🧬 The Serendipity Mindset: Unlocking Career Opportunities | Caleb Appleton (Part 1/4)

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​In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, we explore Partner at Bison Ventures, Caleb Appleton's formative years growing up in College Station, Texas, where being surrounded by Texas A&M University shaped his worldview and exalted academia as the ultimate career path. Now a Partner at Bison Ventures, Caleb takes us through his journey to Georgia Tech, where he dove into biomedical engineering and landed an extraordinary undergraduate research opportunity working with CRISPR technology in its earliest days, collaborating with pioneers like Feng Zhang when the field was just emerging.

Through hands-on lab work—pipetting, troubleshooting Western blots, and contributing to published research—Caleb began questioning whether a PhD was truly his path forward. The episode explores pivotal lessons about embracing serendipity, how a neighbor's connection unlocked a transformative research experience, and why growing up without exposure to business and industry careers ultimately shaped his unconventional journey into venture capital.

Key topics covered:

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Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-biotech-startups-podcast/id1679591994

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PSL162R2s0zOwU5913Zv4

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thebiotechstartupspodcast 

Website: https://www.thebiotechstartupspodcast.com/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caleb-appleton-86563484/

Website: https://www.bison.vc/

 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonchee

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/excedr/ 

Website: https://www.excedr.com

Website: https://flow.page/kyojin 

Gene Therapy Basics (overview of approaches including ZFNs, TALENs, and CRISPR)

Genes and Gene Therapy (patient-friendly explainer)

​Gene Therapy: A Biopharmaceutical Basics Overview

Texas A&M University: https://www.tamu.edu/

Georgia Tech (Georgia Institute of Technology): https://gatech.edu/

MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology): https://www.mit.edu/

Johns Hopkins University: https://www.jhu.edu/

Rice University: https://www.rice.edu/

Gang Bao, Ph.D.: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gang-bao-a121146/ 

Feng Zhang, Ph.D.: https://www.linkedin.com/in/9571b41/ 

​

00:00 Intro

04:27 Growing Up in College Station, Texas

05:19 Impact of Texas A&M and University Town Culture

08:09 Education as the Ultimate Career Path

12:39 Choosing Georgia Tech Over Johns Hopkins

17:07 First Research Experience and Getting into CRISPR Early

21:06 Embracing Serendipity in Career and Life

23:38 Day-to-Day Lab Experience and Undergraduate Research

26:59 Working on CRISPR Delivery Challenges

28:02 Leadership Styles and Getting Published as an Undergrad

28:55 Outro

The Biotech Startups Podcast gives you a front-row seat to the business and science of building a biotech. Hosted by Jon Chee, CEO of Excedr, the show features honest conversations with founders, execs, and investors about their work, their companies, and how they got there. From scientific breakthroughs to startup lessons, each episode explores what it really takes to grow a life science company—from pre-seed to IPO.