Oguzhan Atay is the founder & CEO of BillionToOne, a molecular diagnostics company that is redefining cancer care and pre-natal genetic testing. Oguzhan developed a liquid biopsy tool to test DNA through blood, rather than tissue samples. His approach is way less invasive and way more accurate. The company has raised over $210M. In this episode, Oguzhan speaks to Host Sabrina Halper and Co-host & partner at HOF Victor Wang about the ways this technology will save millions of lives and billions in healthcare spending. He also goes deep into the issues with America's healthcare and insurance system, and opens up about his own philosophy around relentless learning and curiosity.
Q&A with Oghuzan:
One book you’d recommend? I read many, many books (both fiction & non-fiction), so this is a difficult question for me. Zero to One, Disciplined Entrepreneurship, Hot Seat, and Martian are appropriate for seed-stage & problem solving; Hard Thing about Hard Things is appropriate for downturns, recessions, and dealing with difficult situations; Amp It Up is good for setting the right culture of high performance; The Great CEO Within is a great guide for concise, actionable, tactical improvements. If I have to select one book, and also choose it based on our company's current stage and how we want to build a generational, category-defining company, it would be "Great by Choice" by Jim Collins and Morten Hansen.
A question you always ask during an interview? What is the one thing in your past that you are most proud of achieving, either because it is truly impactful or rarely achieved outcome, or because you had to overcome significant challenges in attaining it? The reason I like this question is that it identifies superstars & overachievers in a way that does not discriminate against people who have not had the same opportunities as everyone.
Email me at Shalper@hofcapital.com with any feedback, requests for guests, or if you're building something to shape the future.
This episode covers:
- What BillionToOne is developing with their liquid biopsy technology
- How Gene therapies are innovating to reverse genetic disorders 06:08
- How Gene therapies are re-defining cancer diagnostic and mitigation 09:00
- CRISPR
- How to measure the success of BillionToOne's molecular diagnostic tool
- Health and economic impact of superior diagnostics
- Issues with insurance companies and reimbursement in the healthcare system + the opportunity for disruption
- Missteps of early days of COVID
- Transition from being an academic to a founder
- Keys to Oghuzan's personal & professional success
- How innovation is accelerating