I had an amazing time talking with Bharat. He is a truly independent and contrarian thinker. I am thankful for his transparency and honesty in elucidating his journey from scientist to venture capital.
Bharat Srinivasa is a co-founder and principal at Amplitude Ventures . They have over $300 million under management and invest primarily in life sciences startups.
He completed his Masters in Immunology and PhD in Experimental Medicine from McGill University after which he transitioned to venture capital.
We talk about his upbringing, investment thesis and what he looks for in startups. We do a deep dive into his path post PhD into venture capital and the future of precision medicine.
Timestamps:
00:20 Tell me about your childhood
02:55 How do you find stability in staying put when you’re used to moving a lot?
05:05 Do you have a bias towards planning or action?
08:00 Structured vs intuition in investing
10:56 Thoughts on education and pursuing a Masters and PhD
16:30 What advice would you give to yourself 10 years ago?
18:24 Path from PhD to venture capital
30:25 Your first fund was over $100 million, what made you successful in doing this?
34:40 Is it harder to get access to great deal or recognize them when you see them?
38:50 How are your getting dealflow?
41:00 Is low founder/ ceo equity early on a red flag?
44:54 When do you know leadership in the startup might need to be replaced?
47:00 How has your investment strategy changed given the looming recession?
49:19 What excites you most in biotech?
52:15 Why hasn’t precision medicine had uptake in clinical practice?
55:55 Molecular/ genetic factors for chronic diseases
1:11:22 What tailwinds are you banking on?
1:16:10 Timeline in venture and biotech
1:18:50 IPO vs M&A
1:21:00 Have you found your ikigai?
Bharat Srinivasa: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bsrinivasa/
Amplitude Ventures: https://amplitudevc.com/en
Rishad Usmani: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rishadusmani/
HealthTech Inventures: https://www.healthtechinvestors.com/
