🧬 Cyriac Roeding - Part 1 | From Flea Market Entrepreneur to Silicon Valley CEO | Reinvention During an Exchange Year | Finding Perspective in Japanese Business Culture

The Biotech Startups Podcast

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Part 1 of 4: My guest today is Cyriac Roeding, founder, investor, and CEO of Earli, a company on a mission to transform cancer into a manageable condition. Using innovative gene therapy approaches, Earli’s technology forces cancer cells to produce a synthetic, non-human biomarker—overcoming the limitations of relying on naturally occurring biomarkers that cancer may or may not provide.

Cyriac is a serial entrepreneur and investor who has created ventures at the intersection of physical and digital worlds. He has invested in startups like OpenAI and served as CEO of Shopkick, which was acquired for $250 million. His current focus, Earli, has raised nearly $60 million from top investors. Cyriac's journey from launching his first startup at 15 to being named a World Economic Forum Tech Pioneer showcases his valuable insights into building successful startups.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• How Cyriac's entrepreneurial journey began at age 8 selling at flea markets, leading to selling his first computer program at 15 to a newspaper company
• His transformative exchange year in Texas at age 16 and how it allowed Cyriac to reset his identity
• How his graduation event transformed his school into a beach with Coca-Cola sponsorship and TV coverage
• How he created and hosted a late-night radio show, balancing academic demands with creative pursuits
• How his experience studying in Japan revealed valuable lessons about cultural perspectives
  

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

Find Our Guest, Cyriac Roeding, at these links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/cyriacroeding/

https://www.earli.com/

https://www.joinrewind.com/

Find Our Host, Jon Chee, at these links:

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

https://www.excedr.com

Excedr Socials & Website

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

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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/excedr

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@excedr

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

Enriched Notes:
Topics Mentioned:

Earli Inc https://www.earli.com/

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology https://www.kit.edu/english/index.php

People Mentioned:

Marc Benioff https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbenioff/

Timestamps:
00:00 Intro

03:06 Early life in Germany and first entrepreneurial experiences at local flea markets

05:03 First job experience at a newspaper company and selling software at age 15

08:59 Exchange student experience in Texas and transformation from German school life

10:52 Life with host families in Texas and personal growth

14:29 Return to Germany and fresh start at a new school

16:31 Early business ventures, teaching computer skills and running a company at 17

20:14 High school graduation and organizing a Coca-Cola sponsored beach event

21:37 University decisions and pursuing industrial engineering at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

26:54 Journey to studying in Japan and securing a scholarship

30:44 Cultural lessons in Japan: experiencing different value systems and problem-solving approaches

36:30 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.