Multiple hats

What keeps a drug alive when the science is fragile, the funding dries up, and the company name changes four times?A 20-year survival story of near-death science, offshore funding, and final impact.🔍 What You’ll LearnIf you want a real look at how drug development and STEM careers work behind the scenes, this episode gives you the straight version, not the polished one.You’ll learn: • Why drugs are designed, not discovered, and what that means for your STEM career choices • Why starting with a strong target matters more than starting with an indication • How the financial crisis and investment landscape pushed this Australian project offshore • Why Momelotinib survived multiple handovers when it could have died at any stage • What it takes to grow from lab scientist to CEO, and the people you need around you Press play to hear the real story behind a drug that survived science hurdles, funding shocks, and corporate chaos to finally reach patients.🧠 About the GuestDr Chris Burns is the CEO and Managing Director of AmpliaTherapeutics. He is one of the few scientists who has watched a drug he helped design reach FDA approval. While he was heading Cytopia, Chris co-led the creation of Momelotinib, a JAK2 inhibitor approved for myelofibrosis in 2023 after two decades of stops, starts, handovers, and near-failures.📌 Episode Highlights00:00 Why very few scientists see their work reach patients 02:00 Designed, not discovered: the truth about drug creation 05:10 The creativity behind medicinal chemistry 08:15 How Momelotinib got its name 09:45 Preclinical wins, metabolic failures, and early near-death moments 12:00 The JAK2 discovery that shifted the entire program 15:20 Running across lily pads: designing drugs at the edge of knowledge 17:45 The metabolic wall that nearly killed the compound 20:00 Entering the clinical valley of death 21:10 The handover chain: Cytopia → YM Bioscience → Gilead → Sierra → GSK 27:00 Why Australian innovation keeps leaving the country 29:30 Practical funding advice for early biotechs 32:00 Winning the Prime Minister’s Prize 33:00 From scientist to CEO, step by step 36:00 The leadership habits that matter most🔗 Resources Mentioned• Ampio Therapeutics • Momelotinib FDA approval • Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation • JAK2 mutation discovery • Cytopia historical research(If you want direct links added, send them through.)🤔 Reflection TimeWhich part of your own work would survive longer if you treated it like a design process instead of waiting for inspiration?What’s one area in your STEM career where timing, allies, or better funding could shift everything?If your work went through four handovers, what would keep it alive?

Derisk you biotech assets with 3 key coniderations. Learn from drug development expert Angelique Greco and medtech-biotech founders and investors with tangible examples that show how real de-risking plays out. 🔍 What You’ll Learn Drug discovery feels like a maze when you're early in your career, especially when you're trying to build a biotech path without wasting years or cash. This episode gives you a clear way to turn solid science into something fundable.You’ll learn: • Where to find real support, from incubators to honest VC advice • Why early commercial input matters and how to fix your market slide • How smart entry points like animal health or adjacent indications de-risk your program and boost your funding chancesAction: Press play if you want 20 minutes that cut months of guesswork.🧠 About the Guest This episode brings insights from ShanShan Wang (RoamTech AI), Anushi Rajapaksa (Misti), Maryam Parviz (SDIP Innovations), Mike Lamprecht (Tenmile), and Ben Wright (Mimetic MedTech Foundry) on how founders can derisk and resource their team. Plus why you do not always need an indication at the start, with lessons from Dr Chris Burns, whose team discovered Momelotinib in Australia before its FDA approval.📌 Episode Highlights 00:00 Why de-risking matters for early biotech founders 00:20 Two angles: advice and smarter indication choices 01:00 How drug discovery fits a STEM entrepreneur path 01:40 Upskilling vs burning cash and time 02:10 Three pillars: compass, investors, venture studiosRoadmap & Upskilling 03:00 The value of a commercialization roadmap 03:45 Han Wang on first seeing the map 04:30 Anushi Rajapaksa on IP, regulatory and evolving the plan 06:00 Where to find training, Bridge program, NSW program 07:00 Why programs matter for network and support 08:00 Maryam Parviz on global doors opening 09:30 What you cannot Google: real conversations 10:30 How informal mentoring happens 11:00 Using tech transfer offices even if you're externalInvestor Advice 12:00 Why VC advice matters before fundraising 13:00 Mike Lamprecht on critical early experiments 14:00 What a realistic market conversation looks likeBridging Your Gaps 15:00 When to stop upskilling and bring experts 15:40 Ben Wright on scaling support instead of solo learning 16:00 How investors view founders who learn on the job 17:00 How venture studios derisk early biotech and medtech 18:00 Why structure and clinical champions matterSuccess Exists 18:45 Momelotinib as a real success story 19:10 When starting with the molecule works 20:00 Dr Chris Burns: from discovery to 2023 approvalSmarter Entry Points 22:00 Why some programs need a side door 22:30 What to check before picking an entry point 23:00 Ivermectin from livestock to humans 24:30 Ketamine and S-ketamine into severe depression 26:00 How new IP opened new paths 26:40 The semaglutide pivotFinal Takeaways 27:00 Do not do it alone 27:15 Get advice early, including from VC 27:30 Philanthropy can be a real path 27:45 Be realistic and optimistic, success exists

