So Biolabs is a global
network of shared office and
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lab space, coworking
environment, but for science.
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So half of the lab is
wet lab space where our
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scientists, our researchers,
do their experiments,
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and then the other half is office space.
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And what's cool about Labs is that
it's more than infrastructure.
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It's more than lab space.
It's a community. So right
now in our space in Dallas,
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we are hosting about 20 biotech companies.
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We call them our residents.
So they're with us,
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and it's just this really
beautiful dynamic community of
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researchers doing everything
from cancer therapeutics,
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neurodegenerative,
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all the way up to wearable medical
devices and everything in between.
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So the casual collisions and the
conversations that happen within
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labs is what makes it a special place.
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As director of business ops and
strategy, my role is multifaceted.
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One of my roles is to identify
these early stage life
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sciences companies from all across
the North Texas region and beyond,
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who would benefit from being in
a coworking space like Biolabs,
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recruit those companies into
our community. The next thing I
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do is to help the companies
that we have currently.
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Our companies have needs,
they have personnel needs,
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they need recruiters,
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they need people who can
advise on regulatory on CMC,
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on every aspect of everything
on the pharmaceutical timeline.
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So helping them connect
to those resources.
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If they need a certain piece of
equipment or access to a certain piece of
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equipment,
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it's my job to help them find that
access and get that piece of equipment.
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And then the third thing that I do,
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probably I would say one of the funnest
parts of my job is really this idea of
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ecosystem building, right? You
mentioned ecosystem, and it's really,
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you go back to early nerdy days
of biology in which an ecosystem
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is this community of its network.
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And if one aspect of that community and
one piece of that network falls out,
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the entire community crumbles. It's
really the same way in biotech.
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It's impossible to do it in a
vacuum. So building that community,
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building the infrastructure and the
partners around our companies is another
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cool thing that I get to do. Ultimately,
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I would say that our goal is to
help our researchers and their
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companies survive this valley of death,
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that people hear about those
very early stages Of discovery,
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help them survive long enough
to where their science matters.
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And you can relate to that so much because
you have spent part of your career as
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a scientist.
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So can you talk about that a little bit
and what that journey was into more of
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the business ecosystem
operating part of it?
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Yeah, absolutely. So I definitely started
out as I'm still an nerdy scientist.
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I've got my signature,
DNA earrings. So yeah,
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I started out at the
bench, did graduate school,
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got a PhD in biochemistry
for at Texas a and m.
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My goal and my research was to basically
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kill every bacterial cell
that I could possibly find,
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and it was very personal for me.
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My Grammy got antibiotic
resistant staph infection in the
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hospital. It nearly killed her.
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So my research was my personal
vendetta and crusade, again,
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trying to kill the little jerks that
tried to take out my grandmother.
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So after that, after graduate
school, I went into industry,
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joined a global life sciences company
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doing industrial research,
microbiology research.
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I was there for about six
years. And during that time,
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I got to wear multiple hats.
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I did from cradle all the
way to post commercialization
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support in that I came up with the
research ideas. I tinkered in the
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lab.
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I worked with our Salesforce and our
customers to find out what needs they
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needed to fill. I did budgets,
I led teams, I wrote patents.
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I worked with our sales team about
what they can say out in the field
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and how they can talk about
these complex products that we
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were innovating and put them into
layman's terms for their customers.
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Also got to work with marketing
teams of like, Hey, Gabby,
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can we say this on the label? Well,
no, not unless you want to get sued.
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So I really got to wear multiple hats,
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and it was almost like being in a startup,
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the biotech group and a large
chemical company. And around,
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again, six years in, I
found this role at Biolabs,
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and it was really kind of
the mixture of science and
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communication because again, you have
to work outwardly with the ecosystem.
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You have to work inwardly
with your companies.
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And bio Labs was in the middle of this
Venn diagram that included science comms
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and also serving the community.
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So I read the job description and the
first line was we empower scientists.
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So I was like, where do I start?
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Well, that defines you perfectly.
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Do you miss being a scientist and being
truly at the bench all the time at all?
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Don't? That's a really great question.
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I figured that out maybe
about three or four years ago.
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There was a moment in the lab where
I was helping out one of our research
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scientists, and it dawned
on me. I was like, wow,
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I don't necessarily
miss being at the bench.
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I don't have to miss the science because
I am ingrained in the science every
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day when you're doing your PhD
and when you're working in a lab,
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you are very myopic and you're
focused very much on your specific
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research. But I'm an
all over science nerd.
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So now my job is to understand
everybody's research.
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So in honesty,
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I have never felt closer to the
science than where I do now.
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Yeah, yeah, I love that.
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So because you've kind of had your
hands on all of these different pieces,
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I would imagine that that has served how
you're able to lead the Biolab team and
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to be able to be a resource and a
cheerleader to your member companies.
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Can you talk a little bit about what
elements from your life at the bench has
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really kind of translated into
your leadership at Biolabs?
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Yeah, so it's really interesting. Science,
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as you know, is very trial and error.
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Most of the experiments that you're
going to do are going to fail.
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And the important part is that you
learn from that failure, right?
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It's cliche,
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but you learn more typically from a
failed experiment than you do from a
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successful one. That failure
really teaches you resilience,
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and it teaches you that grit,
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and it really tests your motivation.
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This experiment has failed six times,
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but yet I'm going to wake up in the
morning and I'm going to do it again.
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So you learn again, that resiliency,
the ability to bounce back.
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Another thing that you learn is
definitely ownership of your mistakes.
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Sometimes
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your experiment fails because
of something that you did.
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You're talking to your lab mates,
you're talking to your PI, and Ooh,
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I forgot to add this one element,
or I did it the wrong way.
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So being able to own up to
your mistakes is very key.
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But in order to own up to your
mistakes and feel comfortable admitting
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them, your leader needs
to be approachable,
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needs to be authentic.
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You have to be able to create
that kind of mental safety,
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that emotional safety
with your team to be able
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to admit those mistakes.
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Well. And to your point,
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making it an environment where
it's not just admitting them,
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but really seeing them as a valuable
experience that can be useful going
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forward. So I think in your role,
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you've been so obviously incredible and
have brought so much energy to leading
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these 20 plus companies that are in the
biolab space and being a resource and a
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cheerleader for them.
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But you also have been a huge cheerleader
for this broader ecosystem and broader
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biotech community in the DFW area.
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Can you talk about what does that
really look like in practice to be a
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leader really trying to grow this
industry in a place like Dallas?
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So I love that question because
it's two different styles.
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Leading a team is very operational,
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it's very execution.
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It's make the day-to-day less
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chaotic. Let's make it manageable.
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It's about setting clear
expectations and having shared
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goals moving forward. However,
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on the ecosystem side,
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it's very much alignment.
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It's getting all of the pieces together.
Again, building that ecosystem,
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building that community,
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and making sure that everybody
in that ecosystem has the ability
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to interact with all of
those different pieces.
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So it's leadership without
taking ownership or having
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control over it.
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Of course, it's really hard
to build a biotech company,
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whether it's capital intensive,
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it's a really nuanced industry with a
lot of regulatory considerations like
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raising capital, all of these
things. What do you think,
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whether at Biolabs, which
we can get into later,
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but also just building
this ecosystem in general,
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what do you think lays the groundwork
to make sure that more people with
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big biotech ideas feel like they have
the groundwork needed to be successful in
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scale?
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Exactly. Collaboration is absolutely key.
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I think that's one of the outstanding
features that this ecosystem has
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is that whether you're
in Fort Worth working on
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a medical device or a wearable
medical device or something in sports
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tech in Frisco,
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or if you are working in
therapeutics at UT Southwestern,
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these communities come together and
they collaborate with each other.
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And it's very interesting because
innovation happens at those
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intersections.
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You have biology mixed with
chemistry to make biochemistry,
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and you have biology and physics
and biophysics and astrophysics and
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paleo, botany.
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You have all these complex sciences
that come together and innovate
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at those intersections.
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And I feel like Biolabs
enables those interactions.
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And with that collaboration
comes, closeness, comes trust,
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comes more collaboration.
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So it's just this great thing
that's feeding off of each other,
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and everyone is committed
in our ecosystem,
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and we all have that same shared goal.
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And because of that ecosystem is less
of this thing that we're building,
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and it's more of a verb,
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and it's something that we're all
doing and we're all doing it together.
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And I'd love to get into
how Biolabs has done.
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It's such a lofty mission and goal,
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and personally having spent a lot of
time there and having the pleasure of
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getting to work with you on it, Gabby,
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it's been really exciting to see how
much has happened just in the last three,
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four years since it's opened. I guess
coming up on the four year anniversary.
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Four year anniversary.
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March, I think I'd love to
hear from you, first of all,
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how are you kind of defining success?
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What has growth in Biolabs looked
like over the last few years?
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And also Biolabs came to fruition in
Dallas at an interesting time where we
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had a lot of groundwork built
from having the incredible UT
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Southwestern right down the street
and all of these resources here.
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What was Biolabs able to
offer at that moment in time,
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March, 2022 when it opened?
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Yeah, absolutely. Biolabs
was really, I would say,
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the missing piece of the
ecosystem. As you mentioned,
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we have these powerhouse
universities that are producing
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incredible intellectual property and
is churning out and spinning out this
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incredible technology.
