Beginner's Mind
Blueprints for Builders and Investors
Hosted by Christian Soschner
From pre-seed to post-IPO, every company—especially in deep tech, biotech, AI, and climate tech—lives or dies by the frameworks it follows.
On Beginner’s Mind, Christian Soschner uncovers the leadership principles behind the world’s most impactful companies—through deep-dive interviews, strategic book reviews, and patterns drawn from history’s greatest business, military, and political minds.
With over 200 interviews, panels, and livestreams, the show ranks in the Top 10% globally—and is recognized as the #1 deep tech podcast.
With 35+ years across M&A, company building, board roles, business schools, ultrarunning, and martial arts, Christian brings a rare lens:
What it really takes to turn breakthrough science into business—how to grow it, lead it, and shape the world around it.
🎙 Expect each episode to deliver:
- Founder & Investor Blueprints: How breakthrough technologies scale from lab to IPO
- Historical & Biographical Frameworks: Timeless playbooks from the world's great builders
- Leadership & Communication Mastery: Tools to inspire, persuade, and lead at scale
Whether you're building the next biotech success, investing in AI, or leading a climate tech company through hypergrowth—this podcast gives you the edge.
Listen in. Apply what matters. Build companies that last.
📬 Join the newsletter & community: https://lsg2g.substack.com/
Beginner's Mind
#57: Jaromír Zahrádka - Bridging Science and Business in the European Life Science Eco-System
In this episode, I have a conversation with Jaromir Zahradka and we will talk about early-stage investments in DeepTech Life Science companies.
He has 5+ years of C-level experience and has been engaged in 8 Biotech spin-offs. He built a unique network within CE institutions and TTOs and has deep scientific and licensing market expertise with over 20 licensing deals worth more than USD 500m.
Jaromír was a co-founder of i&i Prague, a biotechnology incubator.
In this episode, we will talk about
- Early-stage investments in a deep tech company
- The complexity of spinning out technology from research organizations and
- The venture capital situation in Europe
- and much more
I hope you enjoy the conversation the same way I did.
Who is the Expert in the show?
Shownotes: https://lsg2g.substack.com/p/57-bridging-science-and-business
Video to the Episode: https://youtu.be/HJ_81X-yqz0
Timestamps:
(00:00) Intro
(01:43) Start of The Episode
(02:55) A New Fund In Town – I&I Biotech Fund
(04:40) Investment Area of i&I Biotech Fund
(06:15) How is it to found a life science fund?
(09:12) What are the challenges in raising a life science fund?
(13:25) A Fund is Teamwork
(16:06) The Life Science R&D Eco-System in Prague
(28:45) Top Level Expertise at the IOCB in Prague
(31:09) The Role of Tech Transfer Offices in the Value Chain
(39:31) How to Turn Science Into Business
(55:20) The Role of Capital in Deep Tech Life Science
(01:02:50) The Development of Talent – A Key Success Factor
(01:06:30) The perspective of Long Term Investment Funds
(01:12:15) How Can the European Deep Tech Investment Eco-System Evolve Better?
(01:19:00) Cross-Sector and International Collaborations in Europe
(01:22:30) What is the First Step Towards Turning Science into Products and Businesses?
Podcast Links:
Podcast Website: https://www.lifescienceget2gether.com/
Podcast Community: https://lsg2g.substack.com/
Community Partner: https://linktr.ee/lsg2g
Christian Soschner: https://linktr.ee/soschner
LSG2G Twitter: https://twitter.com/LGet2gether
LSG2G Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/life-science-get2gether
Podcast Episodes: https://pod.link/1493847125
Episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlZfrwd6iXrQ3LIANISUpP22seS2CsCEV
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