Beginner's Mind
Blueprints for Builders and Investors
Hosted by Christian Soschner
From pre-seed to post-IPO, every company—especially in deep tech, biotech, AI, and climate tech—lives or dies by the frameworks it follows.
On Beginner’s Mind, Christian Soschner uncovers the leadership principles behind the world’s most impactful companies—through deep-dive interviews, strategic book reviews, and patterns drawn from history’s greatest business, military, and political minds.
With over 200 interviews, panels, and livestreams, the show ranks in the Top 10% globally—and is recognized as the #1 deep tech podcast.
With 35+ years across M&A, company building, board roles, business schools, ultrarunning, and martial arts, Christian brings a rare lens:
What it really takes to turn breakthrough science into business—how to grow it, lead it, and shape the world around it.
🎙 Expect each episode to deliver:
- Founder & Investor Blueprints: How breakthrough technologies scale from lab to IPO
- Historical & Biographical Frameworks: Timeless playbooks from the world's great builders
- Leadership & Communication Mastery: Tools to inspire, persuade, and lead at scale
Whether you're building the next biotech success, investing in AI, or leading a climate tech company through hypergrowth—this podcast gives you the edge.
Listen in. Apply what matters. Build companies that last.
📬 Join the newsletter & community: https://lsg2g.substack.com/
Beginner's Mind
#87: Tuvik Beker - How to Start a Life Science Company in Israel and Raise Capital in Silicon Valley
Fundraising in Israel and the United States – In this episode, I have a conversation with Tuvik Beker, CEO of Pangea Biomed, who has started, developed, and exited companies in the United States and Israel. Now he is developing Pangea Biomed to start the next revolution in precision oncology.
Tuvik Beker is a seasoned entrepreneur, an experienced executive, and a strong technical leader who spent the last twenty years building, scaling, and leading companies in the healthcare, financial, and aerospace domains.
Founded in 2018, Pangea Biomed is an Israeli biotech startup redefining cancer care. The company developed ENLIGHT – the world's most advanced multi-cancer, multi-therapy response predictor. By combining machine learning and deep RNA analysis, the company is mapping tumor molecular signatures to dynamically and adaptively personalize cancer care for a healthier world.
⭐In this episode, we talk about:
The Startup Ecosystem in Israel
Fundraising in the United States from 2000 to 2022
3 Success Secrets to Fundraising in the US
Precision Oncology
The Enlight Technology
Youtube
🎤 Quotes:
(11:58) “Nothing is Impossible"
(31:05) “The Abundance of Capital is one important factor. Another one is, how the area around Stanford University welcomes immigration and foreign innovation."
(35:33) “Many US Investors invest only in US companies”
(40:26) “"If you want to succeed in fundraising, you need to have a wide funnel. You need to start talking to many, many venture capitalists to close a round."
(44:21) “Be mentally ready to have 100 meetings or more to get the initial cheque.”
(50:30) "The most important thing to bear in mind is building honest relationships with venture capitalists."
(01:14:06) “Pangeas approach focuses on harnessing these expression abnormalities in order to attack cancer cells and spare normal healthy cells.”
🕛 Timestamps:
(00:00) Opening
(05:32) The Origin of Pangea Biomed
(07:45) The Startup Ecosystem in Israel
(10:16) Conversation Culture in Israeli Schools
(12:05) IDF: “Nothing is Impossible”
(13:55) Compulsory Military Service Contributes to the Success of the Startup Eco-System
(19:03) Founding a Start Up in Israel
(23:15) The Big StartUp Hubs in Israel
(25:16) StartUp Life in Tel Aviv
(28:00) StartUp Life in Palo Alto & Stanford
(30:52) The Role of Silicon Valley in Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital
(33:52) Fundraising in the United States from 2000 to 2022
(40:00) The 3 Success Secrets to Fundraising in the United States
(56:00) Search Strategies During Fundraising in 2022 – signal.nfx.com
(01:01:00) Recommendations when pitching US Investors
(01:07:52) Pangea’s Solution in Precision Oncology
(01:15:44) The Enlight Technology
(01:20:30) How Pangea Helps to Find the Right Patient Population for Clinical Trials in Oncology
(01:25:00) Pangea’s Collaboration Network
(01:34:00) Enlight – Matchmaking between Patient and the right drugs
(01:36:00) Pangea’s Business Model
(01:40:00) Pangea’s Development Team
(01:42:20) What is the next development step?
(01:44:58) Advice to first-time founders
Experts in Life Science
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
Join the Podcast Newsletter: Link
