De-risking the Biotech Startup Journey: Lessons from Hyasynth Bio's Kevin Chen

Scispot offers the best AI stack for life science labs. In that spirit of empowering biotech innovation, talk is biotech! host and Scispot CEO Guru Singh recently sat down with Kevin Chen, Co-Founder and CEO of Hyasynth Bio, to discuss how aspiring biotech founders can launch startups without prematurely quitting their jobs or academic programs.

In Episode 4 of the podcast, Kevin Chen, whose Montreal-based company uses engineered yeast to produce cannabinoids, shared candid advice on de-risking the leap into biotech entrepreneurship. The conversation centered on four key strategies for "starting before you fully start": be creative with your time and resources, learn about your industry through programs and networking, understand the real problem you're solving, and build gradually toward a full-time commitment.

This article expands on Kevin's insights with additional examples and a toolkit of modern resources. How can you turn a biotech idea into a viable venture step-by-step, McKinsey-style, instead of all at once? We explore practical ways to de-risk the journey from leveraging incubators and virtual labs to tapping no-code tools and early funding so you can gain traction before taking the full plunge.

Be Creative with Your Time and Resources

One of Chen's core messages was that you don't need a fully equipped lab or 40+ hours a week to start moving your idea forward. "You don't have to quit everything to start a biotech company. Use what's out there, get to know your industry, and build it up," he advises, emphasizing that early progress often comes from creatively leveraging whatever time and infrastructure you have access to.

Aspiring founders can start small and lean: for example, Kevin Chen and his co-founders treated their first year at Hyasynth like an extracurricular project. They brainstormed ideas in the spring and, over one summer, joined an accelerator (RebelBio) to gather initial data and validate their concept, all on a shoestring budget. By the fall, they were pitching at demo days, having achieved proof-of-concept milestones with minimal resources.

This mirrors the approach of many successful biotech startups that began as side projects or academic spin-outs. Consider these creative strategies to maximize limited time and resources:

Leverage Existing Lab Infrastructure: If you're in academia, use your university's core facilities or a professor's lab (with permission) for early experiments. Many biotech founders start by advancing their PhD or postdoc research toward a product. Example: Caribou Biosciences was co-founded by Rachel Haurwitz while she was still a grad student, in partnership with her professor Jennifer Doudna. They began commercializing CRISPR technology within the university setting before spinning out the company.

Outsource and Virtualize Early R&D: You don't need to build a lab from scratch in the early days. Contract research organizations (CROs) and cloud labs can execute experiments for you on a pay-per-project basis. Early-stage companies often outsource key experiments or screens to CROs, or leverage automated "virtual labs" like Strateos that allow remote-running of wet-lab protocols. This approach minimizes capital burn and lets you progress R&D after-hours.

Join Community Labs or Hackathons: Community biotech labs (bio-makerspaces) provide bench space and equipment to tinker with ideas outside a formal job. Kevin Chen, for instance, co-founded a community lab (Bricobio in Montreal) which not only gave him access to lab resources but also a network of fellow "biohackers." Participating in competitions like iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine) is another way to develop a prototype on the side. Many iGEM alumni startups (Hyasynth included) began by testing ideas in this low-risk environment of nights and weekends.

Use No-Code and Automation Tools: Modern biotech doesn't always require writing custom software or manual workflows. There are no-code laboratory information management systems (LIMS) and AI-driven tools that founders can adopt quickly. For example, cloud-based lab operating platforms (like Scispot's LabOS) allow you to design experiments, manage data, and even integrate instruments without extensive IT setup. These tools act as a "force multiplier" for a time-strapped founder, automating data capture and analysis so you can progress research in spare hours.

By being resourceful and frugal early on, you can generate enough data and conviction to attract supporters before you ever leave the security of your paycheck or degree program. The key is to treat your idea as a project you can chip away at creatively: schedule experiments on weekends, use free or low-cost services (many providers offer academic or startup discounts), and repurpose available resources to move forward inch by inch.

Learn the Industry Through Programs and Networking

Another theme from Guru Singh's discussion with Kevin Chen was the importance of immersing yourself in the biotech ecosystem while still in your current role. This means educating yourself about the business side of biotech and building a network of mentors, peers, and supporters long before you need to fundraise or incorporate a company.

