Best of 2022: books, podcasts, and more

With 2022 behind I can confidently say this was a post-COVID year with many more in-person meetings than before. As someone who enjoys being surrounded by people, 2022 felt much better than previous years. And yes, I got COVID after avoiding it for a long time (fortunately asymptomatic). Following the tradition of previous years, here are my highlights of 2022. Maybe next year a chatGPT-like tool will write this for me ;)

Learnings & thoughts

1. Launched YVC Collective together with a series of other colleagues. YVC is a network of emerging life science VCs in Europe. We’re here to foster collaboration, networking, exchange of thoughts, and career development. We’ve organized many events and will continue to do so throughout Europe. Reach out if you want to learn more or want to join regional chapters.
2. ChatGPT. Wow. Still the tip of the iceberg for AI/ML in our daily lives and it’s already making waves everywhere. These kinds of tools will be must-haves in the very near future. I am already dreaming about GPT-like approaches that I can use to talk to scientific literature — “does X target interfere with Z pathway when blocked at Y spot?” (see more on this under Resources 👇)
3. This year I was involved in one new seed investment from my team, a Swiss company called Engimmune Therapeutics, using a toolbox to generate the next TCR therapies (T-cells or soluble TCRs). This means I continue building on my experience and understanding of the cell therapy space. If you work in a cell therapy biotech with a novel approach or solving some of the critical bottlenecks I would love to hear about it!
4. I’ve continued my executive role in a biotech startup company I am helping build, and have now spent some time in Switzerland. I’ve always been impressed by the quality of life there and how everything just works so well. However, after starting a company there I’ve come to learn about some of their old-school habits (e.g. paper signatures, in 2022!). The operational role has given me another level of appreciation for what management teams need to do and it has been a fantastic experience. I am certain it will make me a better investor and board member.
5. 2022 also brought another change — moving from Copenhagen back to Boston, albeit temporarily. Riding the T reminded me why Boston is the biotech capital of the world. Where else would you see these kinds of subway ads 👇? It’s rare to not see an ad for a research tool or a clinical study.

Ad for a research tool on the subway.

Two ads for clinical studies on the subway.

Books

1. The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander. I recommend you listen to this book instead of reading it. The audio version has multiple orchestral excerpts (Benjamin Zander is the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic). An uplifting dual-perspective on the sense of possibility through anecdotes and experiences.
2. Great at Work by Morten Hansen brings a fresh perspective on what it takes to be great at work. Focus your attention on fewer things and produce high-quality work products instead of trying to do too much and spreading yourself thin.
3. Where Futures Converge by Robert Buderi. This is a book about Kendall Square, often considered one of the most innovative places on earth (at least for biotech).

My top 3 books of 2022.

Podcasts

It’s been a year with fewer total podcast listens, but I still wanted to share a few episodes that I found particularly interesting.

1. Guy Raz started “The Great Creators” and interviewed first Stephen Colbert. Interviewed in the same style of “How I built this w/ Guy Raz”. Really interesting to learn so many new things about Colbert (e.g. he explains why his last name is pronounced like it is).
2. Business Wars episode series about Taco Bell and Chipotle. From a business perspective, it is super interesting to learn about the story of these two big chains in the US.
3. “A Minha Geração” with Diana Duarte. A top-notch podcast for the Portuguese-speaking folks out there mostly interviews with Portuguese people doing amazing work in various fields.

The Great Creators w/ Guy Raz

Business Wars podcast

A Minha Geração w/ Diana Duarte

Resources

Here are a few tools and resources I found in 2022 that could be useful to you:

1. Talk to Books — a tool built by Google where you can ask questions to books.
2. Elicit.org — a GPT-like tool to ask questions to scientific literature. A more detailed guide to come soon.
3. Nucleate — a fantastic organization now present in many cities in US/Europe that fosters innovation. If you have an idea and want to be a biotech founder check out their Nucleate Activator 2023 Application here.
4. The documentary “From Controversy to Cure — Inside the Cambridge Biotech Boom”. See below 👇

Paintings

2022 saw no new paintings, but many projects have started. Hopefully, 2023 will be more productive :)

But of course, and as many of you did, I played around with DALL-E to generate interesting images and graphical elements. As usual in my artistic work, I was inspired by science. See a few selected works below:

Joao Ribas x DALL-E — all scientific contributions to human health in the style of Salvador Dali

Joao Ribas x DALL-E — a biotech startup in the style of Basquiat

Joao Ribas x DALL-E — a contemporary sculpture about cancer