Episodios

  • 🧬 Simulating Life & Accelerating Discovery: Deep Origin’s Biotech Vision | Michael Antonov (Part 4/4)

    🧬 Simulating Life & Accelerating Discovery: Deep Origin’s Biotech Vision | Michael Antonov (Part 4/4)
    May 22 2025
    "If you really want to understand biology, you need to be able to represent it in the computer. If you can’t model it, you can’t really predict its behavior” In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, Michael Antonov, Co-Founder of Oculus and Founder & CEO of Deep Origin, returns for the fourth installment of his series to share how his vision for holistic biological simulation evolved from Formic Labs into Deep Origin. Michael discusses the challenges of building a unified R&D platform for biotech, the current suite of Deep Origin’s products, and how the company is making advanced drug discovery tools accessible to organizations of every size. He also dives into the company’s philosophy, the lessons learned from previous ventures, and what’s next as Deep Origin continues to scale its impact on the life sciences sector.
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    45 m
  • 🧬 Debugging Aging: How a VR Pioneer is Revolutionizing Longevity | Michael Antonov (Part 3/4)

    🧬 Debugging Aging: How a VR Pioneer is Revolutionizing Longevity | Michael Antonov (Part 3/4)
    May 19 2025
    "My mind is analytical – so I wondered ‘what is the most exciting, impactful thing I could do?’ I felt we’re all growing older, so where is the technology of aging? How well do we understand the biochemistry of us as humans?" In this episode, Michael Antonov, Co-Founder of Oculus and Founder & CEO of Deep Origin, shares his bold leap from pioneering virtual reality to tackling the complexities of human aging and biotech innovation. Driven by a lifelong curiosity about biology and the mysteries of longevity, Michael reveals how his software background inspired him to "debug" biology, build better research tools, and launch Formic Ventures to back high-risk, high-reward startups. He discusses his vision for integrating computational and biological approaches, the promise of cellular reprogramming, and his mission to create a new ecosystem that empowers researchers and accelerates breakthroughs in extending human healthspan.
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    28 m
  • 🧬 Building Oculus: Innovation, Grit & the $2 Billion VR Revolution | Michael Antonov (Part 2/4)

    🧬 Building Oculus: Innovation, Grit & the $2 Billion VR Revolution | Michael Antonov (Part 2/4)
    May 15 2025
    "We were a small team, just a handful of people, trying to solve problems that had stumped the industry for decades. Every day felt like we were building the future from scratch." In this episode, Oculus co-founder and Chief Software Architect Michael Antonov shares the inside story of how he and a small, driven team transformed virtual reality from a niche dream into a billion-dollar industry. From his early days at Scaleform to the rapid growth of Oculus, Michael recounts overcoming daunting technical and business challenges, the thrill of their record-breaking Kickstarter campaign, and the relentless innovation that led to Oculus’s $2 billion acquisition by Facebook. Listeners get a rare look at the mindset and decision-making behind one of tech’s most remarkable startup journeys, packed with lessons for entrepreneurs everywhere.
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    36 m
  • 🧬 The Borrowed Computer That Built Oculus - An Unlikely Biotech Journey | Michael Antonov (Part 1/4)

    🧬 The Borrowed Computer That Built Oculus - An Unlikely Biotech Journey | Michael Antonov (Part 1/4)
    May 12 2025
    🧬 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.
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    42 m
  • 🧬 The Secret to Biotech Success: Time, Tools & Teamwork | Bogdan Knezevic (Part 4/4)

    🧬 The Secret to Biotech Success: Time, Tools & Teamwork | Bogdan Knezevic (Part 4/4)
    May 8 2025
    "It's not about avoiding failure. It's about avoiding every scenario where you look back and say, ‘I could have done this differently and we wouldn't be here.’" In this episode, host Jon Chee talks with Bogdan Knezevic, co-founder and CEO of Kaleidoscope, about how smart R&D infrastructure decisions can make or break biotech startups. Bogdan shares his journey from scientist to founder and explains how Kaleidoscope empowers teams to harness their data, streamline collaboration, and extend their runway. The conversation spotlights real-world examples of how operational efficiency and the right tools create compounding advantages, why time is the true currency in biotech, and how accelerating drug development can have a profound impact for patients. Bogdan also reflects on the importance of learning by doing and paying it forward in the entrepreneurial journey.
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    44 m
  • 🧬 Purpose-Driven Innovation: Building Teams to Solve Biotech Problems | Bogdan Knezevic (Part 3/4)

    🧬 Purpose-Driven Innovation: Building Teams to Solve Biotech Problems | Bogdan Knezevic (Part 3/4)
    May 5 2025
    "Until you experience a thing, you don’t know a thing. That’s something that bothers me a lot with the investor world-unless you’ve done it, you don’t really know what the grind feels like." In this episode, Bogdan Knezevic, co-founder and CEO of Kaleidoscope, unpacks how hands-on experience-from the grind at Frequency Therapeutics to launching the Rhodes Incubator-shaped his passion for biotech startups and team building. He shares the pivotal role of serendipity and authentic networking at Creative Destruction Lab and Entrepreneur First, which ultimately set the stage for founding Kaleidoscope. Bogdan dives into the challenges of innovating biotech R&D infrastructure, the importance of collaboration, and why tackling meaningful problems drives his mission in a rapidly evolving industry.
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    36 m
  • 🧬 Letting Go to Level Up: Oxford, Identity, & Tenacity in Biotech | Bogdan Knezevic (Part 2/4)

    🧬 Letting Go to Level Up: Oxford, Identity, & Tenacity in Biotech | Bogdan Knezevic (Part 2/4)
    May 1 2025
    "If you think you're above whatever-taking out the proverbial trash or doing the proverbial dishes or the laundry, whatever-that's when a company is cooked." In this episode, Bogdan Knezevic shares his journey from undergrad in Calgary to winning a Rhodes Scholarship and pursuing a PhD at Oxford, reflecting on the personal motivations, cultural shifts, and tough choices that shaped his path-including stepping away from elite swimming and ultimately realizing academia wasn’t for him. He opens up about the isolating yet magical environment of Oxford, the challenge of redefining his identity, and the gritty realities of working in early-stage biotech, emphasizing the importance of humility and hands-on work for startup founders. The conversation offers a candid look at how self-discovery, setbacks, and a willingness to “do the dishes” can shape a leader’s growth in biotech.
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    34 m
  • 🧬Immigrant Grit & Athletic Discipline: Building a Biotech Legacy | Bogdan Knezevic (Part 1/4)

    🧬Immigrant Grit & Athletic Discipline: Building a Biotech Legacy | Bogdan Knezevic (Part 1/4)
    Apr 28 2025
    "You have to do what you have to do to get to where you want to be, and work under the constraints you have. That means swallowing your ego and just realizing that's just the reality of it. You have to grind away if you're going to hit that success." In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, Bogdan Knezevic, co-founder and CEO of Kaleidoscope, shares how his family’s escape from war-torn Serbia to Canada forged his relentless work ethic and sense of purpose. He recounts adapting to a new culture, the foundational support of family and mentors, and how his passion for science and math flourished in Canada’s diverse schools. As an elite swimmer and academic standout, Bogdan learned discipline and balance, skills that now drive his mission to make scientific research more collaborative and impactful. The conversation highlights his commitment to paying it forward by building supportive ecosystems in science and business for future generations
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    44 m
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