Excedr

"Ecotone's vision is for a world where rare genetic diseases are cured. And we think that... This is a world that could only occur with the use of artificial intelligence to help us understand the human genome." In Part 4 of The Biotech Startups Podcast conversation with former founder and CEO of Genetic Leap (who just formed a $409M research partnership with Eli Lilly and Company) and current CEO of Ecotone AI, eMalick Njie, Ph.D, we explore the ambitious vision of leveraging AI to decode the human genome and tackle rare genetic diseases. In this episode we cover: – The mission of Ecotone AI and its focus on using diffusion transformers to model genomes and generate synthetic genomic data – Addressing the data scarcity problem in rare genetic diseases through innovative AI approaches – The development of DNA Sora, a model designed to create synthetic genomes indistinguishable from real ones – The potential impact of AI-generated synthetic genomes on privacy concerns and data accessibility in genomic research – The importance of intentional company building and the strides Ecotone is poised to make in the field of AI and genetics It's a fascinating look into the cutting-edge intersection of AI and genomics, offering exciting possibilities for the future of rare disease research and treatment. Ecotone is opening their seed round shortly. Interested investors can contact invest@ecotone.ai. Head over to Apple Podcasts or Spotify for this episode and more stories only a biotech exec can tell! #biotechnology #lifesciences #podcast

Outsourcing has transformed drug discovery, empowering small companies to innovate faster! 🚀💡 #BiotechInnovation #DrugDiscovery #TheBiotechStartupsPodcast

Building a strong team with intention leads to powerful outcomes! 💡👥 #LeadershipLessons #StartupGrowth #TheBiotechStartupsPodcast

"We're building a company with intentionality. From the lessons [from past experiences], each hire is... Very, very, very vetted" In the 4th and final part of my conversation with eMalick Njie, Ph.D, former founder and CEO of Genetic Leap (who just formed a $409M research partnership with Eli Lilly and Company) and current CEO of Ecotone AI, on The Biotech Startups Podcast, we dive deep into the importance of intentional company building and the lessons learned from past experiences.   Some highlights from our conversation: – 🧠 Ecotone AI's vision for curing rare genetic diseases using AI to understand the human genome 🌟    – 🖥️ The innovative use of diffusion transformers to model genomes and generate synthetic genomic data 🧬    – 👥 The importance of intentional hiring and team building to ensure alignment with the company's vision 🤝   – 🔬 Ecotone's groundbreaking work on DNA Sora, a model aimed at generating synthetic genomes for rare diseases like sickle cell anemia 🩸    – 🔮 The potential future impact of Ecotone's work on understanding life and disease at a fundamental level 🌠    It's super inspiring to hear about the strides Ecotone AI is poised to make in the field of AI and genetics. The potential for transformative breakthroughs in understanding and treating rare genetic diseases is absolutely massive.   eMalick Njie, Ph.D also took a moment to express gratitude to those who've supported him along the way. He thanked his supervisors Wendy Smith, Alice Ting, David Borchelt, Jake, and Marty Chalfie for their guidance. He gave a heartfelt shout-out to his parents and sister for fostering his curiosity, and to his best friend Wilton Williams for his encouragement and support. eMalick also acknowledged his New York crew, particularly Greg and Mike, as well as his investors. It's clear that behind every great innovator is a strong support network 🙏    If you're interested in getting involved, Ecotone is opening their seed round shortly. Interested investors can contact invest@ecotone.ai Apple Podcasts & Spotify links in the comments below 👇🏽    #biotechnology #lifesciences #podcast #AI #genetics

Your mental health is valuable – more valuable than any single deal you’ll do. As I’m talking to younger members of our own team as well as budding entrepreneurs, this is something I can’t stress enough. Your mental health matters. Your time matters. And people who treat you poorly don’t deserve to affect either of those things. There are SO MANY great people in the world and in your industry – whatever that is. You CAN work with more of them. But you’ve got to be willing to let go of the people/prospects/etc. who are draining you, so you have time to go out and find them. I get that this can be hard. Those conversations where you have to stand your ground and potentially cut someone loose are awkward and difficult. But the relief you feel once you’ve done it? When you feel that, you know in your bones you’ve done the right thing. The next time will be easier. And the time after that, it will be even easier. Protecting your mental health (and your teams’) is a muscle you can build. It’s never too late to start. #startups #lifesciences #biotechnology

Turning a vision into reality takes grit and resilience! 🚀💼 #StartupJourney #AILeadership

Love this today! Thanks Jon Chee !!

Life’s too short to work with jerks. 👆That’s a theme that just keeps coming up in conversations the past few months. I’ve heard it from multiple podcast guests. It’s come up with friends and peers. And it’s been part of some recent internal discussions too. This is one of those lessons that is often hard-won for founders, because in the early days, it’s hard to walk away from any deal – no matter how many red flags you see. What I’ve found is that if someone’s beating you up before they even become a client… That’s not likely to get better once they ARE a client. Nice people to work with are nice people to work with. Full stop. This applies to all people, not just clients. And the reverse is also true. Jerks are jerks. For some, this is a “can’t truly understand how hot fire is until you touch it” sort of lesson. For anyone who’s good with learning from others’ mistakes where they can – take note. #founders #biotechnology #lifesciences

Building a strong team starts with shared vision and alignment! 🚀🤝 #LeadershipGoals #TeamSuccess #TheBiotechStartupsPodcast

"Not only build your team but make sure you always have your team aligned to your vision. This is just key." 🔑   In Part 3 of my conversation with eMalick Njie, Ph.D, CEO of Ecotone AI, on The Biotech Startups Podcast, we dive deep into the critical importance of team alignment and vision in building a successful biotech startup. Some highlights from our conversation: – The founding journey of Genetic Intelligence and its mission to explore AI in genetics 🧬🤖   – Securing NSF funding and being the first to put an entire human genome in a convolutional neural network 💡 – The challenges of scaling a team while maintaining the original vision and culture 🚀 – The difficult decision to part ways with Genetic Intelligence (now Genetic Leap) 🔄 – The birth of new ventures from setbacks, including NeuroStorm and involvement in Prisms🌱 eMalick's insights on resilience, learning from failures, and the importance of team alignment are truly invaluable for any founder in the biotech space. Don't miss this conversation! Apple Podcasts & Spotify links in the comments below! 👇🏽 #biotechnology #lifesciences #podcast