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You have those same universities
churning out fantastic talent.
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We are the number one tech workforce
in the country for a reason.
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And it's because you had these
institutions making these STEM graduates.
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You have groups like North Texas
that are that trade org side
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that is the holding
place for industry needs.
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And those regulatory consultants
and advisors and mentors.
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You have a group of
sophisticated investors in
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biotech.
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The piece that was missing was
the infrastructure and just to
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talk about how far we've come in the
past four years compared to where we
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thought we were going to be.
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We originally thought when we started
this facility that, okay, one year in,
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if we have five companies, if
we're 25 to percent, 30 occupied,
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that's what success looks
like. And instead, one year in,
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we had close to 20
companies and we were 75 to
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80% occupied. Incredible. So
it was just this rapid growth,
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and I think what that rapid growth
represents is the fact that biotech was
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already here. It was already churning
and it was already strong in the north
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Texas region. We just didn't have
the platform to actualize it here.
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So what ended up happening is that those
companies that were coming out of UT
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Southwestern,
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if they wanted to find affordable lab
space where they could fail quickly
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and cheaply and de-risk their science,
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they had to go someplace else.
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So we've been able to capture
those companies and keep them here.
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So if you build it, they will stay.
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But what it's turned into is if you
build it, they will come to you.
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So a lot of our growth was from companies
that weren't even from North Texas.
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They were from Boston, New
York, technology from Maryland,
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Arizona, California.
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Were even an international campus
at Pegasus Park now with Universal
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Diagnostics from Spain.
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These companies came to us,
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and a lot of them was because they saw
the great business climate in Texas,
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or maybe they had partnerships
or doing clinical trials
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at UT Southwestern. So
they formed a lab here.
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Some of them were basically boomerangs
where they did their PhDs at UT
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Southwestern, moved to California,
did graduate work, started a company,
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and then went, huh,
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I can go back home and bring my
company with me and join this dynamic
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growing ecosystem. So it's been
very exciting to be a part of.
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And that growth also
triggered our newer lab space,
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which is Bridge Labs.
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So Biolabs is 32,000 square feet,
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bridge Labs is 135,000 square feet,
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and it's that what's next of Lab Space.
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And for listeners who might not be as
familiar as you are with what the growth
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00:17:31,010 --> 00:17:34,100
trajectory of some of these companies
looks like, can you talk about,
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because you're doing so much
work, obviously leading by labs,
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00:17:36,500 --> 00:17:40,040
but also have taken on leading
a lot of the work at Rich Labs,
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00:17:40,730 --> 00:17:45,380
can you talk about what stage is a
company when they're typically coming into
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00:17:45,650 --> 00:17:49,160
labs, do they have three people
there? Do they have 10 people there?
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And at what point,
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00:17:53,670 --> 00:17:55,860
how are you building the
pipeline of like, okay,
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that's when you're ready to go onto
this kind of graduation lab space.
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00:18:00,270 --> 00:18:04,440
How do you help coach companies
or what have you seen around
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their growth trajectory and making sure
that they have the resources that they
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need to your point to continue to stay?
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00:18:10,710 --> 00:18:14,730
Right, exactly. So the
ideal company I would say,
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for Biolab is one of these
early stage companies.
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So maybe there are companies that
are spinning out of the university,
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maybe they're independent startups,
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but they're at that early stage
where they're the most fragile.
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And what I mean by that is that
their science is very risky.
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It's untested technology.
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00:18:37,200 --> 00:18:41,550
You may not understand the
mode of action of a particular
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molecule in cancer, and
because of that risk,
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you're too risky for standard investors.
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00:18:49,890 --> 00:18:54,750
They want to be able to invest millions
of dollars in a technology that is
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more proven, especially in
current funding environments.
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That level of risk is very difficult.
309
00:19:02,130 --> 00:19:07,080
So we are great for companies
early at that stage and great for
310
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companies as they grow early stage
companies, typically they're grant funded.
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As they get grants,
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00:19:13,440 --> 00:19:18,270
they're able to reach more
milestones that make them attractive
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00:19:18,270 --> 00:19:21,630
to venture capital to
those early seed rounds,
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00:19:22,230 --> 00:19:26,280
but they're still not big enough to
the point where they can afford that
315
00:19:26,280 --> 00:19:30,900
expensive equipment or they don't
want to lease that lab space
316
00:19:30,900 --> 00:19:34,320
for two years. They're still, again,
317
00:19:34,320 --> 00:19:39,210
in that very fragile point where
flexibility is key. So those are
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00:19:39,480 --> 00:19:44,250
the ideal places or companies for
Biolabs. And as those companies grow,
319
00:19:44,250 --> 00:19:48,840
we have single bench companies
that are one six foot lab
320
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bench. The CEO is the lead researcher,
321
00:19:53,610 --> 00:19:54,750
is the lab tech.
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00:19:55,410 --> 00:19:59,400
And then we also have companies that
are in maybe three to four benches.
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00:19:59,520 --> 00:20:03,000
And then once they get more funding,
they hop into a private lab,
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they buy their own large
workhorse pieces of equipment,
325
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and then after that, they grow
into even yet larger lab space.
326
00:20:11,820 --> 00:20:15,330
But once they get to the point where
they're at that higher level of funding,
327
00:20:15,960 --> 00:20:19,680
series A, series B, they're
hiring on more people.
328
00:20:19,890 --> 00:20:23,970
They're expanding their pipeline,
they're gearing up for clinical trials,
329
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they're buying their own equipment,
and they need space for all of that.
330
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At some point,
331
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they get too big to pay by
the bench by the month at
332
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Labs.
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And that's where Bridge Labs comes in
is that it's next of Lab space that
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four to 8,000 square feet.
335
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We also have larger lab space
for bigger companies that have
336
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graduated out of labs and are still
with us at Pegasus Park campus.
337
00:20:50,290 --> 00:20:54,520
But the beauty of Bridge Labs and really
how it fits into the whole story is
338
00:20:54,520 --> 00:20:56,920
that it's great that if you have Bio Labs,
339
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but if you don't have the What's
Next Lab space for those companies,
340
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they're going to leave you anyway.
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So.
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00:21:03,100 --> 00:21:07,990
It was a great strategic
investment bringing
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in Bridge Labs exactly when we did.
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Yeah, and it is, I mean, it's interesting.
345
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It is kind of unique for some of
these really early stage companies.
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They can't just go find
any coworking space.
347
00:21:20,410 --> 00:21:24,040
It would cost millions of dollars for a
company to build out their own lab space
348
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with all the equipment that they need.
So I imagine it's a huge value add,
349
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not only to the companies,
350
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but also VCs who are interested
in these early stage companies.
351
00:21:34,450 --> 00:21:39,340
It's probably really valuable to
see that instead of having to spend
352
00:21:39,340 --> 00:21:43,960
their hard earned capital on
three pieces of equipment, well,
353
00:21:43,960 --> 00:21:48,250
then they can spend it on the science
and recruiting awesome talent and all the
354
00:21:48,250 --> 00:21:50,470
other things that are required
to get their work done.
355
00:21:51,430 --> 00:21:55,870
Can you talk about just some examples
of what sorts of things are happening in
356
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these spaces? What are some
of the companies doing and
Bio Labs and Bridge Labs?
357
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What is going on in there?
358
00:22:01,960 --> 00:22:06,670
We have so many exciting stories
to tell, so many success stories.
359
00:22:07,420 --> 00:22:12,100
We've had high growth companies
that started with us maybe with
360
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four people, moved up to 40 people.
361
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Graduated.
362
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Into our Bridge Lab space.
363
00:22:19,120 --> 00:22:22,600
We've had spinouts of
companies. We've had companies.
364
00:22:22,810 --> 00:22:25,570
One was from California,
365
00:22:25,570 --> 00:22:27,910
the other one was from SMU.
366
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Just by virtue of working
together in this co-working space,
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formed their own spinout. We that's
amazing. Have other companies now,
368
00:22:35,650 --> 00:22:40,120
one is from Baylor and the other one is
an independent startup that started here
369
00:22:40,120 --> 00:22:43,870
in North Texas, and they're
working together on a spin out.
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00:22:43,870 --> 00:22:48,700
So we've had many, many success stories.
We've had several grant winners.
371
00:22:48,910 --> 00:22:52,330
We've had a company,
Jen Rab and Greenberg,
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00:22:52,330 --> 00:22:54,400
who I think was previously on the program.
373
00:22:55,030 --> 00:22:58,750
Their company won a
golden ticket at Bio Labs,
374
00:22:58,750 --> 00:23:03,160
which grants them one year of lab
space and the support that Bio Labs
375
00:23:03,160 --> 00:23:06,430
provides, and of course
the equipment access,
376
00:23:06,730 --> 00:23:11,650
they went on to win another Golden
ticket that was a global competition.
377
00:23:11,650 --> 00:23:16,360
So they beat out Boston companies
and San Francisco companies to
378
00:23:16,360 --> 00:23:19,390
win another year of lab space at Bio Labs.
