🧬 Biotech Investing Unlocked: Mindset Shift, Risk, and Founder-First Lessons | Johnny Hu (Part 3/4)

06/02/25 • 37 min

🧬 The Biotech Startups Podcast is powered by Excedr —helping life science startups accelerate R&D and commercialization with founder-friendly equipment leasing. Skip the upfront costs, stay lean, and focus on breakthrough science.As a TBSP listener, you can get exclusive perks through Excedr’s partner network—special savings, promotions, and more. Explore these offers today: https://www.excedr.com/partners."Sometimes you don't know what you don't know. And frankly, this is a journey that's long, and you'll learn a lot of things along the way. A lot of things, it's the first time you'll be doing that thing. Your job as an entrepreneur is to ultimately listen, then decide, and own that decision.”In this episode, Johnny Hu, Principle at Menlo Ventures, takes us inside his journey from scientist to venture capitalist, revealing how adapting to new mindsets, operational discipline, and calculated risk-taking are crucial in biotech. He breaks down the differences between the lab and the investment world, shares lessons from mentors at Omega Funds, and explains how founder-first investing and clear communication drive his approach at Menlo Ventures. Johnny also explores the challenges of fundraising, the realities of board dynamics, and how AI is reshaping biotech, all while emphasizing the value of curiosity and adaptability in a field defined by complexity and constant change.Key topics covered:

Navigating the transition from scientist to venture capitalist: Adapting to new mindsets
The importance of operational discipline, capital efficiency, and decision-making in biotech startups: Stretching every dollar
Lessons learned from mentors and experiences at Omega Funds: Start with the end in mind
The value of founder-first investing and building intentional, transparent relationships with entrepreneurs: Build trust and clarity
The impact of AI and technological innovation on biotech, and the unique challenges of risk assessment in life sciences: Managing risk in complex systems

Navigating the transition from scientist to venture capitalist: Adapting to new mindsets
The importance of operational discipline, capital efficiency, and decision-making in biotech startups: Stretching every dollar
Lessons learned from mentors and experiences at Omega Funds: Start with the end in mind
The value of founder-first investing and building intentional, transparent relationships with entrepreneurs: Build trust and clarity
The impact of AI and technological innovation on biotech, and the unique challenges of risk assessment in life sciences: Managing risk in complex systems

Previous Episode

🧬 The Shelf Life of Innovation: CRISPR, Biotech Culture & Winning Teams | Johnny Hu (Part 2/4)

🧬 The Biotech Startups Podcast is powered by Excedr —helping life science startups accelerate R&D and commercialization with founder-friendly equipment leasing. Skip the upfront costs, stay lean, and focus on breakthrough science.As a TBSP listener, you can get exclusive perks through Excedr’s partner network—special savings, promotions, and more. Explore these offers today: https://www.excedr.com/partners."Every technology has a shelf life. It’s just true, right? And, so, is that shelf life years? Is it months? Is it weeks? Is it days? You know, has it actually already been surpassed? That’s just progress, right? That’s great”In this episode, Johnny Hu, Principal at Menlo Ventures, unpacks his journey through neuroscience research at Genentech and Cambridge, the electrifying early days of CRISPR, and the fast-moving Boston biotech scene, revealing how academic culture, tool-building, and intentional company culture fuel breakthrough innovation. He offers a candid look at bridging academia and industry, the realities of risk and execution in biotech startups, and the collaborative and competitive dynamics of venture investing—showing what it really takes to thrive where science, startups, and investment meet.Key topics covered:

The Value of Academic Culture: Cambridge’s traditions and cross-disciplinary thinking fueled Johnny’s passion for building tools and deep scientific exploration.
The Rise of CRISPR: Inside the early, high-energy days of gene editing’s rapid ascent.
Boston Biotech Ecosystem: How a dense, connected community unlocked opportunities in startups and venture capital.
Company Culture & Team Dynamics: Why setting culture early shapes how teams execute and succeed.
Investing in Biotech: The real work of weighing risk, building strong boards, and making tough calls in venture.