"Being creative also means finding ways to learn about the industry through startup programs, accelerators, events, even if you're doing it on the side," Chen noted. Fortunately, today's biotech startup ecosystem offers numerous part-time or low-commitment programs specifically designed for aspiring founders who haven't "jumped ship" yet. Consider engaging with these avenues to learn and connect:

University Innovation Programs: Many universities now have entrepreneurship courses, biotech incubators, or NSF I-Corps programs for students and faculty. These can teach you the basics of commercialization, IP, and market research in a hands-on way. They also connect you with advisors from industry. For example, programs like MIT's Sandbox and Stanford's SPARK allow academics to work on translational projects (often with small grants) alongside their studies or jobs.

Nucleate (Student-Led Accelerator): Nucleate is a nonprofit program explicitly geared toward academic trainees. It pairs scientist-founders with business students and guides them through forming a biotech venture with no equity taken. The beauty of Nucleate is that it "helps academic trainees start companies without ever needing to give up equity or compromise their academic plans." It's a "viable path for students to make venture progress on their ideas without compromising their academic work." By joining initiatives like Nucleate's Activator, you gain access to a playbook, mentor network, and even funding fellowships, all while remaining enrolled in your program.

Biotech Accelerator Bootcamps: Elite accelerators like Y Combinator and IndieBio typically require full-time commitment during their program, but many offer pre-application mentoring or resources. Y Combinator's Startup School, for instance, is an online curriculum founders can take in their free time. IndieBio has gone a step further: it now offers early funding up to 9 months before the intensive on-site program, enabling founders to start validating ideas while still finishing a degree or keeping a day job. In the words of IndieBio's team: even if you haven't graduated or gone full-time on the startup, we encourage you to apply. This flexibility means you can tap an accelerator's resources and guidance in a gradual way.

Networking and Industry Events: Use your evenings or weekends to attend biotech meetups, startup pitch events, or conferences (many have virtual options now). Networking is invaluable, as the people you meet might become future co-founders, investors, or mentors. Kevin Chen built relationships in the synthetic biology community through venues like SynBio Canada and the iGEM network. Hearing war stories and advice from other founders can prepare you mentally for the road ahead. As one CEO noted, the early startup journey can feel lonely, so building a peer group early helps.

By actively learning and networking, you're doing market research and validation in parallel with skill-building. You'll develop a clearer picture of the real-world landscape: who the customers are, what problems are urgent, how regulation works, and where the white spaces lie. This context will inform your startup idea and make you a much more credible founder when the time comes to seek funding. In short, soak up knowledge and connections now, as it will pay dividends in de-risking your later jump.

Understand the Real Problem You're Solving

One trap for scientists-turned-founders is becoming enamored with a technology in search of a problem. Kevin Chen emphasized the importance of grounding your startup in a genuine market need or pain point. Before you go all-in, pressure-test your idea: Is this solving a significant problem for customers or patients? Will someone realistically pay for this solution? Answering these questions early will save you from pursuing a scientific "pet project" that lacks commercial viability.

In practice, understanding the real problem means talking to stakeholders and researching the industry deeply before building too much. For example, during Hyasynth's first summer, Chen's team didn't just tinker in the lab, they also spoke to potential investors and customers to validate that producing cannabinoids via yeast would solve supply issues in the cannabis industry. This kind of customer discovery (akin to the Lean Startup method in tech) is vital in biotech as well.

Many accelerators actually require it: the NSF I-Corps program forces scientist teams to interview dozens of industry people to pinpoint a real unmet need. The goal is to ensure your science addresses a why that matters, not just a cool how. Practical steps to zero in on the right problem:

Conduct Market Research: Even as a student or employee, you can assess the market landscape. Read industry reports, analyst notes, and news in your domain. Gauge the market size and need. As one guide noted, scoping out the market need and size is a key early step, as it helps justify the value of your idea to yourself (and eventually, to investors). If the addressable market or impact seems small, reconsider your focus.

Engage End-Users Early: If your idea targets doctors, patients, or industrial clients, find a way to talk to some. For a therapeutic idea, that could mean conversations with clinicians or pharma business developers; for a research tool, it could mean chatting with lab scientists or biotech companies. These discussions will reveal pain points. You might discover that the problem you thought you were solving is viewed differently by the end-user, leading you to refine your product concept.

