Explore the Future of Biomanufacturing
Welcome to my blog! I'm James, a strategic advisor and coach with over 20 years of experience in biotech and executive leadership. I've built high-performing teams and led groundbreaking research in stem cell metabolism, regenerative medicine, and cultured meat. As a passionate advocate for biomanufacturing's world-changing potential, I'm excited to share my knowledge and ideas with you.
What You’ll Discover Here
🔬 Latest Innovations: Explore cutting-edge advancements in biomanufacturing, cultivated meat, and cellular agriculture.
🚀 Founder's Corner: Access valuable tools and insights developed for my coaching program, tailored specifically for technical founders.
🎙️ Industry Voices: Every two weeks, enjoy an in-depth interview with a founder, investor, or operator in the biomanufacturing space.
🎓 Don’t Be Like Bob: How to Align Your Tech with Market Demand
After speaking with 200+ technical founders and leaders—and based on my own experience—the biggest challenge remains the same: aligning technical strategy with commercial success.
Is your team truly aligned?
Over the past couple of months, I’ve been working with founders and leaders on communication, goal setting, and team alignment. One simple test keeps proving invaluable:
Ask each team member—individually—what the company’s North Star is for 2025.
🎓Your Value Proposition Can Make or Break Your Startup —Are You Getting It Right?
Your unique value proposition (UVP) is more than just a tagline—it’s your North Star. It guides where you spend resources (time and money), how you make strategic decisions, and whether investors, customers, and partners take you seriously.
🎓 The Unique Challenges of Being a Technical Founder and Leader 🌟
Ever feel like you’re caught between your passion for groundbreaking science and the relentless need to focus on customers and products?
🎓 Why I Don’t Believe in Resolutions—But I’m All In on Impact 🎯
✨ 2024 was a transformative year—full of growth, learning, and meaningful partnerships. As I step into 2025, I’m doubling down on what I do best: helping biotech teams align their technical and commercial roadmaps to bring world-changing products to market, faster and more efficiently.
🎓2024: A year of big wins, hard lessons, and immense gratitude.
Building a business from scratch has been equal parts rewarding, terrifying, and exhilarating. Here are some highlights (and lowlights) from the year:
🎓Premature disclosure can be the death of innovation. 🚨
Don't let these common IP missteps slow you down. Plan strategically, protect your innovations, and stay ahead of the competition.
🎓The Ten Key Types of Biotech Partnerships and Why They Matter
For B2C companies, leveraging the expertise and resources of B2B partners can save months or even years of development. Likewise, industry/academia collaborations can help de-risk pre-commercial research, providing a solid foundation for future growth.
So, what types of partnerships are there in the biotech space, and how can you plan for success?
🎓 Key Learnings from My First Six Months in Consulting
Embarking on this consulting journey—my first venture without a regular salary—has been a revelation. These past six months have been among the most exhilarating and fulfilling of my career.
🎓Branding for Impact: Insights from the FoodHack Meetup ✨
Last evening, I had the pleasure of attending the inaugural FoodHack Melbourne meetup of 2024 🚀. For those unfamiliar, FoodHack is a global network of entrepreneurs and investors collaborating to revolutionize our food system for the better.
🎓Early capital is expensive capital.
"There is no more expensive capital than the first time you raise." At this stage, your company faces the greatest challenges: immature technology, a small IP portfolio, and high risk. This often means parting with significant equity for relatively modest funding.
🎓"What's worth doing even if I fail?"
"What's worth doing even if I fail?" This question isn't about the fear of failure; it's about the courage to embrace our mission so passionately that we're compelled to act, regardless of the outcome 💪. It's a call to lean into vulnerability, to believe in ourselves and our purpose, so deeply that we dare to step into the arena, even when the risk of failure looms large.