379
00:23:19,390 --> 00:23:23,950
And that year allowed
them to get next rounds of
380
00:23:23,950 --> 00:23:26,680
funding. We've got a great company,
381
00:23:26,770 --> 00:23:31,240
Atira Russell Hayward was
also on the podcast as well.
382
00:23:31,510 --> 00:23:36,340
His company went from idea
to clinical trials in two
383
00:23:36,340 --> 00:23:37,173
years,
384
00:23:37,240 --> 00:23:42,070
and now they're in clinical trials in
Australia for their first in class small
385
00:23:42,070 --> 00:23:43,870
molecule for cancer.
386
00:23:44,710 --> 00:23:48,740
So it's been very exciting to
see what our companies have done.
387
00:23:49,070 --> 00:23:50,000
Okay. So Gabby,
388
00:23:50,000 --> 00:23:53,120
you're talking about all these companies
that are coming from other states,
389
00:23:53,120 --> 00:23:54,140
which is so exciting.
390
00:23:54,320 --> 00:23:58,250
Can you talk about what they have
found so appealing about Dallas?
391
00:23:58,250 --> 00:23:59,540
What is really drawing them here?
392
00:23:59,810 --> 00:24:04,040
Yeah, I think what they're
finding is this really strong
393
00:24:04,460 --> 00:24:08,030
multifaceted ecosystem
that checks all the boxes.
394
00:24:08,570 --> 00:24:13,130
We have a very strong trade
org with North Texas that
395
00:24:13,130 --> 00:24:16,970
has consultants, advisors,
396
00:24:17,480 --> 00:24:21,800
financial advisors, former
biotech, CFOs, foss.
397
00:24:23,090 --> 00:24:27,980
We've got a really
strong access to capital.
398
00:24:28,220 --> 00:24:32,510
So not just on the venture capital
side because we do have sophisticated
399
00:24:32,510 --> 00:24:36,560
investors who have successfully
invested in biotech.
400
00:24:36,560 --> 00:24:41,510
And those successes have
reached 10 billion in exits
401
00:24:41,870 --> 00:24:44,690
in the past couple of years
with Peloton and Reta.
402
00:24:45,500 --> 00:24:48,380
Caris Life Sciences just
went public last year.
403
00:24:48,380 --> 00:24:53,210
So we have a lot of
successes and investors
404
00:24:53,510 --> 00:24:58,100
that have been a part of
that success with Texas.
405
00:24:58,100 --> 00:24:59,600
We also have cprt,
406
00:25:00,020 --> 00:25:03,320
cancer Prevention Research
Institute of Texas.
407
00:25:03,620 --> 00:25:06,440
We also just passed DPR last year,
408
00:25:06,440 --> 00:25:10,670
which is the Dementia Prevention
and Research Institute of Texas.
409
00:25:11,030 --> 00:25:11,630
Selectively,
410
00:25:11,630 --> 00:25:16,370
those are billions of dollars in
state grant money that go towards
411
00:25:16,790 --> 00:25:21,740
early stage research into
that translational aspect of
412
00:25:21,740 --> 00:25:25,070
how do we go from research to
reality and into the clinic.
413
00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:27,470
They have relocation grants.
414
00:25:27,470 --> 00:25:32,240
So there have been companies that
have moved back to Texas because of
415
00:25:32,240 --> 00:25:36,680
these relocation grants.
We also have, I would say,
416
00:25:37,430 --> 00:25:38,930
community buy-in,
417
00:25:39,830 --> 00:25:44,540
not just from leadership and philanthropy,
418
00:25:44,720 --> 00:25:47,360
but also on the economic development side.
419
00:25:47,360 --> 00:25:51,620
Dallas Regional Chamber
is a huge advocate for
420
00:25:51,620 --> 00:25:53,990
biotech in the north Texas region.
421
00:25:54,590 --> 00:25:57,080
So I think a lot of that
goes into it especially.
422
00:25:57,290 --> 00:26:01,970
And then there's the talent piece as well.
North Texas or
423
00:26:01,970 --> 00:26:06,200
Dallas is the number
one tech workforce that
424
00:26:06,770 --> 00:26:08,270
site Selector magazine,
425
00:26:08,270 --> 00:26:12,260
I think named North Texas as
the best talent tech workforce.
426
00:26:12,620 --> 00:26:15,920
And that talent is coming
out of our university.
427
00:26:15,920 --> 00:26:20,900
So to give you an example of size
for people who aren't from the
428
00:26:20,900 --> 00:26:24,110
region, UT Arlington, for example,
429
00:26:24,560 --> 00:26:28,220
student body of 40,000
students, that is remarkable.
430
00:26:28,220 --> 00:26:32,630
Presumably 25% of those students
are going to graduate every year.
431
00:26:32,630 --> 00:26:34,040
So that's 10,000 students.
432
00:26:34,310 --> 00:26:38,600
And if you think about maybe 20 to
30% of them are in some sort of tech,
433
00:26:38,630 --> 00:26:39,950
some sort of stem,
434
00:26:40,340 --> 00:26:45,300
that's two to 3000 graduates that
are ready enter the workforce in life
435
00:26:45,300 --> 00:26:49,200
sciences, biomedical engineering, ai,
436
00:26:49,920 --> 00:26:53,460
all of those things are
present here in this region.
437
00:26:53,460 --> 00:26:58,170
So I think that people who come here
see that we have all those elements,
438
00:26:58,440 --> 00:26:59,880
and we're also very friendly.
439
00:27:00,450 --> 00:27:04,710
We had a company that moved in from
Boston that started last month,
440
00:27:04,980 --> 00:27:09,510
and their very first day in the
lab, Lily, three other CEOs,
441
00:27:09,660 --> 00:27:12,390
shook hands, introduced themselves.
442
00:27:12,720 --> 00:27:16,350
They were eating lunch with a
different company in the afternoon.
443
00:27:16,350 --> 00:27:21,290
They were in the lab talking science to
another company the next day. Love that.
444
00:27:21,290 --> 00:27:26,190
So immediately they were kind
of brought in to the ecosystem.
445
00:27:26,310 --> 00:27:27,540
Feel a sense of community right away.
446
00:27:27,540 --> 00:27:28,110
Exactly.
447
00:27:28,110 --> 00:27:33,030
So it's that sense of community belonging
and just really shared vision for
448
00:27:33,030 --> 00:27:35,700
the region that we all have. That's huge.
449
00:27:36,360 --> 00:27:39,210
DFW is massive.
450
00:27:39,240 --> 00:27:42,060
There are 8 million people in North Texas,
451
00:27:42,060 --> 00:27:44,640
and that's more than the
entire state of Massachusetts.
452
00:27:44,940 --> 00:27:49,920
So being able to
collectively work together to
453
00:27:49,980 --> 00:27:54,060
push the common goal of building
an ecosystem for our founders,
454
00:27:55,740 --> 00:27:56,910
the most important part.
455
00:27:56,910 --> 00:27:59,220
It's a big coordinated
effort. It really is.
456
00:27:59,220 --> 00:28:02,010
It really is. And if you
don't have that effort,
457
00:28:02,010 --> 00:28:04,260
and if you don't build that ecosystem,
458
00:28:04,590 --> 00:28:09,390
what ends up happening is that these
incredible lifesaving technologies die on
459
00:28:09,390 --> 00:28:10,140
the vine.
460
00:28:10,140 --> 00:28:14,760
Biolab gives them the opportunity to
move forward and hopefully make it out
461
00:28:14,760 --> 00:28:15,900
there to make a difference.
462
00:28:15,960 --> 00:28:19,740
Yeah, make sure the science doesn't stay
in the lab. You get the research done,
463
00:28:19,740 --> 00:28:23,970
and then it's going to get to patients
and solve real world problems.
464
00:28:23,970 --> 00:28:24,390
Exactly.
465
00:28:24,390 --> 00:28:29,010
And the other cool thing is that the
graduate students and postdocs who
466
00:28:29,010 --> 00:28:31,680
see our industry growing,
467
00:28:31,680 --> 00:28:36,630
who participate in Nucleate, which
is a student run accelerator,
468
00:28:36,870 --> 00:28:39,900
or the biotech club or
the consulting club,
469
00:28:41,130 --> 00:28:44,010
those students see what
industry is all about,
470
00:28:44,010 --> 00:28:48,420
which is making them look
at their research from more
of a translational level
471
00:28:48,870 --> 00:28:53,700
of what am I doing right now that is
going to make an impact and how can I
472
00:28:53,700 --> 00:28:56,490
take my research and turn it into reality?
473
00:28:56,490 --> 00:28:59,280
So it's really inspiring
our industry growth.
474
00:28:59,280 --> 00:29:01,380
It's inspiring a lot of new leaders.
475
00:29:01,650 --> 00:29:06,150
Learning from leaders along
with Southwestern Medical
Foundation is powered by
476
00:29:06,150 --> 00:29:10,710
generosity. Your support can help fuel
breakthroughs in medical research,
477
00:29:11,040 --> 00:29:15,810
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478
00:29:15,900 --> 00:29:19,140
it helps support the Learning from
Leaders podcast and content like this.
479
00:29:19,710 --> 00:29:20,700
Every gift matters,
480
00:29:20,760 --> 00:29:25,590
consider making a contribution
today at sw medical.org/give.
