Biotech
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Iowa Startup Week
What is Iowa Startup Week? Kaylee is joined by Safiya Lee-Evans and Tej Dhawan, co-organizers of Iowa’s inaugural Startup Week, taking place September 29 through October 1st in Des Moines. The three discuss the vision, structure, and significance of bringing a Startup Week model to Iowa for the very first time. Tej explains why the…
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Inhalable, Room-Temp, Needle-Free: Immuno‑Nanomed’s Vaccine Moonshot
On this episode of the Iowa Tech Podcast, host Kaylee sits down with Dr. Balaji Narasimhan, CEO and founder of ImmunoNanoMed, to explore a moonshot innovation: a dry-powder, needle-free vaccine platform called “powder wax” that’s inhaled through the nose. Balaji explains how their particle-based technology could deliver stronger, faster mucosal immunity right where respiratory pathogens…
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Pivoting in Biotech with Dr. Tony Vanden Bush of Syntherna
On this episode of the Iowa Tech Podcast, host Kaylee Williams welcomes back Dr. Tony Vanden Bush, CEO of Syntherna, for a candid look at how the biotech startup has navigated a shifting market. Since their last chat in August 2024, attitudes toward RNA vaccines have cooled and animal-health regulatory timelines have lengthened – two…
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Poking Holes in Tradition: ReEnvision Ag’s Seed Spike and the Future of Precision Planting
Jayson Ryner, founder and CEO of ReEnvision Ag and entrepreneurship professor at NIACC, explains the Seed Spike planter—the first ultra–low soil disturbance planter built for the soil-health era. How Seed Spike Works Ryner explains how the simple “poke-and-place” mechanism lets farmers plant earlier with less power, improves emergence and spacing, and thrives in no-till and…
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Unlocking Innovation: How Zymosense is Revolutionizing Enzyme Measurement with Cutting-Edge Technology
Nigel Reuel, a founder from Iowa State University, joined the Iowa Tech podcast to discuss his venture, Zymosense. Zymosense aims to revolutionize enzyme activity measurement with its cutting-edge sensor technology. Enzymes, which are proteins performing catalytic steps, are crucial in various industries, and Zymosense’s technology offers a sustainable way to conduct materials-based research by directly…
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Joel Harris: CEO and Co-Founder of Genvax Technologies
The Iowa Tech Podcast, hosted by Kaylee, features an interview with Joel Harris, CEO and co-founder of Genvax Technologies. Joel shares insights about his journey into entrepreneurship and how he transitioned from the venture capital side to founding Genvax. He details his upbringing as the son of veterinarians, his education in economics, and how he…
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Building a Biotech Startup with Dr. Tony Vanden Bush CEO of Syntherna
In this exclusive interview, Dr. Tony Vanden Bush, CEO of Syntherna explains the intricacies of biotech entrepreneurship, the challenges of scaling scientific discoveries, the biotech commercialization process, and the leadership lessons learned along the way. With a strong background in biochemistry and immunology, Dr. Vanden Bush has traversed a unique path, from academia to becoming…