From Scalpel to Term Sheet: Rich Gaster on Building Conviction, Backing Winners, and Fighting for Claire

What does it take to go from performing reconstructive plastic surgeries at Harvard to becoming a managing partner at one of biotech’s most focused venture firms? Rich Gaster, Managing Partner at venBio Partners, joins Mike and Jen to trace a career path that runs through Stanford MD-PhD training, two grad school startups, the company-building engine at Third Rock Ventures, and the founding team of Pliant Therapeutics — before landing at venBio, where he helped engineer three back-to-back acquisitions in a single quarter.

Rich breaks down what makes venBio’s small-team, high-conviction model so effective, how asset-focused investing differs from platform company builds, and what he looks for when deciding to pull the trigger on a deal. He also shares hard-won advice for the next generation of biotech investors — including why thinking like an investor during your training matters more than your degree.

The conversation closes with Rich sharing the deeply personal story of his daughter Claire’s diagnosis with ATRT, an ultra-rare pediatric brain cancer with a 30% two-year survival rate — and how his medical training, network, and willingness to fight the system helped save her life. He also discusses his work with the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation and how others in the VC and biotech community can get involved.

Join Team Claire by donating here: curethekids.org/teamclaire_wsgr

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