🧬 Neela Patel - Bonum Therapeutics - Part 4 | Transitioning to Seattle Genetics & Business Development | Insights from Roche’s Acquisition | Building a Transformative Oncology Pipeline with Bonum Therapeutics

The Biotech Startups Podcast

Part 4 of 4:

Jon Chee hosts our latest guest, Neela Patel, Chief Business Officer at Bonum Therapeutics who are developing protein therapeutics to be used to treat a wide range of diseases. Neela is a seasoned scientist and business development executive with over 30 years of leadership experience in drug discovery and development.

Before her time at Bonum Therapeutics Neela worked as the CBO at Good Therapeutics, a biotech company that develops cutting edge protein-based drugs. Her impressive career also includes pivotal roles at Seattle Genetics, AbbVie, Abbott, and Genentech. Her extensive experience as both a scientist and business person give her unique insights you won’t want to miss.

Join us this week to hear about:

• Neela’s transition from AbbVie to Seattle Genetics and business development
• Her meeting with Good Therapeutics CEO and how it changed her career trajectory
• Her move to Good Therapeutics as Chief Business Development Officer
• Neela’s experience leading Good through its acquisition by Roche, and the importance of strategic deal structuring
• Her current role as CBO of Bonum Therapeutics and focus on developing cytokine therapies for oncology

Please enjoy Jon’s conversation with Neela Patel!

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

Find Our Guest, Neela Patel, at these links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/neela-patel-84b144/

https://bonumtx.com/

Find Our Host, Jon Chee, at these links:

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

https://www.excedr.com

Excedr Socials & Website

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Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@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:

Bonum Therapeutics: https://bonumtx.com/

Roche: https://www.roche.com/

Seattle Genetics (Pfizer): https://www.seagen.com/who-we-are/history

Vivo Capital: https://vivocapital.com/

Business Development Roles in the Life Sciences: https://www.excedr.com/resources/business-development-in-the-life-sciences

Biotech Startup Support: https://www.excedr.com/resources-category/biotech-startup-support

Buy-side vs. Sell-Side: https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/career/ma-buy-side-sell-side/

Liquidity Events: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/l/liquidity_event.asp

What Should Investors & Founders Expect From Each Other? https://www.excedr.com/resources/investor-founder-expectations

People Mentioned:

Greg Hageman: https://medicine.utah.edu/faculty/gregory-s-hageman

Diane Hollenbaugh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diane-hollenbaugh-b826723/

John Mulligan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-mulligan-ph-d-5aa5a37/

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

02:03 Neela’s motivation to join Good Therapeutics, meeting CEO John Mulligan

04:12 Evaluating startup teams and the importance of board alignment

07:01 Building trust with the board and John Mulligan’s approach

09:24 Structuring the Roche deal for streamlined transition

10:46 Good Therapeutics’ culture and team transition to Bonum

13:08 Understanding investor motivations and startup priorities

14:48 Reflections on shifting from buy-side to sell-side

21:46 Bonum’s focus on reducing toxicity in oncology and their clinical pipeline goals

27:37 Shout-outs to career mentors and advice for younger self

31:02 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.