From pitch decks to de-risking strategies — how to turn promising research into an investible opportunityYou’ve got strong data and maybe even a breakthrough idea, but can you convince an investor or pharma partner that it’s worth their millions?🔍 What You’ll Learn: In this second part of the Drug Discovery Roadmap series, we move from the bench to the boardroom. If you’re a STEM researcher or biotech founder wondering what turns great science into an investible opportunity, this episode unpacks it straight from investors, pharma veterans, and researchers who’ve been through the process.You’ll learn: • How to pitch your science to investors — what to include, what to leave out, and how to get a second meeting. • Why a realistic, conservative market size matters more than billion-dollar dreams. • The smart ways to de-risk your project — from alternate indications to veterinary and agricultural applications.🎯 Play this episode to learn how to make your science fundable and credible in the eyes of those who write the cheques.🧠 About the Guests: Recorded live at the 2025 ARCS Drug Discovery Forum, this episode features insights from industry investors and researchers who’ve lived the highs and lows of drug translation:Mike Lamprecht, Investment Manager at Tenmile, on what catches his eye in a biotech pitch (and what sends red flags).Dr Wolfgang Jarolimek, Head of Drug Discovery at Syntara, on why you should never bet everything on one indication.Dr Daniel Beard, Founder and CSO of Shearflow, on how feedback from the Forum reshaped his strategy for stroke therapy.Tim Boyle, CEO of ARCS Australia, on why collaboration and “asking the right questions early” are key to commercial success.📌 Episode Highlights: 00:00 Welcome back — what makes a project investible 02:00 Tim Boyle on building the bridge between research and industry 03:45 The number one startup killer: running out of capital 04:00 Mike Lamprecht on how to pitch science to investors 06:00 Market size myths — why “$10B market” slides backfire 08:00 The antibiotic paradox: when life-saving drugs still fail commercially 10:00 Diagnostics, payers, and the hidden gap between science and buyers 11:00 Daniel Beard on differentiating his stroke therapy 14:00 How to reframe your science for clarity and investor appeal 16:00 What clinicians need to see before trials 17:00 De-risking your project: alternate indications and sectors 19:00 The case for parallel applications — human, veterinary, agriculture 20:00 Why every biotech needs backup plans 21:00 Closing takeaways: the intersection of science, strategy, and story♻️ Share this episode with researchers and biotech scientists and anyone trying to get their science to market.

From student curiosity to space entrepreneurship, discover how enthusiasm, visibility, and action can unlock unexpected doors in STEM careers.Ever felt stuck in a career box, unsure how to take the next step? What if the secret wasn’t a perfect plan — but contagious enthusiasm that opens doors you didn’t know existed?🔍 What You’ll Learn:If you’re a STEM professional ready to design your own career — not just follow the one written for you — this short episode breaks down five lessons from Australian engineer and entrepreneur Nina Hooper, who built an extraordinary journey from Harvard to mining the moon.You’ll learn how to:Use enthusiasm as a catalyst to create life-changing opportunities — even without the “right” network or background.Let one step lead to the next, discovering that vision often emerges through motion, not planning.Build your own launchpad by testing ideas and learning through creation (even small projects count!).Work smarter, not harder, using AI and expert conversations to accelerate your learning and credibility.Share your story strategically, so opportunities and collaborators start finding you.🎧 Press play to discover how Nina turned curiosity into a global career — and how you can do the same starting this week.👉 Listen to the full interview with Nina Hooper for her complete story from Harvard to lunar resources:🔗 Full Episode — Multiple Hats💡 Or tune into the 5-minute Quick Fire Chat version for actionable insights you can apply today:🔗 Quick Fire Chat — Multiple Hats🧠 About the Guest:Nina Hooper is an Australian aerospace engineer and entrepreneur whose career spans Harvard, Stanford, venture capital, and her current role in business development at Interlune, a company developing technology to mine the moon for future energy resources. Passionate about creating opportunity through enthusiasm and initiative, Nina embodies how STEM professionals can design a career that’s anything but linear.📌 Episode Highlights:00:00 — From curiosity to career: Why enthusiasm is gold03:00 — How a cold outreach led to an internship with a Nobel Prize winner07:00 — Vision emerges in motion: Why you don’t need the perfect plan10:00 — Creating your own vision through entrepreneurship during COVID13:00 — What running an ed-tech startup teaches you about sales, mindset & confidence15:00 — Working smarter with AI and mentors18:00 — The art of visibility: Why storytelling matters as much as hard work19:00 — Reflection prompts for your own reinvention journey🔗 Resources Mentioned:Interlune – https://interlune.space🤔 Reflection Time:How can you make your enthusiasm more visible this week so others feel compelled to help you?What’s one small step you can take — without waiting for a perfect plan — to move toward your next opportunity?How might you use AI or expert conversations to fill a skill gap faster and smarter?