481
00:29:26,250 --> 00:29:29,190
That's sw medical.org/give.
482
00:29:29,730 --> 00:29:34,260
I think one of the things I'd love to get
your thoughts on is you have gotten to
483
00:29:34,260 --> 00:29:37,380
see what leadership looks like in so
many different ways and how so many
484
00:29:37,710 --> 00:29:41,530
different models of how companies are
making sure that their next generation of
485
00:29:41,530 --> 00:29:45,910
leaders are surrounded with
the right support and the right
486
00:29:45,940 --> 00:29:48,550
resources and the right
environment to be successful.
487
00:29:48,790 --> 00:29:51,760
I'd love to get your thoughts
specifically on how do we make sure,
488
00:29:52,660 --> 00:29:53,493
we've seen some,
489
00:29:54,220 --> 00:29:58,630
increasingly so many incredible women
who are running these companies,
490
00:29:59,410 --> 00:30:00,340
but how do we make sure,
491
00:30:00,340 --> 00:30:04,570
given that women in this industry
are still pretty underrepresented,
492
00:30:04,780 --> 00:30:09,700
how do we make sure that this next
generation of companies and existing large
493
00:30:09,700 --> 00:30:14,050
companies are really laying the groundwork
to foster that growth and making sure
494
00:30:14,050 --> 00:30:18,220
that they're as welcoming and inclusive
and supportive as an environment as
495
00:30:18,220 --> 00:30:18,850
possible?
496
00:30:18,850 --> 00:30:22,000
Yeah, exactly. It's funny,
497
00:30:22,000 --> 00:30:26,770
if you look at women in leadership
and in biotech in particular,
498
00:30:27,010 --> 00:30:31,870
but across all industries, women
make up about half of the workforce.
499
00:30:32,140 --> 00:30:36,880
But if you look at those senior
level leadership positions in
500
00:30:36,880 --> 00:30:39,070
particular C-Suite, CEO,
501
00:30:39,190 --> 00:30:43,840
especially women make up
maybe 30% of leadership
502
00:30:43,840 --> 00:30:46,210
roles. And again, when you get up to CEO,
503
00:30:46,900 --> 00:30:50,830
that number drops into the
lower teens percentage.
504
00:30:51,220 --> 00:30:55,030
So I think that early on,
505
00:30:55,870 --> 00:31:00,190
finding the women who want
to start companies and
506
00:31:00,190 --> 00:31:04,750
fostering that growth, helping
them to make those connections,
507
00:31:04,990 --> 00:31:09,280
getting them involved
with Alloy Therapeutics,
508
00:31:09,280 --> 00:31:11,050
biotech Startup Academy,
509
00:31:11,350 --> 00:31:14,790
bringing them into
these networking events,
510
00:31:15,100 --> 00:31:19,210
I feel like all too often is
that graduate students, postdocs,
511
00:31:19,480 --> 00:31:24,040
they're focusing so much on their
research and that's a great thing,
512
00:31:25,060 --> 00:31:27,220
but it means they don't
get out of the lab.
513
00:31:28,030 --> 00:31:32,440
So being able to draw them out and
514
00:31:32,440 --> 00:31:37,420
introduce them to people and
introduce them to female founders and
515
00:31:37,420 --> 00:31:38,320
female leaders,
516
00:31:38,800 --> 00:31:43,780
that's key. We have so many
incredible female leaders in this
517
00:31:43,780 --> 00:31:48,130
ecosystem, right? Totally.
We have Lida, we have Nicole,
518
00:31:48,190 --> 00:31:52,150
we've got Kelly, we have you, Kathleen,
thank you. We've got you. Right.
519
00:31:52,330 --> 00:31:57,250
So the list goes on and
on of these amazing female
leaders that are building and
520
00:31:57,250 --> 00:32:01,420
fostering the ecosystem. But still,
521
00:32:01,420 --> 00:32:04,480
when I'm sitting in a room with our CEOs,
522
00:32:05,200 --> 00:32:07,720
I'm often the only woman in the room.
523
00:32:08,140 --> 00:32:10,270
And I think that's starting to change.
524
00:32:10,720 --> 00:32:14,620
So being able to show women at that level,
525
00:32:15,250 --> 00:32:19,720
their trajectory and that
pathway of you have a cool
526
00:32:19,720 --> 00:32:24,040
idea, Biolabs enables
that cool idea. Totally.
527
00:32:24,070 --> 00:32:25,060
So try it.
528
00:32:25,270 --> 00:32:30,070
And we have this ecosystem
that's here to surround you and
529
00:32:30,070 --> 00:32:32,650
support you and help you
every step of the way.
530
00:32:32,650 --> 00:32:33,040
You're not at it alone.
531
00:32:33,250 --> 00:32:36,730
You're not at it alone very
much because it's a lonely job.
532
00:32:37,150 --> 00:32:42,050
From what I hear from a CEOs, a diary
of a CEO e, I love that podcast too.
533
00:32:43,280 --> 00:32:47,120
It's lonely and not having
to do it alone is great.
534
00:32:47,270 --> 00:32:51,860
There's oftentimes where I see our
CEOs gathered around the cold brew
535
00:32:51,860 --> 00:32:56,660
tap with their coffee and just
sharing business development ideas and
536
00:32:56,660 --> 00:33:00,980
regulatory consultants and looking through
each other's pitch deck And looking
537
00:33:00,980 --> 00:33:03,470
through each other's grant
proposals, helping each other.
538
00:33:03,680 --> 00:33:08,660
So bringing those women
into that environment is
definitely something that we're
539
00:33:08,660 --> 00:33:09,650
working on doing.
540
00:33:09,980 --> 00:33:14,870
And then as biotech and life sciences
starts to grow in North Texas,
541
00:33:14,870 --> 00:33:19,400
particularly in Biomanufacturing and in
542
00:33:19,400 --> 00:33:20,690
workforce development,
543
00:33:21,650 --> 00:33:26,300
it's about finding those girls at
an early stage and opening their
544
00:33:26,300 --> 00:33:30,830
eyes and doing that career discovery
and showing them this pathway and
545
00:33:31,130 --> 00:33:34,850
giving them great role models.
And we've brought to that end,
546
00:33:34,850 --> 00:33:39,710
we've brought about 400,
450 students through labs,
547
00:33:39,710 --> 00:33:42,680
through hands-on activities
to show them, Hey,
548
00:33:42,680 --> 00:33:45,980
here's this whole cool
industry that you can do that.
549
00:33:45,980 --> 00:33:46,910
Is amazing.
550
00:33:47,120 --> 00:33:47,450
It's fun.
551
00:33:47,450 --> 00:33:51,230
And what's a typical, you
have students come through,
552
00:33:51,350 --> 00:33:52,670
what do they get to do in the lab?
553
00:33:53,210 --> 00:33:57,440
So it's a little bit of everything
right now because the lab is full,
554
00:33:57,470 --> 00:33:58,303
which is awesome.
555
00:33:58,490 --> 00:34:02,540
We don't have the open bench space to
have students come in and do hands-on
556
00:34:02,540 --> 00:34:05,000
activities. But one of the
things that we've done,
557
00:34:05,000 --> 00:34:08,870
we call it a day in the life of a
scientist, where students come in,
558
00:34:09,080 --> 00:34:13,340
they read their protocol for the day,
they read their safety information,
559
00:34:13,550 --> 00:34:17,930
and then they go into the lab and they
do a hands-on experiment for younger
560
00:34:17,930 --> 00:34:21,410
groups. Maybe it's a
strawberry, DNA isolation,
561
00:34:21,410 --> 00:34:25,160
and they get to see this little boole
of DNA at the end of a stick, right?
562
00:34:25,160 --> 00:34:28,790
It's tangible. Oh, wow, that's
actually DNA. That's so cool.
563
00:34:29,120 --> 00:34:32,480
And then they can take that experiment
home and show their families,
564
00:34:32,480 --> 00:34:37,010
and that's an impact multiplier that
way. And for more advanced groups,
565
00:34:37,010 --> 00:34:39,290
we do double restriction Enzyme Digest.
566
00:34:39,290 --> 00:34:43,820
So you get your experiment started.
You go eat lunch with your lab
567
00:34:43,820 --> 00:34:47,360
mates, we bring in pizza,
load 'em up full of pizza,
568
00:34:47,360 --> 00:34:52,340
and typically have a panel of three or
four scientists from all different walks
569
00:34:52,340 --> 00:34:55,220
of life to talk about how
did you get into science?
570
00:34:55,220 --> 00:34:59,030
Where did you decide to go to school?
More importantly, how did you pay for it?
571
00:35:00,410 --> 00:35:04,220
How did you get into biotech and why
did you choose the field that you did?
572
00:35:04,220 --> 00:35:08,060
So those students were able to
learn from those examples as well.
573
00:35:08,270 --> 00:35:11,090
And then they go back into the
lab, finish up their experiment,
574
00:35:11,090 --> 00:35:13,160
and then do the data analysis
at the end of the day.
575
00:35:13,160 --> 00:35:17,540
So it's very much a snapshot
of what it's like to be a bench
576
00:35:17,540 --> 00:35:21,650
researcher. And then other groups
are more on the business side.
