113: Linda Avey | Co-Founder, 23andMe

She Leads

To put it most simply: Linda is a biologist and entrepreneur at heart . Perhaps most notably, she is the co-founder of 23andMe, a publicly held consumer genetic data company. She was the co-president of the company from 2006 to 2009.
Linda is also the cofounder and former CEO of Precise.ly, an intelligent assistant for clinical care settings. Linda is currently a member on the board of directors of the Human Immunome Project, which is building the world’s largest immunological dataset at a population level, and she’s a Member of the Board of Fellows at Stanford University’s School of Medicine. Linda graduated with a bachelors degree in Biology from Augustana University.
In this episode, we cover the following topics:
1. Linda's Childhood and her initial interest in Biology at Augustana University
2. Choosing a career path after beginning her career in research
3. Linda's Transition to the Biotech Industry
4. Linda's entrepreneurial journey in founding 23andMe and everything that led to this ultimate jump, including meeting Sergey Brin (Founder of Google) and the first time she saw at a trade show that you're able to get your genetic data from saliva. Immediate light bulb moment.
5. Her decision in *leaving* 23andMe in 2009.
6. The importance of choosing your cofounders and balance the different roles and dynamics that ensure at a startup, especially with 3 cofounders.
7. Balancing ethics + speed in a biotech company
8. Importance of a science background as a founder of a biotech company (+ which skills you need to lean on others)
9. Linda provides her perspective as an investor when she evaluates biotech companies.
Linda's Book Recommendation? "The Sovereign Self" by Acharya Shunya. Here it is on Amazon!
Linda's changed opinion in the last decade? Psychadelics
Linda's life-time craft she is honing? Self-reflection
▶️ Video interview available on Youtube.
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