Define a Clear Value Proposition: In one sentence, articulate the problem and how your solution is uniquely suited to solve it. This clarity is not just for pitching, it guides your development priorities. For instance, if the real problem is that current diagnostics take too long, you know your key metric for success is speed, not just scientific novelty. Keeping the true problem front-and-center de-risks your project by aligning it with a concrete need.

Avoid Science Fair Syndrome: As a litmus test, ask yourself: if this weren't my research, would I still think this idea is compelling as a business? Seek external feedback to keep yourself honest. Advisors or experienced entrepreneurs can help spot when you're focusing on a trivial problem or one already solved by others. Be willing to pivot your approach or target application if feedback suggests a better opportunity. Remember, it's better to course-correct early than after you've quit your job and invested years into the wrong solution.

By rigorously validating the problem-solution fit early, you greatly increase your odds of building something that has impact. This approach instills confidence that when you do commit fully, you'll be working on a venture with real potential, a huge risk-reducer. As the saying goes, make sure you're building the right it before building it right. In biotech, where development cycles are long, choosing the right problem can make the difference between a "slow flop" and a game-changing company.

Build Gradually Toward a Full-Time Commitment

Perhaps the most reassuring advice from Kevin Chen was that you can ease into your startup. Quitting your job or leaving academia is not an all-or-nothing moment, it can be the culmination of many smaller steps that steadily increase your commitment as risk decreases.

In Chen's case, he gradually ramped up Hyasynth over months: first as a side-project, then through an accelerator (which provided some funding and validation), and only then did it become a full-time pursuit once initial investors were on board. This "staged commitment" strategy is increasingly common and feasible. Think of your startup journey in phases, each with a gate to pass through:

Concept Exploration (Nights & Weekends): You're still fully employed or in school, but in your spare time you develop the idea, do research, maybe form a founding team. Milestone to next phase: clear evidence of feasibility or market interest (e.g. promising lab result, positive customer interviews, or winning a startup prize).

Proof of Concept (Part-Time with External Support): At this stage you might secure a small grant, enter a part-time incubator, or get accepted to a program like Nucleate. You're still not drawing a salary from the startup, but you have some resources (maybe $50k from a pitch competition or government grant) to test the concept. You might reduce your other workload (lighten your course load or go to 80% time at your job). Milestone to next phase: a working prototype or strong data, plus maybe a seed funding offer on the table.

Transition to Full-Time (Commitment with Funding): Once you have significant validation such as a seed investment, an accelerator slot that comes with capital, or a paid pilot with a customer, the scale tips. Now you have the backing (and obligation) to focus on the startup fully. At this point, leaving the day job or academic program makes sense, because the venture's promise outweighs the remaining risk. Importantly, you likely have a support network by now (advisors, cohort peers, investors) which provides a soft landing into full-time entrepreneurship.

Kevin Chen's story followed a similar trajectory, and he's not alone. Many biotech founders only left academia after reaching critical milestones. For example, the founders of gene therapy startup Beam Therapeutics continued their research at Harvard and MIT and built IP portfolios before committing to launch the company with a substantial Series A.

In today's environment, even investors understand the wisdom of de-risking early: some seed funds and accelerators specifically encourage part-time engagement until certain benchmarks are met. This phased approach means by the time you're CEO on Day 1 in the office, you're not taking a blind leap, you've built a runway.

As you progress gradually, set clear targets for yourself: e.g. "I will leave my job when we've secured at least $X in funding or when prototype Y works in animal models." This conditional commitment gives you a rational basis to make the jump, rather than an emotional one. And if targets aren't met, you can re-evaluate without having sacrificed your career. In sum, patience and planning can turn a daunting career gamble into a series of calculated steps.

Leveraging Modern Tools and Platforms to De-Risk Early Stages

Today's biotech founders have an unprecedented toolkit at their disposal to de-risk and accelerate the startup journey. If used wisely, these tools can help simulate the benefits of a full-time company (such as lab space, funding, and team support) before you actually create one. Below is a breakdown of practical resources and how they can support a low-risk, staged approach:

Incubators and Coworking Lab Spaces: Instead of signing a lease and buying lab equipment, apply to incubators or shared labs. Examples include Johnson & Johnson's JLABS, LabCentral in Boston, BioLabs, and university-affiliated incubators. Many offer month-to-month bench rentals, core facilities, and mentorship. You can maintain a small footprint to run experiments as needed. Benefit: You get access to professional labs and a startup community without the long-term commitment. As Mati Gill of AION Labs put it, good incubators are launchpads providing critical resources and networks to new startups.