577
00:35:21,800 --> 00:35:26,660
So we talk to them about
here's the pathway from idea
578
00:35:26,900 --> 00:35:29,420
all the way to commercialization,
579
00:35:29,690 --> 00:35:33,230
and we teach them about
pitch decks and hey,
580
00:35:33,230 --> 00:35:37,740
go back into your little breakout
room and y'all come up with an idea,
581
00:35:37,740 --> 00:35:41,100
almost like a hackathon, come up
with an idea that you want to solve,
582
00:35:41,400 --> 00:35:45,120
come up with a pitch deck,
assign yourself roles as the CEO,
583
00:35:45,120 --> 00:35:49,020
and just put yourself into that mindset.
So we've done a lot of those different
584
00:35:49,020 --> 00:35:49,853
kind of activities.
585
00:35:49,890 --> 00:35:52,380
And it's so powerful to be
able to show these kids.
586
00:35:52,800 --> 00:35:57,300
There are a lot of different ways to
be in the biotech and health and life
587
00:35:57,300 --> 00:36:01,260
sciences space. You might want to be
a bench scientist, and that's awesome.
588
00:36:01,680 --> 00:36:03,600
But also, all these
companies, to your point,
589
00:36:03,600 --> 00:36:07,470
need A CEO or A CFO or someone
who can run their marketing.
590
00:36:07,980 --> 00:36:11,910
There's a million ways to be part
of this really exciting industry.
591
00:36:12,000 --> 00:36:13,050
Yeah, exactly.
592
00:36:13,410 --> 00:36:16,830
We've fortunately had a lot of our
biotech community here on learning from
593
00:36:16,830 --> 00:36:20,250
leaders. Two of those people were
Nicole Small and Matt Cromme,
594
00:36:20,280 --> 00:36:22,770
who we both have the pleasure
of getting to work with.
595
00:36:23,940 --> 00:36:25,830
And during that session,
596
00:36:25,830 --> 00:36:30,270
we talked a lot about how Pegasus
Park and Bio Labs have served as such
597
00:36:30,270 --> 00:36:34,200
instrumental ways to kind
of bring together a lot of
our higher ed institutions.
598
00:36:34,590 --> 00:36:36,510
And the fact that you
have spin outs from SMU,
599
00:36:36,510 --> 00:36:41,220
you have Spinouts from UT Arlington,
you have Texas a and m training,
600
00:36:41,220 --> 00:36:43,470
the workforce in Bridge
Labs along with U Arlington.
601
00:36:44,610 --> 00:36:48,720
Biolab does serve this unique role in
bringing together all these different
602
00:36:48,720 --> 00:36:51,540
pieces of the ecosystem,
but not just like,
603
00:36:51,900 --> 00:36:55,020
let's bring everyone together
and see what happens.
604
00:36:56,250 --> 00:37:01,050
You are also very intentional around
finding really tangible ways for groups to
605
00:37:01,050 --> 00:37:03,210
collaborate. Can you
talk about some of that?
606
00:37:03,540 --> 00:37:05,100
And not just on the university side,
607
00:37:05,220 --> 00:37:08,280
you're bringing in VCs to come do
office hours with these companies,
608
00:37:08,940 --> 00:37:12,270
talk about how you're intentionally
bringing together the right outside
609
00:37:12,270 --> 00:37:14,310
resources to get in
front of these companies.
610
00:37:14,340 --> 00:37:17,790
And again, it is all about
building up that ecosystem.
611
00:37:18,030 --> 00:37:22,710
If you're in the coasts on the
coasts and you're in a coffee
612
00:37:22,710 --> 00:37:24,450
shop and you're an investor,
613
00:37:24,450 --> 00:37:28,860
you can hear a company right next
to you talking about their biotech.
614
00:37:29,310 --> 00:37:33,900
Or if you season veterans
of CEOs who have been
615
00:37:33,900 --> 00:37:38,490
there and done that and are
serial entrepreneurs building the
616
00:37:38,820 --> 00:37:42,480
next companies. It's all a flywheel.
617
00:37:42,690 --> 00:37:42,960
And.
618
00:37:42,960 --> 00:37:44,610
It comes from, again,
619
00:37:44,610 --> 00:37:49,530
creating those collisions and
creating the environment where all of
620
00:37:49,530 --> 00:37:52,350
those collisions happen,
where people want to be.
621
00:37:53,070 --> 00:37:55,440
Biolabs is a really cool space.
622
00:37:55,440 --> 00:38:00,330
We had one of our research scientists
called Biolabs, Pegasus Park,
623
00:38:00,510 --> 00:38:04,170
the Google of biotech.
I love that. It's great.
624
00:38:05,100 --> 00:38:09,090
We create that platform again
where people want to be,
625
00:38:09,750 --> 00:38:14,520
opportunities for people to connect.
Science is stressful enough,
626
00:38:14,820 --> 00:38:19,410
especially in startup world,
so we try to make it fun.
627
00:38:19,560 --> 00:38:23,340
We have resident mixers,
we have happy hours.
628
00:38:23,340 --> 00:38:28,050
We bring in investors just trying
to create those contacts and
629
00:38:28,560 --> 00:38:33,330
really introducing to people and making
those contacts before they even know
630
00:38:33,480 --> 00:38:37,300
that they need them. Totally.
And so it's really, Pegasus Park,
631
00:38:37,300 --> 00:38:41,590
I think in that way has become kind of
the connective tissue of the ecosystem.
632
00:38:42,580 --> 00:38:43,660
So Gabby,
633
00:38:44,200 --> 00:38:47,890
you have this experience of bringing
together all of these pieces to help
634
00:38:48,100 --> 00:38:51,700
Biolabs resident companies solve
lots of different problems.
635
00:38:51,700 --> 00:38:54,520
Can you talk about what you are
intentionally doing to help solve those
636
00:38:54,520 --> 00:38:54,880
problems?
637
00:38:54,880 --> 00:38:59,860
Sure. So I think fundamentally
the biggest problem that
638
00:38:59,860 --> 00:39:03,730
Biolab solves is not needing
639
00:39:04,360 --> 00:39:07,810
large investments early on. Again,
640
00:39:07,810 --> 00:39:10,210
these companies are very fragile.
641
00:39:10,210 --> 00:39:13,960
They're starting out with an
idea that is extremely risky,
642
00:39:14,710 --> 00:39:19,690
not having to go out and
raise four to $5 million to
643
00:39:19,720 --> 00:39:23,860
fully equip a lab space to be
able to chase those questions.
644
00:39:24,280 --> 00:39:26,110
That's absolutely one of the problems.
645
00:39:27,070 --> 00:39:30,070
And the other thing with
the shared equipment,
646
00:39:30,070 --> 00:39:34,720
and this is more nuanced that people
don't think about is with shared
647
00:39:34,720 --> 00:39:35,440
equipment.
648
00:39:35,440 --> 00:39:40,390
What that means is that researchers
don't have to decide between
649
00:39:40,870 --> 00:39:45,190
an experiment with a piece
of equipment that would,
650
00:39:45,490 --> 00:39:47,920
for a confocal microscope, for example,
651
00:39:48,190 --> 00:39:52,390
is the price of an entire
company's annual budget.
652
00:39:52,960 --> 00:39:56,830
Our companies no longer have
to make that decision between
653
00:39:57,220 --> 00:40:01,810
reagents and buying tips versus doing that
654
00:40:01,810 --> 00:40:05,710
fundamental experiment that's going to
help them de-risk their science more.
655
00:40:06,070 --> 00:40:10,330
And for any listeners who may not be
aware of what a confocal microscope is,
656
00:40:10,330 --> 00:40:12,220
can you give the one
sentence on what that does?
657
00:40:12,760 --> 00:40:13,420
Sure.
658
00:40:13,420 --> 00:40:17,770
It's a microscope that helps you look
659
00:40:17,770 --> 00:40:22,060
basically through all
levels of a cell or a
660
00:40:22,210 --> 00:40:26,290
specimen. A lot of times there's
fluorescence tags involved.
661
00:40:26,290 --> 00:40:31,150
So if you want to know where
a particular protein is
662
00:40:31,150 --> 00:40:31,840
in a cell,
663
00:40:31,840 --> 00:40:36,370
you can tag it with a fluorescent
molecule and turn a light on and see where
664
00:40:36,370 --> 00:40:41,110
exactly it's located within
a cell at kind of all
665
00:40:41,110 --> 00:40:41,943
focal plants.
666
00:40:42,100 --> 00:40:42,933
That is very cool.
667
00:40:43,360 --> 00:40:44,860
And it's a cool piece of equipment.
668
00:40:44,860 --> 00:40:49,270
So we have people who are
doing imaging research and
669
00:40:49,720 --> 00:40:52,780
they're like, oh, man, it would be
cool if you have a confocal microscope.
670
00:40:52,780 --> 00:40:54,970
And it's like, well, why walk this way?
671
00:40:55,150 --> 00:40:58,540
Yeah. Well, I feel very lucky
to have gotten your tour, Gabby,
672
00:40:58,540 --> 00:41:02,350
of what Every piece of equipment.
