On this episode, Mark discusses a range of translational research issues with Mike Fenn, PhD, the Director of Healthcare & Life Sciences at Harvard Innovation Labs, including:

What led Mike to focus on life sciences virtually from the start of his professional career

From Mike’s perspective, what all successful startups have in common, and what are the big mistakes Mike has seen that doom startups

With Mike’s years of experience building and advising companies, what’s his proudest professional achievement

Mike’s focus has been on complex, pioneering technologies – how does he effectively communicate to general audiences – investors and the media, for example – about the value and importance of new products he’s developing

Translational research and commercialization have been buzzwords for quite a while, and many academics are interested in applying research done in the lab in a commercial context. This isn’t an easy undertaking, and many fail. As someone who’s been an academic and a successful entrepreneur, what advice does Mike have for his former colleagues in the academy who want to start businesses based on their research

The latest news from the Harvard Innovation Labs

Mike’s professional heroes – those he most admires