Which career myth is secretly holding you back: thinking hard work is enough, that skills don’t transfer, or that your work will speak for itself?🔍 What You’ll Learn:In just 10 minutes, Nina Hooper, astrophysicist turned entrepreneur and now business development director at Interlune, shows you how to reframe the beliefs that limit most STEM professionals. If you’re ready to stop playing small and start shaping your own career, this quickfire chat delivers clarity and motivation fast.Why your technical skills transfer further than you think — and which ones transfer best.How working smarter (and asking for help) beats grinding harder every time.Why visibility and storytelling matter more than letting your work “speak for itself.”How to move past perfectionism, analysis paralysis, and the myth that you need “all the resources” before you can start.🎯 Press play for a mindset reset that could open your next big opportunity in STEM.🧠 About the Guest:Nina Hooper is an Australian aerospace engineer turned entrepreneur and investor. She has studied at Harvard and Stanford, launched startups, worked in venture capital, and is now Director of Business Development at Interlune, a company pioneering lunar resource extraction.📌 Episode Highlights:00:00 Busting STEM career myths in 10 minutes01:00 Why technical skills transfer beyond academia03:00 Working smarter vs. working harder05:00 Getting past analysis paralysis and perfectionism07:00 Do you really need more resources to start?09:00 Why visibility matters more than “great work alone”🔗 Resources Mentioned:Nina Hooper on LinkedInInterlune – Lunar Resources Company🤔 Reflection Time:Which STEM career myth do you secretly believe — and what would shift if you dropped it?Where could you work smarter by asking for help or using tools instead of grinding harder?Who could you share your vision with this month to increase your visibility and attract new opportunities?

What if your enthusiasm—not your credentials—was the spark that could turn your STEM career into a launchpad of endless opportunities?🔍 What You’ll Learn:If you’re a STEM professional who feels boxed in, Nina Hooper’s story shows how you can turn your own spark of curiosity into life-defining opportunities. From interning with a Nobel Prize winner to Harvard and Stanford, launching startups, and now helping build a company mining the moon, Nina reveals how to reinvent your career by standing out, stepping out, and showing up.Why enthusiasm is your unfair advantage: how showing up with energy makes you memorable and opens doors credentials alone can’t.How stepping out of your comfort zone to test your vision—even briefly—can accelerate your corporate or entrepreneurial career.Why visibility and connections matter more than great work alone, and how to use them to attract opportunities.Bonus Learning: How the future of energy may be powered by helium-3 and other resources extracted from the moon, with insights from Nina’s work at Interlune.🎯 Press play to learn how to make your STEM background the launchpad for entrepreneurship, visibility, and influence.🧠 About the Guest:Nina Hooper is an Australian aerospace engineer turned entrepreneur and investor. From interning with Nobel Prize winner Brian Schmidt to studying at Harvard and Stanford, launching her own ventures, and working in venture capital, she’s now Director of Business Development at Interlune, a company pioneering lunar resource extraction. Nina is passionate about helping others see curiosity as a career driver and visibility as a catalyst for influence.📌 Episode Highlights:00:00 Curiosity as the spark for aerospace engineeringThe promise of helium-3 and the future of lunar energy resources04:15 How a Nobel Prize connection changed Nina’s trajectory08:30 Why enthusiasm makes you stand out in STEM13:45 From Harvard to NASA: chasing vision over comfort zones20:10 Selling ideas with energy and conviction25:50 Lessons from founding a STEM education startup32:00 Flipping the script: moving into venture capital37:45 Working smarter, not harder in STEM careers42:00 Why visibility and storytelling matter more than great work alone🔗 Resources Mentioned:Brian Schmidt – Nobel Prize in PhysicsNina Hooper on LinkedInHarvard–Smithsonian Center for AstrophysicsInterlune – Lunar Resources Company🤔 Reflection Time:How could enthusiasm and energy make you stand out in your current STEM role?What’s one step outside your comfort zone you could take to begin shaping your own vision?Who could you connect with this month to increase your visibility and open new doors?

