Kickigai Weekly
Posts
Exploring the Parallel Paths of Researchers & Founders

Exploring the Parallel Paths of Researchers & Founders

3 things they have in common and 3 things they are very different in

Giammarco Pacifico
February 21, 2024

Why should you care about this?

If you are interested in the startup world, you probably admire ambitious and driven founders who relentlessly pursue their dreams despite all the obstacles.

Whether you’d like to one day launch your own startup or you’re looking to join one right now, you might think that founders are of a special breed, a one-in-a-million type of person that is far beyond your abilities.

The reality is that apart from the Einteins, Musks and Bezos out there, most successful founders were as full of doubts as you are right now.

The big difference is that they took action and learned along the way what worked and what did not.

Even if you don’t have big aspirations (yet) but are curious about startups and would like to work in one to see it for yourself, you need to have a “founder mindset” together with different skills and expertise that sets you apart.

Knowing what you have in common vs your differences is key to identifying the best role for you and leaving a mark (so you actually get the job!).

Common traits

#1 SELF-DIRECTION

Having a lot of self-direction is a blessing and a curse at the same time.

Entrepreneurs have nobody telling them what to do and the first test for any founders is to manage themselves (before they get to manage anyone else). This means having a clear long-term vision while getting daily tasks done.

Researchers autonomously set up their schedules to complete multiple projects at the same time and are accountable for their own work, most of the time without relying on anyone else.

#2 STRIVING FOR EXCELLENCE

True innovation comes from improving the status quo and being better than anyone else. Simply repeating the same things does not work.

Entrepreneurs try to change entire industries while capturing a lot of economic value.

Researchers push the boundaries of the state-of-the-art to discover something new, knowing that incremental improvements won’t make a difference.

#3 THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD

CREATE → EXPERIMENT → FAIL → ADJUST → REPEAT

Entrepreneurs are always trying to validate (or disprove) a business hypothesis. “Will this hospital pay for this?” - “Are patients going to use it?” - “Will this biomarker get enough efficacy data for pre-clinical tests?”

Running experiments and validating bigger and bigger hypotheses over time is practically how every startup grows.

For researchers, the scientific method is almost second nature. Without it, it’s like throwing darts while blindfolded…without knowing where the wall is.

Different traits

#1 UNCERTAINTY

Becoming an entrepreneur means saying no to a higher-paying job for the chance to build something that does not yet exist in the world.

Only someone desperate for more would take that risk. Whether that feeling of despair comes from a financial situation, career prospects or an obsession towards a problem, the uncertainty of being a founder is second to none.

Researchers rely on a steady paycheck (at least for some years) while they get to explore a specific field. This gives them the freedom to follow their curiosity while knowing that their basic needs are covered.

#2 INTENTIONALITY

Inertia is a b*tch and paving your own path instead of following the path in front of you requires a lot of strength and conviction.

Entrepreneurs decide to start a company after giving it a lot of thought.

Too many researchers decide to stay in academia because it’s the next logical step in their path instead of trying new things. Becoming a scientist is rarely a very intentional choice.

#3 LOCUS OF CONTROL

Life is completely different if we think everything is our responsibility vs someone else’s fault.

Entrepreneurs learn very early on to take responsibility for everything that happens with their startup, whether it’s their fault or not. It’s their job to do something about it.

Researchers instead rely on external factors to achieve success, such as journal peer reviewers or committees that nominate professors. These are almost always outside of their control, their fate is left in the hands of people that they don’t know and it might take a decade before realizing they never had a chance to succeed.

Your turn

Which traits do you share with entrepreneurs?

If you’re looking to join an early-stage startup, are you highlighting what you have in common with founders? If not, what’s stopping you from doing that?

If you enjoyed this issue, share it with a researcher who is an entrepreneur at heart.

This week's top scientific reads

Chatbots make mental health more accessible (Nature Medicine)
LLMs in Neuroscience and Biomedicine (Cell - Neuron)
Assessing if AI increases biorisk (RAND)
From obesity to muscle loss (NYT)
Enhanced CAR-T Therapy using cancer mutations (Nature)

Read the highlights of these articles here.

Latest European funding rounds in health & bio

Addax Biosciences raised €2.5M to develop their innovative histological fixative for biological tissues which replaces formalin 🇮🇹
Pacifico Biolabs raised €3.1M to advance their alternative seafood production using a novel fermentation technique 🇩🇪
Una Health raised €2M for their personalised digital therapy programme focused on type 2 diabetes care 🇩🇪
Pixee Medical raised €14M for their computer-assisted tools that use augmented reality for orthopaedic surgery 🇫🇷
Dude Chem closed a €5.6M round to enable a greener supply chain in the biopharma industry and their intermediates 🇩🇪
LUDA Partners raised €12M for their digital pharmacy network connecting pharmacists across Spain 🇪🇸
Sense4med raised €510k for their smart sensors with multiple applications across clinical and food industries 🇮🇹
Newcells Biotech raised €2.75M for their Primary & iPSC models of human physiology for drug discovery 🇬🇧