D.A. Wallach Explains Why Biotech VC Is So Different
Most people think of venture capital as funding software startups or, these days, some new AI tool. But VC also plays a major role in developing new medicines and treatments. That’s the world of D.A. Wallach — though he didn’t start there. Before becoming a biotech investor, Wallach was the lead singer of the indie rock band Chester French. So how did he make the leap from music to venture capital? How does he spot promising biotech opportunities? What does it actually take to bring a new drug to market? And how does biotech investing differ from traditional VC? We talk to the co-founder of Time BioVentures about all of this — plus we get his thoughts on AI’s impact on music and a special performance.
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Startup Valuations, Biotech’s Crunch & AI’s Massive TAM | E2147
Today’s show:
It’s another blockbuster panel of insiders, as Alex sits down with Astasia Myers from Felicis, Matt Turck from First Mark Capital, and D.A. Wallach of Time BioVentures. AI is reshaping early-stage investing, with startups raising record-setting rounds adn chasing $100B+ markets. Meanwhile, biotech faces a “Great Depression” as public markets stay shut, putting added pressure on private capital. In healthcare, AI-powered virtual doctors promise to bring world-class medical advice to everyone, while fertility tech could revolutionize IVF by automating embryo handling and slashing costs. Hear our VC experts exclusive thoughts on these trends and much more!
Timestamps:
(2:21) The post-Q2 landscape and everyone’s immediate reactions
(05:00) Why biotech is in a “Great Depression,” even for AI companies!
(9:36) CLA - Get started with CLA's CPAs, consultants, and wealth advisors now at https://claconnect.com/tech(12:14) Overpriced vs. high-performing: Do high prices ALWAYS mean low expected returns and vice versa?
(14:50) Mega markets: how AI is different from past software shifts(18:58) Everyone’s companies are CRUSHING IT: why genAI has crazy tailwinds right now
(20:33) Sentry - New users get 3 months free of the Business plan (covers 150k errors). Go to http://sentry.io/twist and use code TWIST(21:46) Product-market fit and revenue durability in AI(24:29) Marketing and community development for early stage founders(25:14) AI advancements in humor, avatars, and healthcare(29:30) Public - Take your investing to the next level with Public. Build a multi-asset portfolio and earn 4.1% APY on your cash—with no fees or minimums. Start now at public.com/twist.(30:45) Healthcare innovation and AI foundation models(35:37) AI differentiation, OpenAI valuation, and infrastructure companies(43:08) User experience in LLMs and AI inference costs(51:21) AI healthcare applications and founding team trends(56:28) Hiring trends, burn rates, and outsourcing in biotech(1:01:51) Government investment in biotech and the European AI ecosystem(1:06:43) Academic founders and the Felicis Fellows program(1:09:10) Recent exits and the outlook for the upcoming quarters(1:12:27) Innovations in fertility treatments and prenatal testing(1:15:51) Summary of bullish trends and future outlook(1:16:14) Closing remarks and future check-in plans
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Spotify x Barcelona, ex-Disney CEO joins Genies, AMC gold mine + D.A. Wallach: music and bio-investing | Angel S6 E10 | E1410
We wrap up Angel Season 6 on First Time Funds with Pharrell Williams-signed rocker turned investor D.A. Wallach of TimeBio Ventures (32:23). But first, we do 4 rapid-fire news topics: Spotify spent ~$307M on FC Barcelona naming rights (2:56), AMC acquired a 22% stake in gold miner (10:29), Ex-Disney CEO Bob Iger joins the NFT avatar company Genies’ Board (16:14) and we break down the anatomy of two alleged NFT grifts (22:35).
(00:00) Jason and Molly intro the show: Spotify & FC Barcelona, AMC goes for Gold, Bob Iger joins Genies, NFT Grifts, Angel interview w/ DA Wallach
(02:56) Spotify drops reported ~$307M on FC Barcelona stadium naming rights
(09:18) Ourcrowd - Check out the deal of the week at https://ourcrowd.com/angel
(10:29) AMC goes for Gold
(16:14) Bob Iger joins Genies board
(21:19) Embroker - Get an extra 10% off insurance for your business at https://Embroker.com/twist
(22:35) Anatomy of NFT Grifts
(31:03) LinkedIn Jobs - Go to https://linkedIn.com/angel and post your first job for free.
(32:23) Angel S6 w/ DA Wallach of Time BioVentures
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D.A. Wallach – Investing in Healthcare - [Invest Like the Best, EP.166]
My guest today is D.A. Wallach, one of the more interesting investors I’ve come across. He is the former lead singer of the group Chester French and the former artist-in-residence at Spotify, where he was also an early investor. While he’s also an early investor in companies like SpaceX, his focus the last 5 years has been on early stage health care investing, which is the topic of this conversation. We discuss the entire life sciences and heath care investing ecosystem. This was recorded in the very early days of the Coronavirus outbreak so while we touch on it briefly it isn’t the primary focus, and I intend on returning to more traditional episodes like this one in the coming weeks, meant to be evergreen conversations. Please enjoy my conversation with D.A. Wallach.
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Show Notes
1:31 – (First question) – Where is interest in healthcare started
4:04 – How to categorize health services
5:13 – The product of medicine
6:56 – How medicine is changing in 2020
10:17 – What is enabling innovation in medicine
12:41 – Manufacturing of solutions, gene therapy example
17:16 – Using CRISPR
19:47 – Pros and cons, and the morality of gene intervention
23:44 – How progress is being made in medical breakthroughs
26:51 – What is the business and investment world seeing on the longevity side
30:15 – What is next in the wearable medical tracking trend
33:04 – The personalization of medical treatments
34:31 – How he thinks about all of this from an investing standpoint
36:37 – Exiting these companies
39:41 – How he thinks about founders in this space
42:35 – Drug prices
42:46 – The Paradox of Pricing
46:45 – What will lead to a change in the pricing of drugs
49:05 – The delivery side of healthcare
51:09 – Investments that could improve the delivery side of healthcare
53:33 – Thoughts on the anti-interventionist line of thinking in the medical world
57:50 – Lessons from his health portfolio
1:02:33 – Other frontiers that pique his interest, including gut biome
1:06:46 – His career in music
1:08:20 – Lessons he learned during his time in the music industry
1:10:19 – Opportunities in the music industry as an investor
1:12:29 – Kindest thing anyone has done for DA
Learn More
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