E178: Elon Musk of Biotech: How David Berry Built 7 Unicorns

David Berry is one of the most prolific healthcare entrepreneurs of our time. In this episode, we discuss his transition from scientist to founder to investor, what it takes to scale transformational health companies, and how his firm Averin is helping usher in the next wave of AI-enabled healthcare. We also talk about his early experience launching a satellite at 14, how he's co-founded over 30 companies—including seven unicorns—and why patents, perseverance, and purpose are the trifecta behind lasting innovation. Highlights: “The Elon Musk of Biotech?” Why Sorov called David that—and how David approaches world-changing problems From 0 to 7 Unicorns: What David looks for in the first year of a company that signals long-term greatness Pivots vs. Distractions: How to recognize the “kernel of truth” that transforms strategy The Power of Culture: Why early-stage hiring is make-or-break—and how his brother built an elite culture at TripleLift Replacing Founders Is Overrated: How world-class companies scale with visionary founders still at the helm Extreme Passion: The real signal that a team will stay late, even without being told The Investor’s Edge: Why early and mid-stage inflection points are where true multiples are made Averin Capital: His new firm focused on tech-driven health companies in the underserved growth stage The Coming Wave in Alzheimer’s: Why he believes personalized medicine will finally unlock real progress Product-Market Fit in Biotech? Why 60% of approved drugs still lose money—and how to avoid those pitfalls -- Guest Bio: David Berry is the Managing Partner and co-founder of Averin, a Boston-based investment firm focused on helping build the next generation of great technology-powered healthcare companies. Prior to Averin, he was a General Partner at Flagship Pioneering, where he co-founded over 30 ventures across life sciences and sustainability—including seven that became unicorns. He holds an M.D. from Harvard Medical School, a Ph.D. in Biological Engineering from MIT, and a B.S. in Brain and Cognitive Sciences from MIT. David is also the recipient of numerous honors, including MIT Technology Review’s Innovator of the Year and World Economic Forum Young Global Leader. He is the inventor on over 200 patents and helped launch a satellite at age 14. Our Podcast now receives more than 300,000 downloads a month. Are you interested in sponsoring an episode? Please email David Weisburd at david@weisburdcapital.com . #venturecapital #vc #startupsuccess #biotech #assetmanagement -- Stay Connected: Twitter/X: David Weisburd: @dweisburd LinkedIn: David Weisburd: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dweisburd/ David Berry: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidberrymdphd/ Links Averin: https://www.averincapital.com/ -- Questions or topics you want us to discuss on How I Invest? Email us at david@weisburdcapital.com . (0:00) Episode preview (3:21) Drive, perseverance, and strategic pivots in entrepreneurship (7:25) Company culture and founder roles during growth and scaling (15:09) Identifying entrepreneurial superpowers and inner circle support (17:23) Transitioning from entrepreneur to investor principles (21:29) Growth investing strategies and investor-management alignment (25:43) Navigating biotech's business and financial challenges (32:36) Skill stacking and venture capital dynamics in biotech (37:30) Closing remarks