117. From Lab Coats to CEO Notes: BioLabs' Glennis Mehra on Biotech Business in NYC

In this episode of Grow Everything, Karl and Erum sit down with Dr. Glennis Mehra, the absolute powerhouse behind BioLabs at NYU Langone, to talk about what it really takes to build a biotech startup in New York City. From how to deal with imposter syndrome to finding funding in a capital-constrained world, Glennis shares hard-earned insights on how founders can survive (and thrive) in one of the toughest, most exciting biotech ecosystems on the planet. They get into the magic of founder-to-founder collaboration, why biology’s complexity is finally getting the respect it deserves, and whether AI is about to make lab work obsolete (spoiler: it’s not). Plus, Erum debates whether traveling to Mars just to eat lettuce is worth it.

Grow Everything brings the bioeconomy to life. Hosts Karl Schmieder and Erum Azeez Khan share stories and interview the leaders and influencers changing the world by growing everything. Biology is the oldest technology. And it can be engineered. What are we growing?

Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠www.messaginglab.com/groweverything⁠⁠⁠ 

Chapters:

• 00:00:00 – Introduction and Vision for a Better Future
• 00:00:17 – Unexpected Weather, Birthday Trips, and Giant Malls
• 00:01:41 – Climate Change, Extreme Weather, and the Reality of Rising Temperatures
• 00:03:07 – Space Travel, Microbes on Mars, and the Lettuce Dilemma
• 00:05:12 – Biotech Innovations, Soil Microbiomes, and Engineering Nature
• 00:07:06 – The Storytelling Gene: Why Scientists Must Be Great Communicators
• 00:09:02 – Sweet Proteins, Strategic Narratives, and Startup Success
• 00:10:39 – Young Innovators, Biochar, and Climate Tech Disruptors
• 00:13:12 – Welcoming Dr. Glennis Mehra: The Biotech Builder
• 00:15:04 – From Academia to Entrepreneurship: Glennis’ Journey
• 00:17:31 – Imposter Syndrome in Biotech: Why Founders Struggle
• 00:19:55 – The Secret to Building a Strong Startup Community
• 00:22:18 – The Founder’s Dilemma: Making Big Decisions Quickly
• 00:25:09 – Why Founder-to-Founder Collaboration is Biotech’s Superpower
• 00:28:46 – Capital Scarcity and the Rise of Smarter Founders
• 00:32:53 – Building a Biotech in NYC: The Reality Check
• 00:33:42 – The Toughest Part: Capital, Talent, and Space
• 00:36:09 – Why NYC is a Risk-Taker’s Playground
• 00:38:56 – The Future of Biotech and the AI Acceleration
• 00:44:29 – Honest Advice for Biotech Entrepreneurs
• 00:48:12 – BioLabs and the Startup Survival Toolkit
• 00:52:48 – Final Words and What Comes Next

Links and Resources:

• Biolabs@NYULangone
• NASA Science Payloads
• Researchers link a gene to the emergence of spoken language
• Oobli and Ingredion Announce Partnership as Demand for Sweet Proteins Accelerates
• Sweet Dreams Are Made of Proteins: Oobli’s Ali Wing
• A 16-year-old (Harper Moss) helms this new regenerative farming startup

Topics Covered: 

Biotech, Business, NYC, Innovation, Incubator, Accelerator, Startups, Biomanufacturing

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Email: groweverything@messaginglab.com

Music by: Nihilore

Production by: Amplafy Media