Many of the values, skills and approaches teams rely on in basketball are the same as those that business leaders and their teams need to rely on in moments of truth when confronting situations one never could have anticipated

The first transplant of an engineered pig kidney into a human is a major medical milestone. However, nearly every major breakthrough in science and medicine – and business – has followed multiple attempts that did not yield satisfactory results. When we don’t succeed at first, we just need to learn what we can from the experience and keep trying to improve

It’s been a stormy season for many life science / biotech companies, especially those who have already been at it for a bit and need to raise more funds to push past a critical goal. It helps to always be on the lookout for unanticipated opportunities, and to practice certain values, skills and approaches that increase the likelihood of being able to navigate past unforeseen challenges

Louis Pasteur said “in matters of observation, chance favors the prepared mind.” Actions such as building strong foundations, extensive professional networks, and continually being optimistic, persistent and resilient are among the skills that help prepare one to be lucky. If you do so, and you’re patient, then in the words of Casey Neistadt, one day preparation may smash into opportunity.

After more than a year of cutbacks in biotech, healthcare and life sciences, many people are seeking a new path forward. If you’re in this position, I’d encourage you to look for a company working on a mission you are passionate about, with leaders who inspire you (and whose judgement you trust), and a work environment where you believe you can learn and thrive and enjoy your time

No matter how exhausting it may feel, or how challenging it gets, remember to try to build new relationships, shine in moments of truth, and enjoy the journey

As we approach the end of the year a lot of people are reflecting back on the past year. We may be reminded of how much we have to be thankful for, as well as the challenges and opportunities that we have overcome, or those that we know lie ahead in the coming year.

When it comes to CEO-board relationships, the main message I want to convey to any CEO of an early stage life science company is that trust, transparency and good personal chemistry are critical.

It’s been said that “the object of war is to survive it.” Many CEOs feel the same way when trying to get their business off the ground while regularly running into unanticipated obstacles.

Today’s post comes as people of the Jewish faith celebrate the beginning of a new year. It’s a time for new beginnings, for wiping the slate clean and starting over from scratch. I experienced this in a very personal way this year as two weeks ago I was the fortunate recipient of living donor kidney transplant from my courageous and generous sister-in-law.

My new book due March, 2024: A story of the relentless pursuit of one’s passion, this memoir reveals the impact of inevitable, unexpected events on a business or life, and shares approaches to navigate past them to achieve successful outcomes.

Persistence is critical to success in new technical ventures. Unexpected challenges will inevitably occur. To navigate past these barriers it’s helpful to focus, think out of the box, take some risk, leverage relationships, and act decisively

When attempting to grow by combining two companies, the two CEOs must first agree on the story, structure, and goals for the new entity, and the relative valuation of the original two companies

Trust is an essential element to any successful relationship. That applies to personal friendships, choosing to participate in a startup, or investing in one

Creating an environment where people are free to express themselves through speech or otherwise, in a civil respectful manner, is critical to intellectual debate, growth and understanding. What’s more, the most challenging moments in life rarely come with warning, so its important to prepare to respond to uncomfortable or unexpected events

Nobody expected SVB to go under in a matter of days this past week. Nonetheless, unexpected events in one form or another occur regularly. How top management responds often determines whether or not a company will survive and thrive or fall by the wayside

I’m interested in hearing about your experience with unexpected events in startup or early stage technical ventures. Challenges or opportunities you never anticipated, as well as how you responded, and what was the outcome

We are not even through January yet and layoffs are all over the news. The specific circumstances may be different, but I’d been to this movie before. Aside from the specific political, economic and social issues at play, I believe the response we are witnessing now is at least partially driven by companies and investors being focused too much on short term shareholder value.

The vast majority of entrepreneurs I’ve met are trying as hard as they can to create real value by commercializing products and services that improve people’s lives and change the world for the better

Global macro-economic factors all imply tough times ahead. Early stage companies must be focused, flexible, persistent and resilient in their approach to conducting their business. They must recognize that they will have to weather a Winter of uncertain length and intensity before finding sunny days again