🧬 100 Discovery Interviews Built a $3M Biotech Launchpad at Berkeley | Darren Cooke (Part 4/4)
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Episode Description
🧬 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.
"If anyone comes to me and says, 'Hey, I’ve got this idea. I think we could do something with it,' I’m like, 'You gotta take the I-Corps class first... it really changes your mindset.'"
In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, Darren Cooke, Interim Chief Innovation & Entrepreneurship Officer and Executive Director of the Life Sciences Entrepreneurship Center at the University of California, Berkeley, reveals how 100 discovery interviews turned a $3 million campus experiment into a powerhouse for biotech innovation.
He shares the creation of Berkeley’s flagship fellows program, the launch of speed teaming and venture grants, and how simple ideas like fostering connection and collaboration transformed campus culture. Darren also reflects on the leadership of Chancellor Rich Lyons and offers candid lessons on perseverance, mentorship, and the art of “showing up.”
Key topics covered:
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, Darren Cooke, at these links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ddcooke/Website: http://berkeley.edu/ Find our host, Jon Chee, at these links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonchee
Learn more about Excedr:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/excedr/ Website: https://www.excedr.com
Intro & Outro Songs Created by OkKyojin, Owned by Excedr:Website: https://flow.page/kyojin
Resources & Articles:How UC Berkeley Became an Unexpected Leader in Entrepreneurship and Startups: https://iande.berkeley.edu/StartupCampusStartup Campus (How UC Berkeley became a leader in entrepreneurship) https://a.co/d/5pCg83q Berkeley SkyDeck Demo Day: https://skydeck.berkeley.edu/tag/demo_day/Bakar Faculty Fellows Program: https://bakarfellows.berkeley.edu/QB3 Speed Teaming program: https://qb3.org/event/bio-startup-speed-teaming/
Companies, Universities, & People mentioned:UC Berkeley: https://www.berkeley.edu/Haas School of Business (UC Berkeley Haas): https://haas.berkeley.edu/Venture Capital Fund: https://tinyurl.com/29dnsjpbBerkeley SkyDeck: https://skydeck.berkeley.edu/QB3 (California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences): https://qb3.org/Bakar Labs: https://bakarlabs.berkeley.edu/Rich Lyons: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rich-lyons-30332b1/David Kirn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidkirnmd/Tobias Schmid: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taschmid/Paul Alivisatos: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-alivisatos-4b313b6/Ariel Notcovic: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ariel-notcovich/Justin Reese,: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-reese-3419b24/Hannah Weber: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-weber001/
Timestamps:00:00 Intro02:01 Darren’s Berkeley Faculty Journey03:03 The $3 Million Startup Experiment05:24 Launching the Fellows Program08:43 The I-Corps Mindset Shift10:25 Signature Berkeley Showcase Event11:51 Speed Teaming for Startup Connections14:17 Haas & Life Sciences Cross-Campus Partnerships17:18 Startup Success Story: Reese & Weber20:10 Berkeley’s Shift Toward Entrepreneurship24:45 Chancellor Lyons’ Impact & Venture Fund27:38 Scaling Programs and Entrepreneur in Residence32:24 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, 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.
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.
"If anyone comes to me and says, 'Hey, I’ve got this idea. I think we could do something with it,' I’m like, 'You gotta take the I-Corps class first... it really changes your mindset.'"
In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, Darren Cooke, Interim Chief Innovation & Entrepreneurship Officer and Executive Director of the Life Sciences Entrepreneurship Center at the University of California, Berkeley, reveals how 100 discovery interviews turned a $3 million campus experiment into a powerhouse for biotech innovation.
He shares the creation of Berkeley’s flagship fellows program, the launch of speed teaming and venture grants, and how simple ideas like fostering connection and collaboration transformed campus culture. Darren also reflects on the leadership of Chancellor Rich Lyons and offers candid lessons on perseverance, mentorship, and the art of “showing up.”
Key topics covered:
- Launching the Life Sciences Entrepreneurship Center: Transforming a blank-slate idea into a thriving biotech launchpad
- Building Transformative Programs: Creating standout tracks like fellows, I-Corps, speed teaming, and venture grants
- Changing Campus Culture: Flipping Berkeley’s outlook to embrace innovation and collaboration
- The Power of Connection: Sparking new partnerships and opportunities across the campus ecosystem
- Reflections and Advice: Actionable mentorship lessons and founder tips for real-world impact
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, Darren Cooke, at these links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ddcooke/Website: http://berkeley.edu/ Find our host, Jon Chee, at these links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonchee
Learn more about Excedr:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/excedr/ Website: https://www.excedr.com
Intro & Outro Songs Created by OkKyojin, Owned by Excedr:Website: https://flow.page/kyojin
Resources & Articles:How UC Berkeley Became an Unexpected Leader in Entrepreneurship and Startups: https://iande.berkeley.edu/StartupCampusStartup Campus (How UC Berkeley became a leader in entrepreneurship) https://a.co/d/5pCg83q Berkeley SkyDeck Demo Day: https://skydeck.berkeley.edu/tag/demo_day/Bakar Faculty Fellows Program: https://bakarfellows.berkeley.edu/QB3 Speed Teaming program: https://qb3.org/event/bio-startup-speed-teaming/
Companies, Universities, & People mentioned:UC Berkeley: https://www.berkeley.edu/Haas School of Business (UC Berkeley Haas): https://haas.berkeley.edu/Venture Capital Fund: https://tinyurl.com/29dnsjpbBerkeley SkyDeck: https://skydeck.berkeley.edu/QB3 (California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences): https://qb3.org/Bakar Labs: https://bakarlabs.berkeley.edu/Rich Lyons: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rich-lyons-30332b1/David Kirn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidkirnmd/Tobias Schmid: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taschmid/Paul Alivisatos: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-alivisatos-4b313b6/Ariel Notcovic: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ariel-notcovich/Justin Reese,: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-reese-3419b24/Hannah Weber: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-weber001/
Timestamps:00:00 Intro02:01 Darren’s Berkeley Faculty Journey03:03 The $3 Million Startup Experiment05:24 Launching the Fellows Program08:43 The I-Corps Mindset Shift10:25 Signature Berkeley Showcase Event11:51 Speed Teaming for Startup Connections14:17 Haas & Life Sciences Cross-Campus Partnerships17:18 Startup Success Story: Reese & Weber20:10 Berkeley’s Shift Toward Entrepreneurship24:45 Chancellor Lyons’ Impact & Venture Fund27:38 Scaling Programs and Entrepreneur in Residence32:24 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, 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.