🧬 Rafael Rosengarten - Part 4 | Lessons in Scaling a Biotech Startup | Using AI to Transform Cancer Diagnostics | The Genialis Supermodel & krasID

The Biotech Startups Podcast

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Part 4 of 4: My guest today is Rafael Rosengarten, CEO and Co-Founder of Genialis, the RNA biomarker company. Genialis is reimagining biomarkers for every target, drug, and patient using a combination of precision oncology, RNA, and AI.

Rafael, a biomedical research veteran, combines academic excellence with industry innovation. A Dartmouth graduate with a Yale doctorate, he conducted postdoctoral research at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where he co-invented the j5 DNA assembly tool. As co-founder of the Alliance for AI in Healthcare, he advocates for responsible AI integration in medicine, drawing from his extensive background in evolution, immunology, bioengineering, and genetics.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

• Scaling Genialis during COVID-19 and refining the company’s mission
• The importance of company culture and building a motivated, cohesive team
• Developing krasID and the Genialis supermodel to advance cancer diagnostics
• Raising Series A funding amid biotech market challenges
• The role of leadership and innovation in driving biotech success and shaping the future of precision oncology.

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Find Our Guest, Rafael Rosengarten, at these links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rrosengarten/

https://www.genialis.com/

Find Our Host, Jon Chee, at these links:

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

https://www.excedr.com

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

Enriched Notes:

Topics Mentioned:

Genialis: https://www.genialis.com/
Taiwania Capital: https://www.taiwaniacapital.com/
Debiopharm Innovation Fund: https://www.debiopharm.com/innovation-fund/

Genialis krasID: https://www.genialis.com/krasid/

Genialis Supermodel: https://www.genialis.com/supermodel/

How to Bootstrap a Biotech: https://www.excedr.com/resources/how-to-bootstrap-biotech-startup

Biotech Funding Options: https://www.excedr.com/resources/biotech-startup-funding-options

Top VCs in Biotech: https://www.excedr.com/blog/top-vc-firms-for-biotech

AI in Cancer Diagnostics: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2020.588221/full

Predictive Biomarkers in Oncology: https://oncologypro.esmo.org/education-library/esmo-books/esmo-handbooks/translational-research/predictive-biomarkers

How Biotech Partnerships Support Research: https://www.excedr.com/blog/how-biotech-partnerships-support-research

People Mentioned:

Cheng Wu (Founding Partner, Taiwania Capital): https://www.linkedin.com/in/cheng-wu-4614a8a/

Tiasha Stanković (COO, Head of People at Genialis): https://www.linkedin.com/in/tjasakk/?originalSubdomain=si

Luka Ausec (Chief Discovery Officer at Genialis): https://www.linkedin.com/in/luka-ausec-378009150/

Miha Štajdohar (Co-founder, CTO at Genialis): https://www.linkedin.com/in/mstajdohar/

Marinka Zitnik (AI Researcher, Associate Professor of Bioinformatics): https://dbmi.hms.harvard.edu/people/marinka-zitnik

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

02:04 Scaling Genialis during COVID-19 and adapting as CEO

04:27 How pivotal clients influence a startup’s growth path

07:15 Addressing critical mistakes in clinical data pipelines

09:43 Redefining Genialis’ mission and fostering strong culture

12:19 Adapting to remote work while reinforcing team values

14:57 Raising Series A funding amid challenging market conditions

20:50 The importance of team culture and resilience

25:37 The Genialis supermodel and its impact on oncology AI

29:12 Two-year vision for Genialis and its three pillars

32:59 Closing questions and advice for entrepreneurs

38:59 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.