That being a non-scientist myself,
673
00:41:02,620 --> 00:41:07,480
it is so much fun to walk through that
space and learn what each piece of
674
00:41:07,480 --> 00:41:09,790
equipment is really doing
for each of these companies.
675
00:41:10,930 --> 00:41:14,860
It's just incredible to see the
work that's going on in the space.
676
00:41:15,130 --> 00:41:16,300
And it's a fun space.
677
00:41:16,300 --> 00:41:21,070
And the other important thing
about labs is that all of our team,
678
00:41:21,370 --> 00:41:23,080
we're all nerdy scientists.
679
00:41:23,080 --> 00:41:27,640
We have bioengineers and geneticists and
680
00:41:27,640 --> 00:41:28,540
biochemists,
681
00:41:28,780 --> 00:41:33,620
so we can speak that language
to our companies so we can
682
00:41:33,620 --> 00:41:36,860
help them solve problems when
they come up and say, oh,
683
00:41:37,850 --> 00:41:40,580
the plate reader isn't loading right. Or
684
00:41:42,590 --> 00:41:46,700
they can even come to us and,
Hey, my PCR isn't working,
685
00:41:46,700 --> 00:41:49,040
and so we can listen to them.
686
00:41:50,090 --> 00:41:54,920
Our company was made by scientists
and entrepreneurs for scientists and
687
00:41:54,920 --> 00:41:55,610
entrepreneurs.
688
00:41:55,610 --> 00:42:00,290
So it really creates that close
dynamic between our team and our
689
00:42:00,290 --> 00:42:01,123
researchers.
690
00:42:01,400 --> 00:42:03,680
And you all at Labs have
a whole global network.
691
00:42:04,040 --> 00:42:07,820
So can you talk a little bit about
how you kind of collectively,
692
00:42:08,030 --> 00:42:12,590
how are you collaborating with
maybe the bio labs in Boston or in,
693
00:42:13,580 --> 00:42:15,410
I think you have one
in Paris or New Haven?
694
00:42:15,420 --> 00:42:17,530
Yeah, we Tell us a little about
that. About the network. Yeah.
695
00:42:17,570 --> 00:42:19,490
So it is a global network,
696
00:42:20,120 --> 00:42:23,180
started in the Boston
Cambridge area in 2010.
697
00:42:23,540 --> 00:42:26,630
And since then we've expanded to, gosh,
698
00:42:26,630 --> 00:42:31,430
I think it's like 15 locations
globally now. Cambridge,
699
00:42:31,490 --> 00:42:35,330
Princeton, Tufts, NYU, Philly,
700
00:42:35,570 --> 00:42:40,220
Yale Research Triangle Park, Vermont, la,
701
00:42:40,250 --> 00:42:44,750
San Diego, Paris, Heidelberg,
collaborations in Japan.
702
00:42:45,410 --> 00:42:49,340
So yeah, it's this definitely
this very diverse network,
703
00:42:50,060 --> 00:42:54,830
but we're also very close. All of the
site heads are on a call together weekly.
704
00:42:55,400 --> 00:43:00,260
So if anyone has a particular problem
that their companies are trying to
705
00:43:00,260 --> 00:43:02,900
solve, we can share knowledge.
706
00:43:02,930 --> 00:43:03,763
That way.
707
00:43:04,010 --> 00:43:08,450
What are some of the early mistakes that
you see some companies making that you
708
00:43:08,450 --> 00:43:11,930
try to help companies or
resident companies get ahead of?
709
00:43:12,140 --> 00:43:13,070
Yeah, exactly.
710
00:43:13,070 --> 00:43:17,510
And I think one of those
fundamental mistakes is
711
00:43:17,960 --> 00:43:20,120
scaling too quickly.
712
00:43:21,440 --> 00:43:25,580
You don't necessarily need to buy that
713
00:43:25,580 --> 00:43:29,360
$400,000 piece of equipment just yet.
714
00:43:30,380 --> 00:43:31,520
So that,
715
00:43:31,520 --> 00:43:35,510
and I think bringing
in the right advisors,
716
00:43:35,660 --> 00:43:37,460
starting with the end in mind,
717
00:43:38,120 --> 00:43:41,210
being very intentional with experiments
718
00:43:43,040 --> 00:43:46,430
in academics. When something
doesn't work, you're chasing, well,
719
00:43:46,430 --> 00:43:48,140
why didn't it work? Right?
720
00:43:48,170 --> 00:43:52,790
You're chasing sometimes the
more fundamental aspects of
721
00:43:52,790 --> 00:43:56,240
science, whereas in
biotech, in an industry,
722
00:43:56,240 --> 00:44:00,950
your focus needs to be on those
milestone experiments and on
723
00:44:00,950 --> 00:44:04,340
those important results basically,
724
00:44:04,340 --> 00:44:07,100
that are going to de-risk
their science. So I think
725
00:44:09,350 --> 00:44:13,700
overbuilding over-leveraging too
quickly on space and on equipment,
726
00:44:14,030 --> 00:44:18,980
and just not having focus on exactly
what it is that you're trying
727
00:44:18,980 --> 00:44:21,770
to push forward, be it a project,
728
00:44:21,770 --> 00:44:25,730
or do I want to be a platform
technology or do I want
729
00:44:26,450 --> 00:44:29,630
to have a primary asset?
730
00:44:29,660 --> 00:44:33,360
So being able to focus early is key.
731
00:44:34,380 --> 00:44:38,850
And what do you think looking
forward with the work in this broader
732
00:44:38,850 --> 00:44:42,270
ecosystem, we've seen some
incredible success stories,
733
00:44:42,270 --> 00:44:46,320
whether it's companies raising
really successful rounds,
734
00:44:46,320 --> 00:44:51,060
or UT Southwestern winning some really,
really significant federal grants,
735
00:44:51,660 --> 00:44:55,380
things like that. We've seen so
much progress with relocations.
736
00:44:56,340 --> 00:45:01,020
What do you think is next on the docket
to make sure gaps that we need to fill
737
00:45:01,020 --> 00:45:05,040
to make sure that this ecosystem
continues to expand successfully?
738
00:45:05,160 --> 00:45:06,330
Great question.
739
00:45:06,720 --> 00:45:11,490
I would say that one of
the gaps is that early
740
00:45:11,490 --> 00:45:13,620
stage funding, again,
741
00:45:13,740 --> 00:45:18,480
biotechs at their early
stage, it's very risky.
742
00:45:19,290 --> 00:45:23,070
So a lot of that gap is
filled by grant funding,
743
00:45:23,370 --> 00:45:24,510
but at the same time,
744
00:45:24,510 --> 00:45:29,310
you do have seed funding that is
important for those companies,
745
00:45:29,610 --> 00:45:31,890
and we're seeing a lot
more of that, right?
746
00:45:31,890 --> 00:45:36,660
We're seeing investors where previously
they would fly over or have a
747
00:45:36,660 --> 00:45:41,640
layover in DFW are now wanting to
take time out and come to Pegasus
748
00:45:41,640 --> 00:45:43,980
Park and talk with our companies.
749
00:45:43,980 --> 00:45:46,740
So we're seeing a lot more that way.
750
00:45:47,280 --> 00:45:49,830
And really we're getting
a lot more traction
751
00:45:51,720 --> 00:45:55,950
with professors and with the
graduate students and the postdocs,
752
00:45:56,130 --> 00:45:59,010
they're the ones that actually
go out and start the company.
753
00:45:59,220 --> 00:46:03,810
So we have also other programs
in the ecosystem like the
754
00:46:03,810 --> 00:46:08,790
Biotech Startup Academy with Alloy
Therapeutics that is working on training
755
00:46:09,060 --> 00:46:13,500
that next generation of
biotech CEOs and operators.
756
00:46:13,500 --> 00:46:17,460
So I think we're starting to
see that flywheel kickstart.
757
00:46:17,460 --> 00:46:17,970
Totally.
758
00:46:17,970 --> 00:46:18,570
Yeah.
759
00:46:18,570 --> 00:46:22,920
Could you talk about how the broader
industry kind of nationally, globally,
760
00:46:22,920 --> 00:46:24,990
is impacting what's
going on here in Dallas?
761
00:46:25,350 --> 00:46:26,183
I can,
762
00:46:26,460 --> 00:46:30,840
and you're going to think that
this is a super canned answer and
763
00:46:30,840 --> 00:46:35,460
cliche, but AI is doing a lot for biotech.
764
00:46:37,140 --> 00:46:40,080
It's not replacing the scientists at all,
765
00:46:40,830 --> 00:46:43,800
but it is making the science smarter.
766
00:46:44,100 --> 00:46:47,580
And what that means is
that AI is helping us
767
00:46:49,110 --> 00:46:53,130
identify red flags sooner in research,
768
00:46:53,250 --> 00:46:57,970
helping us design better clinical
trials that actually answer
769
00:46:58,260 --> 00:46:59,093
the question.
770
00:46:59,640 --> 00:47:04,110
There have been multiple times even
recently that drugs have not been
771
00:47:04,110 --> 00:47:07,770
approved because of poor
clinical trial design.
772
00:47:08,130 --> 00:47:11,820
So AI is helping us in that
way, and it's helping us,
773
00:47:11,850 --> 00:47:15,600
I would say it's not de-risking
the science all the way.
