Ventyx is a clinical-stage immunology biotech company with candidates for Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and cardiovascular disease. In March 2023, Ventyx boasted a market capitalization exceeding 2.4 billion dollars. Today, that figure has dwindled to a mere 140 million dollars, with 308 million dollars in reserves. The past six months have been challenging for Ventyx, starting with disappointing data on their secondary candidate ulcerative colitis therapeutic and culminating on November 7th, 2023 when their stock plummeted by 72%. This second drastic decline in market value was initia ..read more

A variety of career paths exist for PhD students upon graduation. One of these options is to pursue patent law, but what exactly does this transition from the hard sciences to law entail? To learn more about how to transition into a position at a law firm after a PhD, I talked with Julia Minitti and Joy Wang from Wilson Sonsini. Both Julia and Joy are PhD scientists by training; however, Julia is a partner, and Joy is a patent agent. Hearing from both of these perspectives was invaluable in learning more about the different stages of a patent lawyer’s career. Wilson Sonsini is a law firm locat ..read more

Pillar VC is a venture capital firm focused on supporting founders through seed- and early-stage funding. Founded in 2016, Pillar has focused on helping academic researchers translate their findings into groundbreaking new companies and has a portfolio across various sectors, including AI/ML and biotechnology. As an official partner of Stanford Biotechnology Group, Pillar is committed to a close relationship with Stanford students who are interested in learning more about startups and venture capital in the biotechnology space. I sat down with Tony Kulesa, Principal at Pillar who focuses on bi ..read more

The US healthcare system is grappling with a severe shortage of essential medications – a staggering 99% of hospital pharmacists are reporting drug shortages. In this post, Niraj Mehta, PhD student at Stanford, navigates through the crises enveloping the drug manufacturing industry, elucidating how fragile supply chains, paradoxical market incentives, and inadequate regulatory oversight are threatening to wreck US drug supplies. Niraj argues that generic drugs are a vital pillar of the US healthcare industry and advocates for urgent rectifications within market and regulatory landscapes. Nira ..read more

The Fall of Silicon Valley Bank Last Friday, Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), the bank serving nearly half of US venture backed technology and life sciences companies, failed after experiencing the largest bank run in US history. The bank run appears to have been precipitated by fears of bank insolvency stroked by the announcement of an equity sale following large losses in SVB’s bond and mortgage-backed securities portfolio. Customers withdrew $42B, a quarter of the bank’s deposits, on Thursday triggering Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) intervention Friday morning. As of Sunday March ..read more

Midjourney Want to maximize the impact of the technology your startup is building? Federal grants provide much-needed capital for small businesses, introduce founders to government stakeholders, and can help small businesses identify new use cases and possibly markets for the tech they’re building. Sevahn Vorperian, Stanford PhD Student & SBG Board Member interviews Dr. James Coates, a Principal at Decisive Point Capital for a brief introduction and to learn more about Decisive Point Interview with Dr. James Coates Sevahn Vorperian, PhD Candidate at Stanford & Board Member at SBG &nbs ..read more

What is the future of cellular rejuvenation? Can we turn back the biological clock? Does targeting ageing make economic sense for payers, providers and investors? In this article, Anica Oesterle, board member with the Stanford Biotech Group, and an MS/MBA Student at Stanford, argues that the future of cellular rejuvenation is exciting. She describes the biology & research landscape for ageing & cellular rejuvenation, and assesses the economic implications of targeting ageing. Anica Oesterle, MS/MBA Student, Stanford Graduate School of Business Special thanks to Oliver Hahn and Janine ..read more

Kevin Ho, MBA student at the GSB and our board member, has put together this guide to biotech resources at Stanford. In part two of this two-part guide, Kevin shares biotech activities and student organisations you can engage with at Stanford. An updated version of this guide is always available on our website resources tab. Kevin Ho, MBA Student, Stanford Graduate School of Business Getting actively involved in biotech-related organizations will help you apply the things you learn in class. Several student groups have formed as outlets for the ~17,000 students across campus. The university i ..read more

Kevin Ho, MBA student at the GSB and our board member, has put together this guide to biotech resources at Stanford. In part one of this two-part guide, Kevin shares biotech coursework that you can take at Stanford. An updated version of this guide is always available on our website resources tab. Kevin Ho, MBA Student, Stanford Graduate School of Business Stanford University sits in the heart of Silicon Valley, just a few miles away from the birthplace of biotechnology.  The university is home to perhaps the world’s most dynamic biotech ecosystem: (1) renowned scientists who have made g ..read more

Startups are the primary source of biotechnology innovation. But funding for biotech entrepreneurs has been on a risky trajectory. What lies ahead? In our latest Biotech Insights blog, Joel Bateman, first-year MBA student at the Stanford GSB argues that incorrect parallels to the tech industry and perceived falling costs associated with biotech startups have led to riskier and earlier funding for biotech startups. He outlines implications for the years ahead and offers ideas for biotech entrepreneurs to navigate the bumpy terrain and build successful startups.  Joel Bateman, MB ..read more