I was in the passenger seat, trying desperately not to reach for the grab handle, saying reassuring things but thinking ‘those mailboxes are really close’.

By Aoife Brennan, CEO of Synlogic, as part of the From The Trenches feature of LifeSciVC

Read more.

Spring in New England is in full bloom. All around birds are chirping, flowers are blooming, and there is sweetness (and pollen) everywhere. Life is anew. Really anew. I don’t know about you, but this spring feels particularly poignant. The pandemic isolation was long, personal, and collectively traumatic. Having the seasonal change of nature’s new life coincide with vaccinations climbing and COVID cases decreasing, has me almost sprinting back to the office.

By Andrea DiMella, VP and Head of Talent at Atlas Venture, as part of the From The Trenches feature of LifeSciVC.

Read more.

The universe of public biotech companies has been growing for a decade, and increasingly so in the past few years as the IPO market has flourished. Hundreds of young aspiring biotechs have tapped into the public equity markets, swelling the ranks of small- and mid-cap players.

Read more.

The biotech job market is a bit like the suburban housing market—red hot. It’s a buyer’s market, don’t waive your inspection rights!

It is possibly the tightest biotech labor market of my twenty-year career. I have not seen any recent statistics, but it seems the inflow of capital into our sector, documented by Bruce in several of his recent blogs, is trickling down. Companies are proliferating, and far more jobs are being created than there are warm bodies to fill. In any given week, I get up to five inquiries from recruiters; companies of all stages and sizes are looking for people to fill strategy and business development roles. In this environment, most candidates will have several options; I’d like to opine specifically on how best to choose a CBO job, but this advice can apply to any executive position.

By Pamela L. Esposito, CBO of Replimune as part of the From The Trenches feature of LifeSciVC.

Read more.

Over the last 5 years, biotech executives have been increasingly focused on the importance of greater diversity in our companies. As two women who have served as both CEOs and board chairs, our own paths to these positions drive our passion for this topic. And while gender barriers in the workplace are not the same as racial barriers, there are some parallels in the roadblocks and challenges faced. The broad issue of diversity and inclusion demands urgent attention and plays a critical role in the successful growth in our companies and in the industry at large in the years to come.

Co-authored by Jodie Morrison and René Russo, former CEO of Cadent Therapeutics and CEO of Xilio Therapeutics, respectively.  

Read more.