774
00:47:15,750 --> 00:47:17,520
Obviously there is still that risk,
775
00:47:17,820 --> 00:47:22,620
but it's helping us learn more from
our mistakes and from our failures.
776
00:47:23,250 --> 00:47:27,930
And the other thing that leads
into is high throughput science
777
00:47:28,170 --> 00:47:31,510
and automation. So
instead of historically,
778
00:47:31,510 --> 00:47:36,430
if you've got a library
of 10,000 compounds that
779
00:47:36,430 --> 00:47:41,430
you want to test against a particular
rare disease or enzyme that you want
780
00:47:41,430 --> 00:47:43,930
to inhibit, you're doing all that by hand.
781
00:47:43,930 --> 00:47:46,570
And now we have automation.
782
00:47:46,570 --> 00:47:51,460
So you can screen those 10,000
compounds in maybe a couple of days.
783
00:47:51,700 --> 00:47:56,500
So that makes that piece of
equipment another impact multiplier.
784
00:47:56,680 --> 00:48:01,450
So your scientists can do a lot
more with a lot less. It's huge,
785
00:48:01,630 --> 00:48:03,820
which means that single person companies,
786
00:48:03,820 --> 00:48:07,750
or if it's just you and your
research senior researcher,
787
00:48:08,020 --> 00:48:09,580
you can have more shots on goal.
788
00:48:09,580 --> 00:48:12,460
So it's really making a huge
impact for the industry.
789
00:48:12,760 --> 00:48:15,400
So switching gears for just a minute,
790
00:48:16,420 --> 00:48:20,410
because this is a podcast about
leadership, can you talk about,
791
00:48:21,160 --> 00:48:21,610
of course,
792
00:48:21,610 --> 00:48:25,360
every great leader as yourself has
had incredible mentors in their life.
793
00:48:25,360 --> 00:48:29,380
Can you talk about a mentor that has
really impacted you or helped shape your
794
00:48:29,380 --> 00:48:30,700
view on leadership?
795
00:48:31,060 --> 00:48:35,710
I have been very fortunate
to have several mentors
796
00:48:35,710 --> 00:48:39,310
throughout my career in multiple aspects.
797
00:48:40,300 --> 00:48:43,300
My professor, RA Young in graduate school,
798
00:48:43,300 --> 00:48:45,790
was a fantastic mentor,
799
00:48:46,510 --> 00:48:51,400
and he knew individually what each
of his graduate students needed as
800
00:48:51,400 --> 00:48:55,480
far as how they were better
able to be successful.
801
00:48:55,750 --> 00:48:59,800
Some people needed to be
prodded and encouraged.
802
00:49:00,040 --> 00:49:01,360
Some people were more,
803
00:49:01,570 --> 00:49:05,800
I need to learn how to fall flat on
my face and learn from that mistake,
804
00:49:06,130 --> 00:49:09,280
and then I'll be better next
time. That was more my style.
805
00:49:09,490 --> 00:49:13,660
So I think through his
mentorship and his example
806
00:49:13,960 --> 00:49:18,850
as a leader taught me that everybody has a
807
00:49:18,850 --> 00:49:22,750
different style that they
want to be led and mentored.
808
00:49:23,080 --> 00:49:25,900
So with my team, for example,
809
00:49:26,350 --> 00:49:29,680
so having conversations with
them of Help me help you,
810
00:49:29,680 --> 00:49:33,820
how can I help you be the
best you in the lab space?
811
00:49:33,820 --> 00:49:37,810
So I learned a lot from that.
I've also had other mentors,
812
00:49:37,960 --> 00:49:41,740
both on the hands-on
science who trained me on,
813
00:49:41,740 --> 00:49:46,510
here's how you think about product
development and here's how you think
814
00:49:46,510 --> 00:49:48,010
about commercialization.
815
00:49:48,370 --> 00:49:52,960
And then I've also had other
champions, I would say.
816
00:49:52,960 --> 00:49:54,610
So having a mentor is one thing,
817
00:49:54,610 --> 00:49:59,110
and having that go-to person
who is where you want to
818
00:49:59,110 --> 00:50:03,760
be that can help coach you through
those next steps and through those
819
00:50:03,760 --> 00:50:07,270
trials and help you learn from
your mistakes and your failures.
820
00:50:07,720 --> 00:50:12,580
But then there's also that champion who
speaks for you when you're not in the
821
00:50:12,580 --> 00:50:17,530
room. I had a couple of great
champions in my previous role,
822
00:50:17,980 --> 00:50:22,000
Trudy Van Horn, who is an
incredible leader in it here in DFW,
823
00:50:22,720 --> 00:50:23,590
Christie Bonner.
824
00:50:23,860 --> 00:50:28,700
And they were people who saw that
leadership in before I even did,
825
00:50:28,970 --> 00:50:31,640
and they were the ones
who really encouraged me.
826
00:50:32,600 --> 00:50:34,340
But part of having a mentor,
827
00:50:35,150 --> 00:50:38,300
they don't come after you and
they don't fall from the sky.
828
00:50:38,300 --> 00:50:42,440
So for anyone who is looking for that
mentor and looking for that champion,
829
00:50:43,460 --> 00:50:46,730
you have to go out and find
them. You have to network,
830
00:50:46,730 --> 00:50:51,350
you have to go to events
because you've seek them out.
831
00:50:51,350 --> 00:50:53,720
And they've been
incredibly helpful for me.
832
00:50:54,440 --> 00:50:57,380
And when you were talking
to mentees of yours,
833
00:50:58,070 --> 00:51:02,390
or when you're thinking about people out
there who are really interested in the
834
00:51:02,390 --> 00:51:05,090
space or want to start a business
or want to get into biotech,
835
00:51:05,900 --> 00:51:10,100
what is your advice for them? What
do you hope to impart on them?
836
00:51:10,190 --> 00:51:14,810
Oh, wow. Biggest piece of advice. Again,
837
00:51:14,810 --> 00:51:15,860
I think network,
838
00:51:19,070 --> 00:51:23,600
you can network and interact with
people who are, where you currently are,
839
00:51:23,810 --> 00:51:25,070
other graduate students,
840
00:51:25,310 --> 00:51:29,810
and then you can also network again with
people who are where you want to be.
841
00:51:30,050 --> 00:51:32,540
So if you're thinking that
you want to start a company,
842
00:51:32,930 --> 00:51:35,390
go talk to a CEO.
843
00:51:35,390 --> 00:51:38,240
If you're thinking that
you want to go into vc,
844
00:51:38,510 --> 00:51:41,000
talk to someone in Venture.
845
00:51:42,800 --> 00:51:46,340
So before we close, we have a
quick rapid fire round for you.
846
00:51:47,000 --> 00:51:51,110
So this is just quick first
thing that comes to mind. Okay.
847
00:51:51,110 --> 00:51:54,590
The first question is, what
is your Go-to Work soundtrack?
848
00:51:55,700 --> 00:51:57,320
So it depends on what I'm doing.
849
00:51:57,530 --> 00:51:57,950
Okay.
850
00:51:57,950 --> 00:51:59,030
If I'm doing,
851
00:52:00,200 --> 00:52:05,030
I'm very lyrical in that
I sing along to songs of
852
00:52:05,030 --> 00:52:07,190
course. So if I'm singing along,
853
00:52:07,190 --> 00:52:11,330
I can't do that and focus on
something important at the same time.
854
00:52:11,630 --> 00:52:15,230
So if I'm working through something
that's a little bit more casual,
855
00:52:15,230 --> 00:52:18,320
I'll listen to whatever music I want.
856
00:52:18,650 --> 00:52:22,760
But if it's something where I really
have to sit and focus numbers, budgeting,
857
00:52:22,760 --> 00:52:26,390
spreadsheets, all of that kind of
stuff, sometimes it's heavy metal,
858
00:52:26,390 --> 00:52:29,720
sometimes it's Bollywood because I
don't understand what they're saying,
859
00:52:29,780 --> 00:52:32,630
so I can't sing along.
Other times it's classical.
860
00:52:32,630 --> 00:52:36,650
So it really just depends on what I'm
working on and what my vibe is that day.
861
00:52:37,100 --> 00:52:39,830
And then the first part of
that, if you're just like,
862
00:52:39,860 --> 00:52:44,300
you don't need to be in a spreadsheet
or something, what is your go-to song?
863
00:52:45,920 --> 00:52:48,950
I listen to all types of music, and I
know that's cliche. Everyone's like, oh,
864
00:52:48,950 --> 00:52:51,890
I'm eclectic. I listen to everything
I do for the most part. Listen,
865
00:52:51,890 --> 00:52:53,900
I can see that for you. Yeah. Knowing
you, I can totally see that for you.
866
00:52:54,200 --> 00:52:56,570
Right now, I'm, I'm really
in an eighties vibe,
867
00:52:57,290 --> 00:53:02,210
so Bruce Springsteen and Van Halen
and Flock of Seagulls and Tears
868
00:53:02,210 --> 00:53:03,020
for Fears.
869
00:53:03,020 --> 00:53:08,000
I am that person who has my radio
on full blast driving down the
870
00:53:08,000 --> 00:53:10,220
highway with the windows down. Yeah.
