🦠🧬 Issue #20: Claremont's Biotechnology Explosion
A brief history of biotechnology, why its important, and Claremont's omnipresence
💬 Welcome to issue #20 of Between the Lines
Yes…the rumors are true. With his new album, Aminé has indeed joined our team, and he wants more people to subscribe and read Between the Lines! 😉
In other news, biotech is unsurprisingly one of the hottest industries right now and Claremont founders are helping to lead the charge. Read on to learn about some of the 70+ Claremont-founded biotech companies that are changing the way we live for the better. Oh, and for the record, I’m back from Day of the Dead and didn’t talk that much about it, I swear.
- Miles (& Josh)
📊 6th Street Stats: Claremont’s Biotechnology Explosion
Authors: Josh Tatum & Miles Bird
For the past decade, biotech innovation has continued to attract more and more attention and capital. Given the pandemic, 2020 was unsurprisingly a record year for biotech and pharma companies, with global venture capital deal activity reaching $36bn — almost double the amount of activity from 2019¹. Furthermore, 2020 saw a triple-digit growth of 186% in biotech IPO activity, and these public biotech companies raised over $34bn. Biotech startups have slowly started receiving as many venture dollars as almost any other industry sector — and 2021 has been no different. In January 2021 alone, VC dollars deployed in biotech increased 60%, average deal size increased 66%, and 19 more biotech IPOs closed as compared to January 2020¹. It seems we’re on pace for yet another record year. In the process, biology has also become one of the most prevalent undergraduate majors in the U.S. both in popularity² and in potential earnings³. To say biotech is a hot industry, would be a drastic understatement (almost as drastic of an understatement as saying that 2018 was just a ‘good year’ for Claremont founders).
But, what is biotechnology exactly? Is it just DNA stuff?
Biotechnology has been used by humans since quite literally the dawn of civilization. From the original domestication of crops and animals, mankind has used biotechnology to its advantage for thousands of years. The Egyptians used yeast to bake unleavened bread, the Assyrians used fermentation to make wine (thank you!), the Chinese were the first known civilization to create cheese and curds, and the Aztecs used Spirulina algae to make cakes long before it was a hipster-vegan must-have superfood⁴. Although your pantry may not be the first thing you think of when you hear ‘biotech,’ bread, cheese, wine, and cakes are all products of biotechnology. The English language wasn’t quite so fast to the draw, however, and it wasn’t until the 1900s when we had the first known use of the word ‘biotechnology’ by Karl Erkey, a Hungarian Engineer⁵.
Now, although much of today’s cutting-edge biotechnology innovation deals with DNA and DNA manipulation, by definition, biotech is just technology based on biological processes and harnessing cellular and biomolecular processes to develop technologies and products that help improve our society. Many brilliant minds think that biology is the foundational and largely uncharted frontier that will unlock much of the next century’s economic development as the age of the software plateaus and goes the way of the combustion engine — omnipresent and consequential to societies, but not where the bulk of technological innovation is happening anymore.
Anyway…given that context, it shouldn’t be surprising why biotechnology is so consequential in today’s world and the ongoing public health crisis. Equally unsurprising, is that if there is something important happening in the world, Claremont graduates are undoubtedly helping lead the charge. What types of contributions have Claremont alumni been making in biotech? I’m so glad you asked….. 👇
🚨Claremonster Call-Out: Solon Teal
Solon Teal is a CMC alumnus and the co-founder of Talk Social. After spending time at Google, OCA Ventures, Fluxon, and Kellogg MMM, he joined forces with his co-founder Zvi Band (CEO/Co-founder of Contactually, sold in 2019 to Compass). Now, they are building a social adventure game that they refer to… as an elephant. 🐘
Talk Social is solving employee burnout and creating meaningful relationships for remote organizations and decentralized communities through immersive social conversations designed by experts in human connection. Talk Social promotes equal talk time and effective relationship building, through fun, thoughtful, and novel conversational templates in 30 minutes or less.
“We're looking to talk to remote teams, communities, and organizations of size 6+ who care about creating a more productive and psychologically safe environment. If you've given up on Zoom happy hours, we want to talk!”
💼 Who’s Hiring?:
Sparrow Pharmaceuticals is pursuing innovative therapies that target toxic cortisol levels and unlock the potential of corticosteroid medicine. Founder of Sparrow, David Katz (PO), and his team are sparing patients the ravages of steroids and changing the future of endocrinology! They are fresh off their $50M Series A raise and are looking to expand and hire a dynamic Clinical Trial Associate to join their team. Check it out!
Walnut is a financial services company that believes nobody should struggle financially to receive healthcare. Walnut makes healthcare more affordable for patients by breaking up large medical bills into small, monthly payments with no fees or interest. Healthcare now. Pay later. Roshan Patel, the Founder of Walnut, is a friend of Claremont and is looking to hire a few Claremont engineers and associates:
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🗣️ Conversations on the Interwebz:
This week’s top read 🔥
A must-watch video all about Living Carbon, Maddie Hall (CMC), and their mission to solve the climate impact of agriculture. They are using biotechnology to develop genetically modified trees that better capture and store carbon while producing superior quality lumber. 🌳 🌲
Everything else you need to know….📖
For over 8 years now, HoneyBook has been supporting independent service-based businesses to successfully build what they love. Congratulations to Co-Founder, Shadiah Sigala (PO), and the HoneyBook team for their recent Series E raise and their impressive unicorn valuation!
Zach Weismann (CMC), Founder of MAG Impact Collective, shares his thoughts on the importance of admitting to being wrong and admitting to mistakes - two very difficult things to do!
If you haven’t checked it out yet, you should! Take a look at what Yohei Nakajima (CMC) has been building with PixelBeast. Adam Pelavin (PO) has been in on the worldbuilding as well! I guess Sagehens and Stags can be friends….
Peep this career lessons thread by entrepreneur Sunil Rajaraman (CMC), and maybe even add your own to it!
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🍽️ BTL Snacks:
🎁 Your new top Xmas gift request?….. Check out the first folding bike w/ folding wheels - created by Alex Animashaun (partner of CMCer Erica Bliss and cousin of CMC Professor Terril Jones)
💲 Is crypto the mainstream status now?….. Hear what’s changing in cross-border B2B and what Matthew Goldman (CMC) is up to as a VP at Apto Payments
☁️ On Cloud Nine….. High NY Founder, Mike Zaytsev (CMC), talks about diversity in the local cannabis community, social impact, and how to grow your network
🚌 Startups, govtech, 2 billion annual transit trips in 100 cities - Swiftly….. Listen in to Jonathan Simkin talk about his company, Swiftly, that is helping cities move efficiently
🏛️ Curious to hear more about the inner workings of govtech startups?….. Check out Abhi Nemani’s guidebook to working with local governments
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