If you enjoy The Biotech Startups Podcast, please consider subscribing, leaving a review, or sharing it with your friends. Thanks for listening.Subscribe to the Podcast:Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-biotech-startups-podcast/id1679591994Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PSL162R2s0zOwU5913Zv4Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thebiotechstartupspodcast Website: https://www.thebiotechstartupspodcast.com/ Find our guest, Johnny Hu, at these links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnnyhhu/Website: https://www.linkedin.com/company/menlo-ventures/ Find our host, Jon Chee, at these links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joncheeLearn more about Excedr:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/excedr/ Website: https://www.excedr.comIntro & Outro Songs Created by OkKyojin, Owned by Excedr:Website: https://flow.page/kyojin Resources & Articles:DNA Origami:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA_origamiGeorge Church Lab: https://churchlab.hms.harvard.edu/David Liu Lab: https://www.liugroup.us/Editas Medicine: https://www.editasmedicine.com/Companies, Universities, & People mentioned:Menlo Ventures: https://www.menlovc.com/Genentech: https://www.gene.com/Vida Ventures: https://vidaventures.com/RA Capital: https://www.racap.com/Beam Therapeutics: https://beamtx.com/University of Cambridge: https://www.cam.ac.uk/Harvard University: https://www.harvard.edu/Harvard Medical School: https://hms.harvard.edu/MIT: https://www.mit.edu/George Church: https://www.linkedin.com/in/george-church-2b86301/David R. Liu: https://www.link...

Next Episode

🧬 AI, Mentors & the Future of Biotech: Teambuilding, Investing, & Innovation | Johnny Hu (Part 4/4)

🧬 The Biotech Startups Podcast is powered by Excedr —helping life science startups accelerate R&D and commercialization with founder-friendly equipment leasing. Skip the upfront costs, stay lean, and focus on breakthrough science.As a TBSP listener, you can get exclusive perks through Excedr’s partner network—special savings, promotions, and more. Explore these offers today: https://www.excedr.com/partners.“It's the partnership all the way down, and everyone needs to be around the table to enable the ecosystem.”In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, Johnny Hu reflects on his path to becoming a Principle at Menlo Ventures, what it's been like returning to gene editing after years away, and how he's thinking about unlocking true platform potential in life sciences. He also shares his outlook on early-stage biotech, the importance of mentorship, intellectual range and curiosity, and what's ahead as he continues building at the intersection of biology, computation, and company creationKey topics covered:

Firm building: Building a venture firm from the ground up
AI & Bio: Looking at the intersection of AI and Biology
Gene Editing: The clinical success of gene editing
Mentorship: The importance of mentors and advisors
Career Advice: Tips and common pitfalls to avoid when starting a career in venture investing

If you enjoy The Biotech Startups Podcast, please consider subscribing, leaving a review, or sharing it with your friends. Thanks for listening.Subscribe to the Podcast:Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-biotech-startups-podcast/id1679591994Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PSL162R2s0zOwU5913Zv4Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thebiotechstartupspodcast Website: https://www.thebiotechstartupspodcast.com/ Find our guest, Johnny Hu, at these links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnnyhhu/Website: https://www.linkedin.com/company/menlo-ventures/ Find our host, Jon Chee, at these links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joncheeLearn more about Excedr:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/excedr/ Website: https://www.excedr.comIntro & Outro Songs Created by OkKyojin, Owned by Excedr:Website: https://flow.page/kyojin Resources & Articles:Institute for Protein Design: https://www.bakerlab.org/Merck’s PCSK9 Program: https://www.merck.com/news/merck-initiates-phase-3-clinical-program-for-oral-pcsk9-inhibitor-candidate-mk-0616/RF Diffusion Paper: https://www.bakerlab.org/2023/07/11/diffusion-model-for-protein-design/Companies, Universities, & People mentioned:Menlo Ventures: https://www.menlovc.com/Genentech: https://www.gene.com/Vilya: http://vilyatx.com/Synthego: https://www.synthego.com/Recursion Pharmaceuticals: https://www.recursion.com/Beam Therapeutics: https://beamtx.com/Protein Data Bank: https://www.rcsb.org/Timestamps:00:00 Intro01:14 Building Boston Office at Omega Funds03:34 Move to West Coast and Joining Menlo Ventures13:34 Current State of Life Sciences Venture Landscape15:00 Focus on AI and Life Sciences Intersection18:26 Most Fun and Least Fun Aspects of Venture Investing20:04 Advice for Aspiring Venture Investors23:19 Future Plans and Return to Gene Editing25:01 Clinical Success and Market Challenges in Gene Editing30:01 Advice to 21-Year-Old Self: Intellectual Curiosity35:58 OutroThe 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, ...