871
00:53:10,370 --> 00:53:12,020
Okay. So outside of biotech,
872
00:53:12,020 --> 00:53:16,010
what is a topic or a hobby
that you love to nerd out on?
873
00:53:17,480 --> 00:53:21,470
Again, as a science nerd, I
do nerd out on everything.
874
00:53:21,470 --> 00:53:23,930
So YouTube videos,
875
00:53:24,540 --> 00:53:29,280
Veritasium that talk
about physics and astro
876
00:53:29,550 --> 00:53:34,290
that talk about astronomy. So I
love all of that kind of stuff.
877
00:53:35,190 --> 00:53:40,170
I also just like to hang
out with my kiddo and make
878
00:53:40,170 --> 00:53:41,940
bracelets, so a little bit of everything.
879
00:53:41,940 --> 00:53:44,550
Love that. Love that. What is the
best perk about working at Biolabs?
880
00:53:46,650 --> 00:53:48,330
Other than working with the people,
881
00:53:48,810 --> 00:53:52,050
the people that I work with
and the people who I work for,
882
00:53:52,740 --> 00:53:55,890
they really make the space
what it is without our people.
883
00:53:55,890 --> 00:53:59,130
That space is just a lab space,
and it's just a building,
884
00:53:59,130 --> 00:54:02,910
so it's the people that make it
a community. Other than that,
885
00:54:02,970 --> 00:54:07,050
we have a really cool bevy bubbly water
machine. It's excellent. It really is.
886
00:54:07,050 --> 00:54:08,340
It's excellent. So I love having my, it.
887
00:54:08,340 --> 00:54:09,173
Really, yeah. Goes one way.
888
00:54:09,210 --> 00:54:11,880
Yeah, my Topo Chico and
LaCroix on tap. That's great.
889
00:54:11,880 --> 00:54:16,650
Yeah. Okay. If you could instantly master
one hobby or skill, what would it be?
890
00:54:17,430 --> 00:54:20,700
I would love to be some languages.
891
00:54:20,820 --> 00:54:25,800
I would love to be a polyglot
and be able to speak five to six
892
00:54:25,800 --> 00:54:29,970
different languages. I feel like
speaking someone's language,
893
00:54:31,230 --> 00:54:34,290
figuratively and literally,
that's the ultimate connector.
894
00:54:35,580 --> 00:54:38,550
Okay. What is your comfort
food after a long day? My.
895
00:54:38,550 --> 00:54:39,450
Grammy's macaroni.
896
00:54:39,450 --> 00:54:40,283
Salad.
897
00:54:40,800 --> 00:54:40,920
That.
898
00:54:40,920 --> 00:54:41,753
Sounds delicious.
899
00:54:41,940 --> 00:54:43,080
I still make it to this.
900
00:54:43,080 --> 00:54:45,330
Day. Okay, so you got the recipe.
901
00:54:45,450 --> 00:54:45,960
Oh, yeah. That's.
902
00:54:45,960 --> 00:54:49,320
Good. It's not like a longstanding
family secret or something.
903
00:54:49,320 --> 00:54:52,200
Like that. No, and the beauty of it is
that it's written in her handwriting.
904
00:54:52,260 --> 00:54:55,170
Oh, that's wonderful.
Yeah. I love that. Okay.
905
00:54:55,170 --> 00:54:58,800
What is a fun fact about you that
might surprise your coworkers?
906
00:54:59,640 --> 00:55:02,160
My coworkers know a lot about me,
907
00:55:02,160 --> 00:55:05,490
but I think the fun fact that
would surprise other people.
908
00:55:06,300 --> 00:55:09,180
I have a blue belt in Kav Maga.
909
00:55:09,390 --> 00:55:09,930
What.
910
00:55:09,930 --> 00:55:10,980
They do. Yeah.
911
00:55:11,190 --> 00:55:13,980
Happy. We've been working together for
four years, and I did not know this.
912
00:55:13,990 --> 00:55:18,240
Yeah. Yeah. My family and I
train a couple nights a week,
913
00:55:18,570 --> 00:55:23,340
and then I've also done TaeKwonDo,
so Brown Belt and TaeKwonDo,
914
00:55:23,400 --> 00:55:28,050
Aikido training in Juujitsu. Amazing.
How did you get into it? My dad? Yeah.
915
00:55:28,050 --> 00:55:32,250
I started going with my dad at
a very young age, like 10, 11.
916
00:55:32,250 --> 00:55:37,200
And it teaches you, obviously
not just the self-defense aspect,
917
00:55:37,410 --> 00:55:42,390
but it also teaches you confidence
knowing that you can go out into the world
918
00:55:42,390 --> 00:55:44,400
and literally face anything.
919
00:55:44,790 --> 00:55:49,110
That's so cool. Yeah. Okay. What show
are you currently binge watching?
920
00:55:50,130 --> 00:55:52,710
Not really binge watching
anything, but we're slow.
921
00:55:52,710 --> 00:55:53,543
Watching.
922
00:55:54,030 --> 00:55:54,660
I will tell you,
923
00:55:54,660 --> 00:55:59,520
I'm a junkie for period
slash historical dramas,
924
00:55:59,520 --> 00:56:02,340
especially if it's historically accurate.
925
00:56:02,700 --> 00:56:07,590
I love seeing and getting a feel for
what life was like in the 16 hundreds and
926
00:56:07,590 --> 00:56:09,840
the 18 hundreds. So is.
927
00:56:09,840 --> 00:56:11,040
There one that you're loving right now?
928
00:56:11,640 --> 00:56:14,910
Recently I watched Pole
Dark, which is a great show.
929
00:56:15,300 --> 00:56:19,560
I like Downton Abbey, I like Victoria,
930
00:56:19,560 --> 00:56:22,440
so anything, especially
British history too.
931
00:56:22,860 --> 00:56:24,220
I am into all of that kind of stuff.
932
00:56:24,250 --> 00:56:25,120
Yeah. Okay.
933
00:56:25,120 --> 00:56:29,680
My last question for you is what is one
meme you wish would go away in 2026?
934
00:56:31,450 --> 00:56:34,780
I wouldn't necessarily
say one particular meme,
935
00:56:35,410 --> 00:56:38,410
but this whole idea of burnout,
936
00:56:38,470 --> 00:56:41,170
culture of stress.
937
00:56:41,500 --> 00:56:41,830
Being.
938
00:56:41,830 --> 00:56:44,650
A badge of courage and a badge of honor.
939
00:56:45,370 --> 00:56:49,810
These memes of surviving on coffee,
940
00:56:49,810 --> 00:56:54,040
and you can sleep when you're
dead and me after a long week,
941
00:56:54,040 --> 00:56:58,030
and you're all frazzled, or this
whole idea of hustle culture.
942
00:56:58,600 --> 00:57:01,330
We look at those things
and we laugh at them,
943
00:57:01,570 --> 00:57:04,030
and we relate to them.
944
00:57:04,480 --> 00:57:04,660
And.
945
00:57:04,660 --> 00:57:06,070
That's the sad part. Right.
946
00:57:06,280 --> 00:57:11,260
This whole idea of being overstressed
and that being okay is normalized
947
00:57:11,560 --> 00:57:15,130
instead of balance and wellness.
948
00:57:15,160 --> 00:57:15,610
Yes.
949
00:57:15,610 --> 00:57:20,590
And finding ways to have longevity
with enthusiasm for your work and all
950
00:57:20,590 --> 00:57:20,800
those.
951
00:57:20,800 --> 00:57:21,910
Things. Exactly. Yeah.
952
00:57:21,910 --> 00:57:23,080
So you get to do very cool work.
953
00:57:23,170 --> 00:57:24,003
Yeah, I do.
954
00:57:24,610 --> 00:57:27,310
Okay. Well, Gabby, thank
you so much for joining us,
955
00:57:27,310 --> 00:57:30,580
and thank you for all of the work
that you're doing for Biolab,
956
00:57:30,580 --> 00:57:34,300
for your companies, for the
region. It does not go unnoticed.
957
00:57:34,360 --> 00:57:39,010
So much of the growth of this industry
over the last few years has been,
958
00:57:39,130 --> 00:57:42,040
and thanks to you. So thank you for all
of that you are doing for our community.
959
00:57:42,460 --> 00:57:44,050
And to our listeners,
960
00:57:44,050 --> 00:57:46,450
thank you so much for joining
us and learning from leaders.
961
00:57:46,720 --> 00:57:49,810
We'll have some links in the description
where you can find out more about
962
00:57:49,810 --> 00:57:51,190
Biolabs at Pegasus Park,
963
00:57:51,490 --> 00:57:54,880
and be sure to follow for
more conversations with
inspiring Voices shaping our
964
00:57:54,880 --> 00:57:55,713
community.
965
00:57:57,070 --> 00:58:00,970
Thanks for listening to Learning from
Leaders. If you enjoyed this episode,
966
00:58:00,970 --> 00:58:05,110
we invite you to subscribe now for
monthly episode drops so that you can
967
00:58:05,110 --> 00:58:09,100
continue to learn from experienced
business and community leaders to help you
968
00:58:09,100 --> 00:58:11,320
drive meaningful change in your community.