Start-ups and Storytelling with Nathaniel Brooks Horwitz

Nathaniel Brooks Horwitz has had a set of rare experiences – particularly for someone still in the early stages of his career journey. His passion is to develop new medicines.

A Principal at RA Capital, a leading biotech venture capital firm in Boston, board member at Synthego Corporation, Quench Bio, GentiBio and others, Nathaniel was previously founding CEO of Nivien Therapeutics.

On today’s episode, Mark and Nathaniel discuss a range of topics, including:

– How Nathaniel proceeded from research at Harvard University through founding his own company, dealing with the crosscurrents he described in his Washington Post op-ed, and then moving to his current role after graduating from Harvard in 2018

– What fuels Nathaniel’s passion for medicine development

– How Nathaniel made the transition from labs at Harvard to the startup scene, including what prepared him for it, what surprised him, and what obstacles he confronted

– How Nathaniel balanced the need to remain accurate with the demands from investors, for example, looking for clear descriptions of the progress of his work

– The lessons Nathaniel feels he learned as a result of his experience with his start-up

– How Nathaniel’s experience as a founding CEO informs his work now when he listens to pitches from entrepreneurs or participates in Board meetings

– What Nathaniel considers the key success factors – the essential skills and qualities – for being a successful entrepreneur

– How Nathaniel recommends listeners interested in entrepreneurship develop those skills and qualities