A Few Things with Jim Barrood · 2025-10-20 · 48 min
We discussed a few things including: 1. Their career journeys 2. Merck's venture strategy and GHIF story 3. MSD Idea Studios 4. CVC landscape and trends 5. Outlook for pharma and innovation Bill has led MSD Global Health Innovation (GHI) since 2010, playing a strong role in the US company’s transition a decade ago from general consumer pharmaceuticals to a focus on biopharmaceuticals and oncology. With 45 portfolio companies and about 80% having commercial agreements with MSD, His approach of always seeking to understand and solve the parent company’s core challenges has proven successful. Last year, the fund expanded beyond the US, launching two accelerator programms, one in Berlin covering central Europe and one in Singapore covering 10 Asian countries. The accelerators will also invest at an earlier stage than the growth stage-focused core GHI fund has typically done. Both in the US and abroad, GHI is focused on four key areas of pharma services: drug discovery, clinical development, supply chain and patient access. In drug discovery, Bill is particularly excited about AI and machine learning allowing drugs to be identified faster.
$1 Tril Opp: How Refugees & Survivors are Rebuilding Economy with Navneet Bhalla + Aditya Khurjekar59 / 100
Startup ecosystem dynamics, Miami, Austin (TX), tech and funding trends, challenges and opportunities with Melissa Medina and Paul O'Brien
When Policy Shakes Innovation: Founders, Funders, and the Real Impact of Uncertainty on Startups and Science with G. Heraman and G. Pedersen
Funding Trends: AI, Capital Crunch + New Funding Playbook with Carta's Hamza Shad + VC Mellie Chow
#149 Jenny Fielding talks about entrepreneurship, funding, talent, lessons learned and her new book