Non-Dilutive Funding Sources: Seek out grants and competitions that fund early-stage biotech ideas without taking equity. Government SBIR/STTR grants (from NIH, NSF, etc.) are a prime example. A Phase I SBIR can provide approximately $150K to test feasibility, essentially acting as free runway. Programs like Nucleate (mentioned earlier) and XTC (Extreme Tech Challenge) as well as pharma-sponsored challenges, often provide grant money or in-kind support. These funds let you hire a CRO or build a prototype while you still have other income. Pro tip: Many founders combine a university role with grants, e.g. staying as a research scientist while the lab's IP is developed under a grant, then spinning out when ready.

"Virtual" Biotech Model: Embrace the virtual biotech approach from day one. This means the core team (perhaps just you and a co-founder) focus on design and analysis, while all wet-lab work is outsourced. There are stories of biotech startups advancing to preclinical stages with no physical lab of their own, everything done through CROs. Virtual biotech companies save money on infrastructure and can scale tasks up or down easily. You can coordinate this even if you're geographically separated or not working on it full-time during business hours (CROs will keep working to produce your data).

No-Code Software & AI Tools: As mentioned, setting up your digital backbone no longer requires hiring a software engineer. Use no-code solutions for your data management (LIMS/ELN), and take advantage of AI tools to analyze data or even help design experiments. For instance, AI-driven software can suggest gene targets or molecule designs, reducing the benchwork needed up front. Scispot's AI lab assistant or other automation in lab workflows can handle repetitive tasks, freeing you to focus on big questions. By operationalizing your R&D with minimal personnel, you can make significant progress with a tiny team.

Mentor Networks and Advisory Boards: While not a "tool" in the hardware sense, assembling a strong set of mentors early is a powerful way to de-risk decisions. Advisors who've walked the path can steer you away from pitfalls ("don't spend money on X until you've done Y"). Many accelerators and initiatives will connect you with mentors, but you can also reach out on LinkedIn or via alumni networks. A supportive mentor might even invite you to use some lab space or connect you to your first hire when the time comes. Think of it as building an informal board before you have a formal company, it lends credibility and confidence.

By strategically using these resources, a first-time biotech founder in 2025 can do in months with minimal risk what a decade ago might have required quitting your job and raising millions. The landscape has evolved: there's a whole support ecosystem eager to help new biotech ventures succeed. The onus is on you to take advantage of it and orchestrate your startup journey intelligently.

Conclusion

Launching a biotech startup will never be easy, but it doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing gamble. The insights from Kevin Chen and others illustrate that with creativity, continual learning, and strategic planning, you can significantly de-risk the leap into entrepreneurship. Treat the process as a series of graduated steps, each backed by data, resources, and validation, rather than a blind jump off a cliff. By the time you go full-time on your venture, you'll have built a foundation that supports your decision.

In the end, successful biotech founders are equal parts scientists and strategists. They experiment not only in the lab, but also with their career moves, incrementally increasing commitment as proof points emerge. The result is a journey that is sustainable and informed, turning the startup dream into a reality one milestone at a time.

Key Takeaways for Aspiring Biotech Founders:

• Start small and lean: Use evenings, weekends, and existing lab resources to test your idea before you quit your day job. Prototype cheaply and gather preliminary data with whatever you have.

• Plug into the ecosystem early: Leverage part-time programs (e.g. Nucleate) and networking events to learn the ropes and find mentors while you still have other commitments.

• Validate the problem rigorously: Ensure there's a real market need for your solution by talking to industry experts and potential customers. Let that guide your R&D focus so you solve a meaningful problem, not just a technical puzzle.

• Use external resources to extend your reach: Outsource experiments to CROs or use cloud labs to keep progress moving without heavy capital. Take advantage of no-code tools and AI to automate tasks, work smarter, especially when you have limited time.

• Phase your commitment: Set milestones (technical proof, funding, partnerships) that will trigger your transition to full-time. Until then, de-risk the venture by keeping one foot in your current role. When you do make the jump, you'll have validation and support in hand, not just optimism.

By following these steps, you can cultivate your biotech startup from a fledgling idea into a funded enterprise in a methodical, low-risk manner. The journey may be gradual, but it positions you and your future company for long-term success. Good luck, and remember that fortune favors the prepared mind in biotechnology as much as in the lab.