Comments on: What Boston’s Life Sciences Community is Taking for Granted http://www.xconomy.com/boston/2009/10/15/what-boston-life-sciences-is-taking-for-granted/ Business + Technology in the Exponential Economy Sat, 11 Feb 2012 03:54:18 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 By: Luke Timmerman http://www.xconomy.com/boston/2009/10/15/what-boston-life-sciences-is-taking-for-granted/comment-page-1/#comment-87161 Luke Timmerman Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:54:28 +0000 http://www.xconomy.com/?p=46011#comment-87161 Jens--it's a great idea to draw attention to the special 'soup' in Boston life sciences. I'm based in Seattle, but cover Boston life sciences, have noticed there is an absolute industrial conveyer belt for new life sciences company creation in Boston. It is special. The basic formula, as I see it, is to spin out a potentially disruptive technology from one of the great Boston academic institutions, round up some stars the scientific advisory board, get a handful of deep pocketed VCs who put in $20m or more into a Series A to give it a shot, and recruit a seasoned executive from a local Big Biotech or Big Pharma as the CEO. Even in the downturn, this kind of thing has happened fairly often this year in Boston, but not nearly so much in Seattle or San Diego. Jens–it’s a great idea to draw attention to the special ‘soup’ in Boston life sciences. I’m based in Seattle, but cover Boston life sciences, have noticed there is an absolute industrial conveyer belt for new life sciences company creation in Boston. It is special.

The basic formula, as I see it, is to spin out a potentially disruptive technology from one of the great Boston academic institutions, round up some stars the scientific advisory board, get a handful of deep pocketed VCs who put in $20m or more into a Series A to give it a shot, and recruit a seasoned executive from a local Big Biotech or Big Pharma as the CEO. Even in the downturn, this kind of thing has happened fairly often this year in Boston, but not nearly so much in Seattle or San Diego.

]]> By: Jens Eckstein http://www.xconomy.com/boston/2009/10/15/what-boston-life-sciences-is-taking-for-granted/comment-page-1/#comment-87158 Jens Eckstein Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:34:27 +0000 http://www.xconomy.com/?p=46011#comment-87158 Good points, Lesa. There is a gap between the old paradigm that 'all business is local' and the global reach of technology. Bridging that gap by bringing great technology together with local teams and infrastructure is one of our (VCs) responsibilities. Good points, Lesa. There is a gap between the old paradigm that ‘all business is local’ and the global reach of technology. Bridging that gap by bringing great technology together with local teams and infrastructure is one of our (VCs) responsibilities.

]]> By: Lesa Mitchell http://www.xconomy.com/boston/2009/10/15/what-boston-life-sciences-is-taking-for-granted/comment-page-1/#comment-87139 Lesa Mitchell Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:51:48 +0000 http://www.xconomy.com/?p=46011#comment-87139 There are two other misunderstood facts about the ecosystem. 1. In Boston and CA big pharma/biotech pay attention to the start up community and have created porous boundaries. Everywhere else in US and outside of US big co's act arrogant and assume no start-ups are smarter then them. 2. while BusDev and VC's pay attention to technologies in locations where they land and do business a funny thing happens. There are actually cool technologies laying dormant all over the place. At a conference in the EU a industry exec told me he found a very valuable mouse model on the iBridge Network but they had never worked with or really heard of the university. It was Penn State! The world is flat but our minds and eyes haven't figured out how to capture all that global knowledge yet. There are two other misunderstood facts about the ecosystem. 1. In Boston and CA big pharma/biotech pay attention to the start up community and have created porous boundaries. Everywhere else in US and outside of US big co’s act arrogant and assume no start-ups are smarter then them.
2. while BusDev and VC’s pay attention to technologies in locations where they land and do business a funny thing happens. There are actually cool technologies laying dormant all over the place. At a conference in the EU a industry exec told me he found a very valuable mouse model on the iBridge Network but they had never worked with or really heard of the university. It was Penn State! The world is flat but our minds and eyes haven’t figured out how to capture all that global knowledge yet.

]]> By: lesamitchell at 10/15/09 10:46:25 | Toyota Prius http://www.xconomy.com/boston/2009/10/15/what-boston-life-sciences-is-taking-for-granted/comment-page-1/#comment-87138 lesamitchell at 10/15/09 10:46:25 | Toyota Prius Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:49:50 +0000 http://www.xconomy.com/?p=46011#comment-87138 [...] RT @Xconomy What Boston’s Life Sciences Community is Taking for Granted http://xconomy.com/?p=46011 VERY TRUE Posted on Thu 15 Oct 10:46 retweet 0 votes RT @lesamitchell: RT @Xconomy What [...] [...] RT @Xconomy What Boston’s Life Sciences Community is Taking for Granted http://xconomy.com/?p=46011 VERY TRUE Posted on Thu 15 Oct 10:46 retweet 0 votes RT @lesamitchell: RT @Xconomy What [...]

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