Episode 55
🧬 Mark Kotter - bit.bio - Part 4 | Democratizing Access to Cells & the Evolution of bit.bio | A Financial Journey from Angel Investment to IPO | Building a Tech Bio Platform & Mark’s 10-Year Vision
Part 4 of 4. My guest for this week’s episode is Mark Kotter, neurosurgeon, stem cell biologist, and CEO and founder of bit.bio. He has also been a professor and researcher at Cambridge for more than 15 years. Bit.bio is an award-winning human synthetic biology company providing human cells for research, drug discovery, and cell therapy. The company applies a patented safe harbor gene targeting approach to inducibly express transcription factor combinations that reprogram human-induced pluripotent stem cells into highly defined and mature human cell types. Bit.bio spun out of the University of Cambridge in 2016 and has since raised approximately $200 million from Arch Ventures, Foresight Capital, Milky Way, Charles River Laboratories, National Resilience, Tencent, and Pulau Capital, among others.
The Biotech Startups Podcast · Excedr
June 27, 202438m 3s
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Show Notes
Part 4 of 4.
My guest for this week’s episode is Mark Kotter, neurosurgeon, stem cell biologist, and CEO and founder of bit.bio. He has also been a professor and researcher at Cambridge for more than 15 years.
Bit.bio is an award-winning human synthetic biology company providing human cells for research, drug discovery, and cell therapy. The company applies a patented safe harbor gene targeting approach to inducibly express transcription factor combinations that reprogram human-induced pluripotent stem cells into highly defined and mature human cell types. Bit.bio spun out of the University of Cambridge in 2016 and has since raised approximately $200 million from Arch Ventures, Foresight Capital, Milky Way, Charles River Laboratories, National Resilience, Tencent, and Pulau Capital, among others.
Mark is also the co-founder of Meatable, scientific founder and chairman of rejuvenation startup clock.bio, and co-founder and trustee of Myelopathy.org, the first charity dedicated to a common yet often overseen condition causing a slow-motion spinal cord injury. His diverse experience as an academic and serial entrepreneur offers a wealth of insights aspiring scientist founders can draw from.
Join us this week and hear about:
- The evolution of bit.bio and their mission to democratize access to human cells and therapies
- Building a solid infrastructure and hiring the right people
- The early hurdles of securing funding and managing co-founder dynamics and bit.bio’s financial journey from angel investments to institutional funding
- Mark’s plans to take the company public
Please enjoy my conversation with Mark Kotter.
Timestamps
00:28 Intro
01:52 Democratizing access to cells, the core mission of bit.bio
04:06 A new paradigm of creating batches of cells
06:26 Creating a new market out of a disruptive product
09:20 The business initiatives at bit.bio and Mark’s driving philosophies
11:28 The journey of new modality platforms like bit.bio’s & the IP landscape
15:02 Building the infrastructure and engine powering bit.bio, finding the right people
23:05 Financing bit.bio early on and their financial journey from a small, scrappy lab
26:56 Raising larger funds from institutional investors, bit.bio’s Series A and B
28:56 Mark’s future plans and 10-year vision for bit.bio
31:16 The 2-year vision, what will happen at bit.bio in the near future
34:16 Shout outs and advice to 21-year old self
36:05 Outro
Find Our Guest, Mark Kotter, at these links:
Find Our Host, Jon Chee, at these links:
Social & Website
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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
Topics Mentioned:
bit.bio https://www.bit.bio/
Charles River Laboratories https://www.criver.com/
Meatable https://meatable.com/
University of Cambridge https://www.cam.ac.uk/
GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) https://www.excedr.com/resources/gmp-vs-glp-whats-the-difference
Intellectual Property Strategy in Biotech https://www.excedr.com/resources/intellectual-property-strategy-for-biotechs
Patents in Biotech https://www.excedr.com/resources/intellectual-property-rights-for-biotechs
Partnerships in Biotech https://www.excedr.com/blog/how-biotech-partnerships-support-research
Genetic Engineering https://medicine.missouri.edu/centers-institutes-labs/health-ethics/faq/gene-therapy
People Mentioned:
Shinya Yamanaka https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinya_Yamanaka
Kathryn Penkus Corzo https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathryn-penkus-corzo/
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.