What if you could draft your first piece of thought leadership in just five minutes — and start shaping how opportunities find you?🔍 What You’ll Learn:Feeling underutilized, pigeonholed, or stuck in roles that no longer light you up is a common frustration for STEM professionals. The solution isn’t waiting for the perfect job ad — it’s owning your narrative. In this episode, you’ll learn:Why you already have what it takes to be a thought leader (no TED stage required)How to increase your visibility so opportunities align with your ambition, not your old job descriptionA simple 5-minute framework (plus AI prompt) to turn your expertise into consistent, value-led content🎯 By the end, you’ll have a repeatable way to share your perspective — without bragging or perfectionism holding you back.👉 Action: Hit play to learn the 5-minute framework that will help you start posting, speaking, and showing up as a STEM thought leader today.🧠 About the Guest:Angélique Greco, is a biotech strategist and founder of Multiple Hats. Angélique equips STEM professionals with tools to reframe their expertise into thought leadership, helping them break free from pigeonholing and design careers that truly matter.📌 Episode Highlights: 00:00 Why STEM professionals feel boxed-in and underutilized 01:00 What thought leadership really is (and isn’t) 03:00 Why your work alone isn’t enough to open doors 05:00 How building a presence advocates for you 24/7 07:00 Everyday examples: meetings, networking, and even the school gate 09:00 The three lenses for picking your core topics 10:00 Angles for your message: best practices, frustrations, common questions, misinformation 11:00 Using AI to polish your first draft (without losing your voice) 12:00 Why consistency beats perfection 13:00 Step-by-step walkthrough of the 5-minute framework 15:00 How to post, tag, and start practicing visibility🔗 Resources Mentioned:5-Minute Thought Leadership Framework (Free Guide) – includes examples and an AI prompthttps://www.angeliquegreco.com.au/stem-starter-pack-5min-framework🤔 Reflection Time:What’s one topic you want to be known for — and why does it matter to you?Which angle feels easiest for you to start sharing: a best practice, a frustration, or a common misconception?How could posting once about this help others see you differently — and connect you to more aligned opportunities?

When someone asks, “So, what do you do?” — does your answer reflect your ambition, or just your current job title?🔍 What You’ll Learn:If you’ve ever felt uninspired by job ads, overlooked for projects, or disappointed by the opportunities that land on your desk, the problem isn’t your qualifications — it’s clarity. This episode helps STEM professionals shift from vague intros and stale job titles to intentional positioning that matches their ambition. You’ll discover:How to define what you really stand for, beyond your current role or resumeA simple self-audit to check if your current pitch matches the opportunities you wantHow clarity makes you more referable, filters out the wrong work, and helps you attract the right collaborators🎯 By the end, you’ll know how to reframe your presence so others see you for what you want to achieve, not just what you’ve already done.👉 Action: Tune in to learn how to run a quick brand audit and shift your pitch so people immediately recognize you for the career opportunities you actually want.🧠 About the Host:Angélique Greco, is a biotech strategist and founder of Multiple Hats. Drawing on her experience helping STEM professionals design work that reflects their full ambition, Angélique shares practical tools to move past pigeonholing and start showing up with clarity.📌 Episode Highlights: 00:00 Why you feel overlooked for meaningful opportunities 01:00 Why your presence hasn’t caught up with your ambition (yet) 03:00 The problem with introducing yourself by job title 04:00 The five elements of clarity: what you stand for, impact, vision, flow, and nightmare projects 05:30 Positioning as a magnet: attract aligned opportunities, gently repel mismatches 06:30 Quick brand audit: ambitions vs. your current pitch 08:00 The test: what would colleagues recommend you for blindly? 09:00 Clarity as the foundation of being seen, referred, and invited in 10:00 How to use AI prompts to refine your elevator pitch 11:00 What’s next: how to share without feeling like you’re bragging🔗 Resources Mentioned:Fill this to get your free brand clarity callBrand Audit / Know Thyself Guide (PDF) – includes an AI prompt to refine your pitch🤔 Reflection Time:If your best friend asked, “What do you really want to achieve?” — what would you say?Does your current pitch or job title reflect your future ambition, or anchor you in the past?Who at work would recommend you blindly for a project — and would it be the project you actually want?