The Insider's Playbook: How Startups Survive and Thrive — Lessons from Edico Genome’s CEO

The big data movement is redefining our approach to biotechnology and opening up new opportunities for engineers and mathematicians. Furthermore, it is helping entrepreneurs establish a new breed of startups that integrate technology with biotechnology. Consequently, how to attract tech talent into the life sciences sector has become a hotly debated topic, as the barriers between the two fields have remained distinctly clear until now. So, how can we bridge the gap between technology and biotechnology?

Pieter van Rooyen is the CEO of Edico Genome, a company headquartered in La Jolla, a suburban town of San Diego. Recently, he published an article in Nature Biotechnology, sharing his views on the aforementioned issues. Van Rooyen is a trained electrical engineer, and under his leadership, this high-profile industry newcomer has reduced the time required for next-generation sequencing analysis from 24 hours to just 18 minutes. So how did he achieve this?

1. Unrivaled Location
Choosing San Diego as its corporate headquarters marked the first step in building a next-generation biotechnology company. The city is home to Qualcomm and its robust pool of engineering talent, as well as a vibrant ecosystem of life sciences startups. These factors help foster a successful company that brings together expertise from both the high-tech and life sciences sectors.

“Locating your company within a renowned entrepreneurial hub keeps you closely connected to the industry. For us, establishing our headquarters in San Diego has been a significant advantage, placing us in close proximity to industry leaders such as Illumina, Thermo Fisher, and Scripps Genomic Medicine at STSI, as well as numerous genomics startups like Portable Genomics and Cypher Genomics. We frequently run into peers and mentors on the street, making face-to-face communication highly convenient. After all, in-person conversations are always more effective than those conducted via phone or email,” the text states.

2. Openness, Humility, and Curiosity
van Rooyen emphasized that entrepreneurs need to maintain an open mind and a passion for learning, especially in this emerging and rapidly evolving field of bioinformatics. He wrote:

I taught myself using relevant university textbooks, including those on chemistry, biochemistry, and genomics, and also audited courses at a local university (with the institution’s permission, of course). These institutions not only offer abundant informational resources but also provide access to many experts in the field. At the same time, it is essential to maintain a humble attitude. I purchased several “For Dummies” books and found them exceptionally well-written and easy to understand, making them excellent materials for quickly getting started.

3. Integrity First
Through the startup accelerator, van Rooyen was able to collaborate with a group of life sciences professionals, compensating for his lack of industry-specific expertise. He quickly established trusted partnerships with Greg Lucier, former CEO of Life Technologies, and Eric Topol of the Scripps Translational Science Institute.

According to van Rooyen, the key to rapidly enhancing the company’s image and driving the establishment of its business operations was the hiring of a highly capable public relations team.

Startups often debate whether it is necessary to partner with a public relations (PR) firm, given that PR services are indeed very expensive. Van Rooyen stated that if your company is vibrant and growing, a PR firm is worth the investment, as its operations can help offset the associated costs. If you cannot afford PR expenses in the short term, you should try to cover them using your initial seed capital.

Therefore, the company engaged a public relations firm following its Series A financing round. With their assistance, the enhancement of the company’s image far exceeded expectations.

4. Partnering with Pioneers
Currently, an emerging field centered on the integration of big data and healthcare is flourishing. This trend demands that professionals possess unique perspectives, specialized knowledge, and methodologies to address challenges; building a diverse talent team has become the passport to success. As van Rooyen writes:

In the future, life sciences companies will likely require a diverse workforce that collaborates closely. Geneticists will work side by side with engineers and computer scientists. The collaboration among pioneers from these different fields will generate remarkable synergy, creating smarter, more innovative products and ultimately improving patients’ quality of life. Do not prevent talent with backgrounds in mathematics or engineering from entering this emerging field.

Compiled by: Chen Xin Edited by: Mo Renying