🧬 How to Turn Regulatory Chaos Into Competitive Advantage | Darren Cooke (Part 3/4)

The Biotech Startups Podcast

Content provided by Jon Chee. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Jon Chee or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

4d ago 24:56

MP3•Episode home

🧬 The Biotech Startups Podcast is powered by Excedr—helping life science startups accelerate R&D and commercialization with founder-friendly equipment leasing. Skip the upfront costs, stay lean, and focus on breakthrough science.

As a TBSP listener, you can get exclusive perks through Excedr’s partner network—special savings, promotions, and more. Explore these offers today: https://www.excedr.com/partners.

"If you’re not challenging what you’ve always done, you’re not going to move forward or innovate."

In this episode, Darren Cooke, Interim Chief Innovation & Entrepreneurship Officer and Executive Director of the Life Sciences Entrepreneurship Center at the University of California, Berkeley, reveals how he’s navigated the fast-changing world of financial advice by embracing regulatory shifts, championing innovation, and building trust through integrity and open communication, sharing hard-won lessons on personal growth, resilience, and finding new opportunities amid uncertainty and change.

Key topics covered:

Embracing Regulatory Change: Adapting to new rules and compliance
Client Trust and Communication: Building and rebuilding relationship credibility
The Innovation Mindset: Challenging routines for growth
Technology in Practice: Staying ahead with smarter tools
Leadership Lessons: Cultivating resilience and empathy

If you enjoy The Biotech Startups Podcast, please consider subscribing, leaving a review, or sharing it with your friends. Thanks for listening.

Subscribe to the Podcast:

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-biotech-startups-podcast/id1679591994

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PSL162R2s0zOwU5913Zv4

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thebiotechstartupspodcast

Website: https://www.thebiotechstartupspodcast.com/

Find our guest, Darren Cooke, at these links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ddcooke/

Website: http://berkeley.edu/

Find our host, Jon Chee, at these links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonchee

Learn more about Excedr:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/excedr/

Website: https://www.excedr.com

Intro & Outro Songs Created by OkKyojin, Owned by Excedr:

Website: https://flow.page/kyojin

Resources & Articles:

The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41881472-the-psychology-of-money

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11468377-thinking-fast-and-slow

The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26160019-the-innovator-s-dilemma

(FCA) Guidance Papers: https://www.fca.org.uk/publications

TRAP: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/trap-the-real-adviser-podcast/id1648027651

Startup Campus (How UC Berkeley became a leader in entrepreneurship) https://a.co/d/5pCg83q

Companies, Universities, & People mentioned:

UC Berkeley: https://www.berkeley.edu/

Genentech: https://www.gene.com/

NSF I-Corps (National Science Foundation I-Corps): https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/i-corps/

Haas School of Business (UC Berkeley Haas): https://haas.berkeley.edu/

Errol Arkilic: https://www.linkedin.com/in/errol-arkilic-350b8/

Rhonda Schrader: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhondashrader/

Timestamps:

00:00  Intro

02:09  Building a Solo Law Practice

03:46  University Tech Transfer – Bayh-Dole and Licensing

05:31  Demystifying License Agreements

07:46  Investor Perspectives & Startup De-Risking

08:42  Transition to Mentorship and Teaching at Haas

09:31  First Encounter with NSF I‑Corps

10:39  Becoming a National I‑Corps Instructor

14:26  “The Magic of Showing Up” in Academia

15:41  Volunteering, Guest Lecturing, and Faculty Careers

17:18  Student Stories: Breaking Into Top Biotech Labs

19:55  Navigating Networking Barriers

23:32  Outro

The Biotech Startups Podcast gives you a front-row seat to the business and science of building a biotech. Hosted by Jon Chee, CEO of Excedr, the show features honest conversations with founders, execs, and investors about their work, their companies, and how they got there. From scientific breakthroughs to startup lessons, each episode explores what it really takes to grow a life science company—from pre-seed to IPO.

184 episodes

#Science #Biology #Business #Jon Chee #Biotech Startups #Biotech #Startups #Excedr #Life Sciences #Entrepreneur #Founders #Culture