117. From Lab Coats to CEO Notes: BioLabs' Glennis Mehra on Biotech Business in NYC

In this episode of Grow Everything, Karl and Erum sit down with Dr. Glennis Mehra, the absolute powerhouse behind BioLabs at NYU Langone, to talk about what it really takes to build a biotech startup in New York City. From how to deal with imposter syndrome to finding funding in a capital-constrained world, Glennis shares hard-earned insights on how founders can survive (and thrive) in one of the toughest, most exciting biotech ecosystems on the planet. They get into the magic of founder-to-founder collaboration, why biology’s complexity is finally getting the respect it deserves, and whether AI is about to make lab work obsolete (spoiler: it’s not). Plus, Erum debates whether traveling to Mars just to eat lettuce is worth it.
Grow Everything brings the bioeconomy to life. Hosts Karl Schmieder and Erum Azeez Khan share stories and interview the leaders and influencers changing the world by growing everything. Biology is the oldest technology. And it can be engineered. What are we growing?
Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠www.messaginglab.com/groweverything⁠⁠⁠ 
Chapters:
00:00:00 – Introduction and Vision for a Better Future
00:00:17 – Unexpected Weather, Birthday Trips, and Giant Malls
00:01:41 – Climate Change, Extreme Weather, and the Reality of Rising Temperatures
00:03:07 – Space Travel, Microbes on Mars, and the Lettuce Dilemma
00:05:12 – Biotech Innovations, Soil Microbiomes, and Engineering Nature
00:07:06 – The Storytelling Gene: Why Scientists Must Be Great Communicators
00:09:02 – Sweet Proteins, Strategic Narratives, and Startup Success
00:10:39 – Young Innovators, Biochar, and Climate Tech Disruptors
00:13:12 – Welcoming Dr. Glennis Mehra: The Biotech Builder
00:15:04 – From Academia to Entrepreneurship: Glennis’ Journey
00:17:31 – Imposter Syndrome in Biotech: Why Founders Struggle
00:19:55 – The Secret to Building a Strong Startup Community
00:22:18 – The Founder’s Dilemma: Making Big Decisions Quickly
00:25:09 – Why Founder-to-Founder Collaboration is Biotech’s Superpower
00:28:46 – Capital Scarcity and the Rise of Smarter Founders
00:32:53 – Building a Biotech in NYC: The Reality Check
00:33:42 – The Toughest Part: Capital, Talent, and Space
00:36:09 – Why NYC is a Risk-Taker’s Playground
00:38:56 – The Future of Biotech and the AI Acceleration
00:44:29 – Honest Advice for Biotech Entrepreneurs
00:48:12 – BioLabs and the Startup Survival Toolkit
00:52:48 – Final Words and What Comes Next


Links and Resources:
Biolabs@NYULangone
NASA Science Payloads
Researchers link a gene to the emergence of spoken language
Oobli and Ingredion Announce Partnership as Demand for Sweet Proteins Accelerates
Sweet Dreams Are Made of Proteins: Oobli’s Ali Wing
A 16-year-old (Harper Moss) helms this new regenerative farming startup


Topics Covered: 
Biotech, Business, NYC, Innovation, Incubator, Accelerator, Startups, Biomanufacturing


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Email: groweverything@messaginglab.com
Music by: Nihilore
Production by: Amplafy Media