"We don't believe what we hear. We have to put a filter, almost instinctively, on whatever is being pitched to us, because we know the game from the other side, and we know that whatever we hear will rarely materialize one-to-one in the future."
In this episode, I talked with Pawel Szczepanski, CEO of JJP Biologics, a Polish biotech developing next-generation biologics in the personalized medicine space, to hear about his path from investment banking and management consulting into biotech leadership, and what it actually takes to build a clinical-stage company from scratch.
Pawel opens up about the phone call that changed the direction of his career, the proudest moment of his time as CEO, and a startup he tried to build with friends that never got off the ground. We also get into the three pieces of advice he gives every new CEO, why JJP built its culture around courage, and a trend in fundraising that he believes is quietly damaging trust across the industry. Pawel gives his honest take on what is still missing for Poland to produce a true global biotech success story, and outside of work, he is a dedicated traveller who plans every family trip himself, a passion he is now passing on to his two children.
(Find out more in the episode.)
Here's What You're In For
- How one phone call from a prominent Polish investor changed his career path
- Moving from investment banking and consulting into biotech leadership
- The text that marked the proudest moment of his career so far
- Why a promising IoT startup with friends still failed
- The three pieces of advice he gives every new biotech CEO
- Building JJP Biologics around courage, teamwork and purpose from day one
- The trend of overpromising in fundraising, and why he believes it fails to build trust.
- Balancing ambitious clinical scale up with keeping the team stable
- What is still missing for Poland to produce a global biotech success story
- Why he still plans every family trip himself, and the road trip that stuck with him most
Timestamps
02:21 – How a phone call from a Polish Investor pulled him from consulting into biotech
04:31 – Career high point: the two-word text that changed everything, and the low point of a startup that didn't survive
07:08 – Lessons learned since becoming CEO, and the three pieces of advice he gives new CEOs
11:47 – What JJP Biologics does, and where the pipeline stands today
12:42 – Building a culture around courage, teamwork and purpose from day one
15:33 – What's next for JJP over the next one to two years
18:13 – The real challenge of scaling a young biotech while staying stable
20:06 – The trend of overpromising in biotech fundraising
23:09 – Balancing youth and experience when hiring as the company scales
26:28 – What makes the Polish life science sector unique, and what is still missing
34:26 – Why travel is his biggest passion outside of work
38:40 – The worst career advice he has ever received
Full episodes here:
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/23U3xgowRgDcLfgp1zC4rP?si=4321093aa7ba470a
- Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pawel-szczepanski-ceo-at-jjp-biologics-on-leading-without/id1736051162?i=1000790964068
About Pawel
Pawel Szczepanski is the Chief Executive Officer of JJP Biologics, a Polish biotech developing next-generation biologics in personalized medicine, focused on autoimmune disease and cancer. Before stepping into the CEO role, he spent years in investment banking, M&A advisory, and management consulting, eventually specializing in life sciences, and he currently sits on the boards of JJP Ventures and Polpharma Biologics. Pawel has a bi-profile education in Business and Law and is currently working towards a PhD in Economics, a non-scientist leading a science-driven company.
Outside of JJP, he is a petrolhead and avid traveller, passing those same passions on to his two children.
Connect with Pawel
About JJP Biologics:
JJP Biologics is a clinical-stage, immune-focused biotech based in Poland, developing precision medicines that correct derailed immune pathways in autoimmune disease and cancer. Its lead asset, Nebaprubart, has already shown early signals of clinical efficacy in a rare autoimmune blistering disease, with plans to expand into six additional indications. A second program, an anti-HVEM immune oncology treatment, is set to enter clinical trials by early next year.
- JJP Biologics: https://www.jjpbiologics.com
- Pipeline: https://jjpbiologics.com/pipeline/
About Charles
My name is Charles Spence and I lead Discera. After many years working in the life-science recruitment world, I decided to work for myself. Before doing recruitment I graduated with a biomedical degree, have worked in hospitals (including translation work in Seoul, South Korea), and also spent a year working in diabetes research in Stockholm. After doing research and travel, a career in business and science felt the most appropriate.
In 2023, I decided to launch my firm - Discera Search. A firm committed to solving the biggest talent needs of early clinical-stage SME biotechs on the East Coast and DACH.
Connect with me:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-spence-clinical/
- Website: https://www.discera-search.com/
Opinions and comments expressed by the guest do not represent the company and are fully their own.
