Raising Biotech
A narrative podcast series hosted by journalist Surani Fernando that goes beyond the headlines to explore how biotech companies are really built — from bold ideas and impressive fundraises to the science that could reshape healthcare. Surani speaks with founders, CEOs, investors, and experts to uncover origin stories, company missions, and the challenges of bringing ambitious discoveries to market. Through thoughtful, independent reporting, Raising Biotech examines what it really takes to turn breakthroughs into lasting impact for patients and the industry.
For guest or sponsor pitches, please get in touch with Surani Fernando on LinkedIn or email raisingbiotech@gmail.com.
S3, EP5: Special Analysis: What's going on with European Biotech? - Reporting from BioEurope in Vienna
In this special on-the-ground episode of Raising Biotech, Surani takes you inside BIO-Europe 2025 in Vienna — the dealmaking, the caffeine, and the cautious optimism shaping Europe’s biotech landscape...
S3, E4: ReproNovo’s strategic trash-to-treasure bet on fertility and reproductive health - with CEO Jean Marie Duval
In this episode, we dive into ReproNovo’s “trash to treasure” biotech story. Founded in Switzerland in 2021, the company is reimagining reproductive medicine, one of the most underserved areas in biot...
S3, E3: AltruBio’s Cinderella story from bankruptcy talks to a $225M Series B to tackle autoimmune diseases - with CEO Dr Judy Chou
In this episode, we look at AltruBio’s Cinderella story. While the company officially launched in 2020, its roots go back more than 20 years with a rich immunology pipeline stuck in “academic-style ex...
S3, E2: The Biotech Bromance: Serial CEO and Investor’s 20‑Year Journey of Building Biotechs with Steve Butts, Arrivo Bio and Dave Adair, Solas BioVentures
This episode of Raising Biotech takes a different turn — not just the story of a biotech, but of a partnership. Steve Butts, CEO of Arrivo BioVentures, and Dr. Dave Adair, Co‑Founder and Managing Part...
S3, E1: How Xaira Therapeutics went from incubation to a billion dollar launch - with Vik Bajaj, CEO Foresite Labs
In this episode, we go inside the creation of Xaira Therapeutics — the biotech startup that raised over a billion dollars at launch without a product or clinical data. Speaking with Vik Bajaj, CEO and...
It's been a while! Season 3 update from Surani
In this bonus episode, Surani shares an honest update on what’s been happening behind the scenes at Raising Biotech, why Season 3 took longer than planned, and what to expect going forward. From refle...
S2, E6: iOmx and shaking up the immuno-oncology field with CEO Apollon Papadimitriou, Professor Phillip Beckhove (RCI) and Jared Holz (Mizuho)
In this episode of Raising Biotech, Surani finally delves into the scary zone of cancer with German biotech iOmx. The company has raised a total of EUR 115 million (Series A and B) since its inception...
S2, E5: Cerevance and a new approach to Parkinson's disease with CEO Craig Thompson and CNS expert Prof Karl Kieburtz (URMC, Clintrex)
In this episode of Raising Biotech, Surani delves into the world of CNS and Parkinson's disease with Cerevance. CEO Craig Thompson joins the podcast to speak about Cerevance's unique mission and use o...
S2, E4: Sparrow Pharmaceuticals and tackling the ravaging effects of steroids with founder David Katz and experts Dr Peter Merkel (UPenn), Dr Leon Henderson-MacLennan (InThought)
In this episode of Raising Biotech, Surani learns that it's never too late to launch a biotech as Sparrow Pharmaceuticals was born when its founder, Dr David Katz, was ready to retire. During his long...
S2, E3: Ray Therapeutics leveraging optogenetics to tackle vision loss with CEO Paul Bresge and Dr José-Alain Sahel (University of Pittsburgh)
In this episode of Raising Biotech, Surani explores the fascinating world of vision restoration and optogenetics with Ray Therapeutics. The company raised an oversubscribed $100m Series A in May 2023,...
S2, E2: Fauna Bio tapping animal evolution and AI for drug development with CEO Ashley Zehnder and Prof Elinor Karlsson, Broad Institute (MIT/Harvard)
In this episode of Raising Biotech, Surani explores the truly unique story of Fauna Bio -- a female trio founding team that is studying evolution and the intersection of animal and human genomics to u...
S2, E1: Mana.bio and programmable lipid nanoparticles with CEO Yogev Debbi and RNA expert Dr Barry Ticho
In this episode of Raising Biotech, Surani explores the multi-layered start-up story of Israeli lipid nanoparticle biotech Mana.bio. This is a tech meets biotech story, where AI and machine learning i...
