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Running Through Walls
Running Through Walls

Running Through Walls

Running Through Walls is a Venrock podcast featuring candid conversations between investors and entrepreneurs. Each episode, we offer a behind-the-scenes look at the breakthroughs, challenges and nuttiness associated with building and growing companies. Venture capital firm Venrock has been investing in entrepreneurs across technology and healthcare since 1969.

Available Episodes 10

Ying Huang, CEO of Legend Biotech, speaks with Venrock partner Nimish Shah about his career path to Legend Biotech and the lessons he learned from transitioning from Wall Street to an operating role. Huang also discusses what he prioritized when he first started the role, the most rewarding parts of his job and what characteristics he looks for when hiring people for his team. 

Brad Stulberg, best-selling author of The Practice of Groundedness and co-author of Peak Performance, speaks with Venrock partner Bob Kocher about Stulberg’s new book, Master of Change: How to Excel When Everything is Changing—Including You. Stulberg and Kocher discuss ways to rethink change, the concept of rugged flexibility and paths for embracing and growing from life’s constant instability.

 

Senthil Sundaram, CEO of Terns Pharmaceuticals, speaks with Venrock’s Nimish Shah about the lessons learned balancing personal health events while being CEO of a young company. Sundaram also discusses the "Working Genius" model, an approach focused on leveraging the types of work that bring an employee energy, and his attitude towards team-based leadership and how it propels growth in the workplace.

 

Dr. Sheila Gujrathi, a biotech industry veteran with a strong track record as an entrepreneur, physician executive, translational scientist, board member, and drug developer, speaks with Venrock’s Nimish Shah about the lessons learned in her career at biotech companies both big (Genentech) and small (Gossamer Bio, Receptos, Inc.). Dr. Gujrathi also discusses the importance of building a team of people with shared values, the most challenging parts of being a CEO, and how she’s helping to push diversity in biotech forward.  

 

Sam Kintz, co-founder, and CEO of Enliven Therapeutics, speaks with Venrock partner Nimish Shah about the journey that led him to found Enliven. Kintz delves into lessons learned during his time at Roche Venture Fund, and how his time at Stemcentrx and Abbvie revealed what truly matters most to him – being a part of an entire drug development story. Kintz discusses his decision to pursue a reverse merger (and how he persuaded everyone involved to follow this path), what defines a great leader, and shares the best advice he received from one of his mentors.

Venrock partners Andrew Gottesdiener and Nimish Shah speak with Michael Henderson, CEO of Apogee Therapeutics, about his role’s unique challenges and opportunities. Henderson discusses his accelerated career trajectory, valuable lessons that have helped shape his success, and Apogee’s recent Series B financing round. Henderson delves into the importance of culture building, including Apogee’s guiding principles (CORE: Care, Original, Resilient, Ego-Less), and his strategies for navigating a challenging biotech industry.

Venrock’s Nick Beim speaks with Steve Lockshin, founder of Vanilla, about lessons learned as a serial entrepreneur in wealth management services. Lockshin shares what drives him as an entrepreneur, the need for more digestible information in estate planning, and his most valuable lessons learned on the path to building Vanilla. Lockshin also discusses the importance of humility and how it helped guide his decisions as a business leader.

Venrock partner Nick Beim speaks with Bill McNabb, former chairman and CEO of Vanguard, an asset management company that pioneered low-cost investing for the consumer. McNabb shares important leadership lessons including the importance of being humble, having a clear definition of success, and knowing what makes a high-performing team. McNabb reveals significant decisions he made during his time at Vanguard, such as having “no layoffs” during a crisis, and highlights the importance of thinking long-term while still being agile.

Farzad Mostashari, founder and CEO of Aledade, speaks with Venrock’s Bryan Roberts and Bob Kocher about improving the quality and efficiency of patient care with a focus on preventative care. With the recent launch of Aledade Care Solutions and new focus on Medicare Advantage, Mostashari delves into Aledade’s efforts to scale and deliver where average primary care practices can’t. Mostashari also reveals his approach to value based care incentive structure, and why building a valuable solution requires a long time horizon.

Venrock partners Bryan Roberts and Bob Kocher, speak with Heather Fernandez, co-founder and CEO of Solv, about Solv’s mission, building more cap table diversity in tech, and the healthcare field today. Fernandez delves into Solv’s Series C funding round where she created a special purpose vehicle (SPV) focused on women of color, bringing in first-time investors who wouldn’t otherwise have access. Fernandez also shares how Solv is unlocking capacity with software, its pricing strategy, and its goals for the next 2-3 years.