Episode 82
🧬 Barbara Alcaraz Silva - J.P. Morgan - Part 3 | From Academia to Entrepreneurship, Investing, & Advising | Co-Founding a Startup | Challenges of Early-Stage Company Building | Improve Your Investor Pitch & Connect with the Right People
Part 3 of 4. My guest for this week’s episode is Barbara Alcaraz Silva, Executive Director of Early Stage Life Sciences and Healthcare, Startup Banking at J.P. Morgan. Barbara is a former researcher and entrepreneur, and an accomplished industry veteran. Her career has revolved around startups and early-stage ventures. As a graduate student, she focused on Telomeres and DNA Repair. Before joining J.P. Morgan, Barbara was an advisor for biotech and medtech companies at the Manos Accelerator, where she provided mentorship in business development, fundraising, and other key areas. She also served as a Senior Investment Fellow at Life Science Angels, where she invested in emerging biotechs and managed investor relationships. Additionally, Barbara co-founded BioChron, a company that leveraged AI and machine learning to track biological aging.
The Biotech Startups Podcast · Excedr
September 30, 202434m 40s
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Show Notes
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Part 3 of 4.
My guest for this week’s episode is Barbara Alcaraz Silva, Executive Director of Early Stage Life Sciences and Healthcare, Startup Banking at J.P. Morgan. Barbara is a former researcher and entrepreneur, and an accomplished industry veteran. Her career has revolved around startups and early-stage ventures. As a graduate student, she focused on Telomeres and DNA Repair.
Before joining J.P. Morgan, Barbara was an advisor for biotech and medtech companies at the Manos Accelerator, where she provided mentorship in business development, fundraising, and other key areas. She also served as a Senior Investment Fellow at Life Science Angels, where she invested in emerging biotechs and managed investor relationships. Additionally, Barbara co-founded BioChron, a company that leveraged AI and machine learning to track biological aging.
Barbara’s dedication to fostering a strong community in the biotech space, combined with her expertise in science, business, and investing, makes her conversation invaluable for founders.
Join us this week to hear about:
- Barbara’s transition from academia to entrepreneurship and industry
- Her experience co-founding Biochron, which built technologies to track biological aging using AI/ML
- The challenges of early-stage company building
- Her time as a mentor at the Manos Accelerator, and investment experience in early-stage ventures as a Senior Fellow at Life Science Angels
- Advice for improving your investor pitch and connecting with the right people
Please enjoy my conversation with Barbara Alcaraz Silva.
Find Our Guest, Barbara Alcaraz Silva, at these links:
Find Our Host, Jon Chee, at these links:
Social & Website
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/excedr/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@excedr
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/excedr_inc
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ExcedrInc
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/excedr
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@excedr
Podcast Website: https://www.thebiotechstartupspodcast.com/
Enriched Notes:
Topics Mentioned:
Harvard: https://www.harvard.edu/
UCSF: https://www.ucsf.edu/
Kaiser Permanente, Division of Research: https://divisionofresearch.kaiserpermanente.org/
Manos Accelerator: https://manosaccelerator.com/
Life Science Angels: https://www.lifescienceangels.com/
The Column Group: https://www.thecolumngroup.com/
How To Spin Out of Academia: https://www.excedr.com/resources/how-to-spin-out-of-academia-and-into-a-startup
How to Fund an R&D Lab: https://www.excedr.com/resources/rd-startup-funding-first-steps
Top Accelerators in Biotech: https://www.excedr.com/resources/biotech-accelerators
Top Incubators in Biotech: https://www.excedr.com/resources/biotech-incubators
Accelerator vs. Incubator: https://www.excedr.com/resources/accelerator-vs-incubator
Top VCs in Biotech: https://www.excedr.com/blog/top-vc-firms-for-biotech
Biotech Funding Options: https://www.excedr.com/resources/biotech-startup-funding-options
Grant Funding in Biotech: https://www.excedr.com/resources/grants-public-funding-biotech-startups
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
01:54 The story behind Barbara’s decision to create a startup
07:33 Experience as a Program Manager at UCSF
10:43 Key lessons learned from running a startup and working as a PM
16:03 Landing investment and advisory roles at the Manos Accelerator, Life Sciences Angels
21:49 Crash course in investing and company assessment
26:21 Advice for improving your investor pitch, connecting with the right people
33:33 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.