When encountering difficult times, most successful business leaders I’ve met rely on an inherent sense of confidence, persistence, resilience and optimism. They may be worried, they may be scared, but they are determined to find a way to overcome the challenges they face, and they give everything they have to lead their teams to successful outcomes

Science has always progressed a step at a time, building on the past, thanks to the hard work of creative individuals leveraging the collective knowledge of scientists who preceded them

I’ve always sought to find projects that utilized emerging technologies, or sought to address new opportunities raised by recent discoveries. These tend to be areas in which there is often no established market leader, and thus a greater opportunity to become that leading player

The choice between developing novel life science research products while generating public awareness, or operating in stealth mode until optimization and market targeting are achieved, depends on many factors. Company leadership must weigh the trade-offs carefully to determine the approach that best aligns with their objectives, personal preferences and market conditions.

Every so often one should take a step back from whatever race they are running, and reflect on their goals in life and whether or not they’re still on a path that will lead to personal fulfillment, however they define that

The combination of diverse perspectives and areas of expertise is often critical for the success of technology based endeavors

Spring is a time of rebirth and fresh starts, and a reminder of the cycles of life. While the general themes of this season are not new, the specific events that may occur are impossible to predict. Here are a few that caught my attention

Many of the values, skills and approaches teams rely on in basketball are the same as those that business leaders and their teams need to rely on in moments of truth when confronting situations one never could have anticipated

The first transplant of an engineered pig kidney into a human is a major medical milestone. However, nearly every major breakthrough in science and medicine – and business – has followed multiple attempts that did not yield satisfactory results. When we don’t succeed at first, we just need to learn what we can from the experience and keep trying to improve

It’s been a stormy season for many life science / biotech companies, especially those who have already been at it for a bit and need to raise more funds to push past a critical goal. It helps to always be on the lookout for unanticipated opportunities, and to practice certain values, skills and approaches that increase the likelihood of being able to navigate past unforeseen challenges

Louis Pasteur said “in matters of observation, chance favors the prepared mind.” Actions such as building strong foundations, extensive professional networks, and continually being optimistic, persistent and resilient are among the skills that help prepare one to be lucky. If you do so, and you’re patient, then in the words of Casey Neistadt, one day preparation may smash into opportunity.

After more than a year of cutbacks in biotech, healthcare and life sciences, many people are seeking a new path forward. If you’re in this position, I’d encourage you to look for a company working on a mission you are passionate about, with leaders who inspire you (and whose judgement you trust), and a work environment where you believe you can learn and thrive and enjoy your time

No matter how exhausting it may feel, or how challenging it gets, remember to try to build new relationships, shine in moments of truth, and enjoy the journey

As we approach the end of the year a lot of people are reflecting back on the past year. We may be reminded of how much we have to be thankful for, as well as the challenges and opportunities that we have overcome, or those that we know lie ahead in the coming year.

When it comes to CEO-board relationships, the main message I want to convey to any CEO of an early stage life science company is that trust, transparency and good personal chemistry are critical.

It’s been said that “the object of war is to survive it.” Many CEOs feel the same way when trying to get their business off the ground while regularly running into unanticipated obstacles.

Today’s post comes as people of the Jewish faith celebrate the beginning of a new year. It’s a time for new beginnings, for wiping the slate clean and starting over from scratch. I experienced this in a very personal way this year as two weeks ago I was the fortunate recipient of living donor kidney transplant from my courageous and generous sister-in-law.

My new book due March, 2024: A story of the relentless pursuit of one’s passion, this memoir reveals the impact of inevitable, unexpected events on a business or life, and shares approaches to navigate past them to achieve successful outcomes.

Persistence is critical to success in new technical ventures. Unexpected challenges will inevitably occur. To navigate past these barriers it’s helpful to focus, think out of the box, take some risk, leverage relationships, and act decisively

When attempting to grow by combining two companies, the two CEOs must first agree on the story, structure, and goals for the new entity, and the relative valuation of the original two companies