Elizabeth Iorns
Showing 1–5 of 5 transcripts.
- Y Combinator55 min
A Conversation with Elizabeth Iorns - Advice for Biotech Founders
Former University of Miami assistant professor Elizabeth Irins founded Science Exchange in 2011 to solve scientific market inefficiencies by creating a vetted B2B marketplace that manages over $100 billion in annual outsourced research spend. The platform mitigates information asymmetry and quality issues through rigorous provider vetting and a Reproducibility Initiative that validates experimental results for major pharmaceutical partners like Amgen. Currently serving as a Y Combinator partner, Irins leverages the company's transparent data infrastructure to reshape academic-commercial collaboration while advising a portfolio of hundreds of biotech startups.
- Y Combinator57 min
David Zeevi on Personalized Nutrition Based on Your Gut Microbiome
David Zeevi, Craig Cannon, Elizabeth Iorns
Addressing the global epidemic of metabolic disease by challenging the limitations of universal dietary guidelines, this study utilized continuous glucose monitoring and microbiome analysis to demonstrate that individuals exhibit highly variable post-meal glycemic responses to identical foods. Researchers developed a predictive algorithm incorporating 137 features, including bacterial composition and blood parameters, to accurately forecast personalized glucose spikes with a correlation of r=0.70, significantly outperforming traditional carbohydrate counting. In a double-blinded intervention, these personalized dietary strategies successfully normalized blood glucose peaks for pre-diabetic participants without requiring caloric restriction, validating the concept that nutrition must be tailored to individual metabolic and microbial profiles to effectively prevent obesity and Type 2 diabetes.
- Y Combinator41 min
Elizabeth Iorns on Biotech Companies in YC
Elizabeth Iorns, Craig Cannon, Elizabeth Lyons
Science Exchange founder and CEO Elizabeth Lyons discusses how Y Combinator accelerates biotech innovation by prioritizing technology de-risking and capital access over traditional market validation. The program addresses the surplus of PhDs entering entrepreneurship by guiding scientists through complex intellectual property licensing and connecting them with Silicon Valley investors seeking deep domain expertise. Current strategic focuses include leveraging AI for drug toxicity prediction, advancing CRISPR applications for genetic editing, and navigating the clinical trial design challenges inherent in longevity research.
- Y Combinator27 min
Founders of Science Exchange, Goldbely, and The Flex Company Discuss Fundraising
Kat Manalac, Elizabeth Iorns, Vanessa Torrivilla, Erica Jensen, Elizabeth Lyons
Hosted by Kat, a panel featuring YC alumni founders Elizabeth Lyons, Vanessa Torribilla, and Erica examined fundraising hurdles across diverse sectors, revealing that initial seed rounds consistently register as the most difficult stage. The founders detailed a strategic shift from vision-based narratives to rigorous data preparation for Series A, while offering specific tactics for overcoming gender bias and managing team resources to prevent metric stagnation. Ultimately, the discussion emphasized the necessity of aligning investor outreach with relevant demographics and maintaining founder well-being to sustain long-term growth.
- Y Combinator16 min
Elizabeth Iorns at Female Founders Conference 2014
Elizabeth Iorns, Dr. Elizabeth Irons
Dr. Elizabeth Irons founded Science Exchange, a Y Combinator-backed global marketplace connecting researchers with over 800 pre-vetted labs to streamline academic experiment collaboration. Drawing from her personal experience as a former breast cancer researcher, Irons validated the platform's market fit by manually vetting thousands of institutions and adopting a "FORCE" cultural framework to guide operations and investor relations. The company successfully navigated early brand skepticism by pivoting its narrative to emphasize scientific credibility, ultimately establishing a scalable infrastructure that addresses the fragmentation of technical expertise in modern research.