Ep.4 - Creating Lab Culture, with Special Guest Dr. Jonathan Thon

Don’t reinvent the wheel.

First-time PIs and entrepreneurs face a lot of pressure to succeed quickly. There’s a steep learning curve, and a lot of the necessary skills can only be learned on the job. The private sector has invested heavily in developing models and processes to help new ventures and their CEOs succeed; tapping into these proven resources can also help academic researchers to reach their goals sooner.

00:34 Introduction

In this episode, your hosts Damien and Nick from Experimental Designs Consulting are joined by special guest Dr. Jonathan Thon, founder and CEO of STRM.BIO and co-founder and former CEO of PlateletBio. 

EDC website

01:58 That’s me in the spotlight

Jonathan describes how his journey from Argentina to Canada to the United States, and from academia to the private sector, has provided him with valuable insight about the importance of surrounding yourself with the right team and culture. 

16:50 A culture of coaching

In this segment, Jonathan talks about how working with an executive coach while forming his second biotech company provided helpful context and perspective to support his decision-making.

30:02 Don’t stress for success

Jonathan, Damien, and Nick conclude their conversation by discussing how entrepreneurial ways of thinking are trickling into academic research, and how these culture changes are benefitting the next generation of academic researchers.   

For more information about our guest Dr. Jonathan Thon and to contact him, please visit his website http://www.drthon.com/ where you can contact him directly using the contact link via email at [email protected].  If you're interested in hearing more about what Jonathan has to say, you can also go read more of his work in The Black Hole, an article series he co-authors for the University Affairs Magazine.

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