Todd Zion, PhD, Repeat Founder - Magical Proteins

<p><strong><span style="color: #e67e23;">Join Sal's Investment Syndicate List: <a href= "https://www.angelinvestboston.com/our-syndicates">Click to Join</a></span></strong></p> <p>Repeat biotech founder Todd Zion on SmartCells (acquired by Merck for $500MM) and his current venture Akston Bio which is doing cool things with proteins. Todd has valuable insights on VC funding, angel investing and founding teams. This interview’s a peach!</p> <ul> <li>Intro of Todd Zion, PhD Co-Founder of SmartCells (Merck) and Akston Bio</li> <li>Todd Zion Was Fascinated by the Potential of Polymers to Do Powerful Things</li> <li>Smart Drug Delivery – Making Insulin Adapt to Blood Glucose Levels</li> <li>“…then got bitten by the bug, like I said, of the entrepreneurial spirit that runs quite strong through MIT.”</li> <li>“…with SmartCells, we made a conscious effort to build a company that could be capital efficient and achieve what angels want out of an investment…”</li> <li>Jeff Behrens’ Experience at Siamab Is Discussed</li> <li>Todd Zion Is Leery of Raising Big Money Because It Raises Costs</li> <li>“…you should always be betting on the jockey and not necessarily the horse.”</li> <li>“Sometimes you may throw out really good ideas, due to a lack of resources.”</li> <li>“…anyone with ten million spends the last million better than the first nine.”</li> <li>“...in a venture-funded world, there's a huge amount of price inflation.”</li> <li>“…if anyone wants a job at Akston, you can get a covered garage parking in the winter.”</li> <li>Akston’s Basic Technology: Coupling a Protein to an Antibody to Enhance the Function of the Protein</li> <li>Reversing the Body’s Autoimmune Response to Insulin Which Causes Type 1 Diabetes.</li> <li>The Importance of a GMP (good manufacturing practices) Facility of Your Own</li> <li>Creating an Ultra Long-Acting Insulin for Dogs & Cats</li> <li>Akston Pivoted to Making a Protein-Based COVID Vaccine</li> <li>From the Design of the Molecule to Human Trials Took Only 11 Months</li> <li>Advantages of Prot