Episode 113
🧬 Rafael Rosengarten - Part 4 | Lessons in Scaling a Biotech Startup | Using AI to Transform Cancer Diagnostics | The Genialis Supermodel & krasID
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.
The Biotech Startups Podcast · Excedr
January 23, 202540m 52s
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Show Notes
🧬 The Biotech Startups Podcast, brought to you by Excedr—empowering life science startups with founder-friendly equipment leasing to fast-track R&D and drive commercialization success.
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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:
Find Our Host, Jon Chee, at these links:
Excedr Socials & 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:
Genialis: https://www.genialis.com/
Taiwania Capital: https://www.taiwaniacapital.com/
Debiopharm Innovation Fund: https://www.debiopharm.com/innovation-fund/
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.