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Delve into the speaker's experience transitioning from high tech to biotech, sharing valuable insights and lessons learned along the way. Explore the importance of technical, communication, and negotiation skills, networking strategies, and key factors in building a technology company like fairness, teamwork, and leadership. Discover the significance of customer orientation, work environment, and challenging projects for success, and embrace lessons on recruiting and retaining top talent. Uncover the essence of ownership, directness, and problem-solving, alongside the value of luck and working on impactful projects with passion and fun.
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High Tech to BiotechLessons Learned EPPIC Meeting September 26, 2000
My Background • IITK/EE, MSEE, MBA • After 2 yrs @ IIT knew didn’t want to be an engineer • Targeted general mangement – could tell others what to do and sit back and watch cricket, play golf • Diverse industries – airlines, can mfg, computers (HW and SW), and now drug delivery • Diverse functions – manufacturing, finance, business dev, marketing, R&D mgmt, general management • So ….. Know a little about some things, less about many things, nothing about the rest
Lessons Learned The Hard Way • What you know • Who you know • Where you are • Hard work and being good are just not enough
What You Know • Technical skills – thisi is the easy part • Communications skills – written AND verbal • Negotiating skills – everything is a negotiation • Sales & Marketing – personal • Hard work is not enough • Need to sell ideas • The best technology is not enough • Know your audience/customer
Who You Know • Networking – personal and professional • Not just getting together with friends you are comfortable with • Identifying and targeting specific people
Where You Are • You made the right decision here by living in the Bay Area
Lessons Learned at Inhale • Key factors in building a technology company • Fairness – to the employee and the company • Teamwork – increasing in importance • Openness – makes employees feel they belong • Customer orientation – know your audience • Leadership – personal and market • Work environment – probably #1 factor in retention • Challenging work – probably #1A • Success – can’t beat it
Random Other Lessons • Best technology is developed by small groups of very smart people • Work hard to recruit – it is not easy finding really good people • Work even harder to keep them • Who owns the problem • Be direct • Confront issues
In Conclusion • Don’t underestimate the value of luck/serendipity • Be wary of people who tell you that their successful start-up went exactly as originally planned • Work on products you care about that make a difference • Remember to have fun