Yusuf Sulaiman, Venture Fellow
"A founder that is passionate and truly knows his/her technology throughout gets me on the edge of my seat. That conviction and tone of excitement is one of the things that I look for."
Science Center Venture Fellow, Yusuf Sulaiman
Yusuf Sulaiman: The One Who Thinks Regulation is Fun
What first pulled you toward the venture side of health and life sciences?
I had previous experience in venture at two generalist firms in the Southeast. Health sciences deals were always the most fascinating as they required scrutinous analyses of regulatory and technological quality - and that's fun! Because I get to learn, stay on my feet, and takeaway from knowledge on work on a topic, I would have otherwise never touched (hopefully) like the spinal cord, pelvic floor, or gut. All while learning about said topics from bright minds in the field.
You're coming to this program from outside of the Philadelphia region. What made the Science Center and Philadelphia's life sciences and healthcare ecosystem the right place to be right now?
The Science Center is a storied organization - they were pioneering the ecosystem model in the seventies, before the term was even coined by the innovators and venture capitalists of our time. There are years of institutional knowledge here further compounded by community relationships with UPenn, Drexel, CHOP, Corporations, and many more. And that’s what makes Philly's life sciences ecosystem the right place to be, it already has all of the tools that other cities and states are taking years to build as well as the connections, collaboration, and bright minds necessary to really create something special.
You're running several workstreams this year, from portfolio embeds to a co-authored thesis on aging and longevity. Which part are you most excited to dig into?
I am personally most excited on the policy side. As I stated before, the regulatory complexity in health technology draws me in. I want to soak up as much as possible over the next year, to a point where I can confidently help our CRP prospects and alumni assess this landscape.
Where do you see an opportunity in health or medtech that you don't think enough people are paying attention to?
Rural health, and I am biased because ETSU's MPH is among the best in the nation for it. But there is just so much to be done for healthcare in Middle America that just don't get much coverage. A clear example would be feminine health in the South, where maternal mortality rates have been consistently higher than the national average, and on a county level, this uncovers maternal care deserts, critically hitting the Great Plains region stretching from West Texas northward to the Dakotas. And this is just one example of a multitude of others, and when policy is lagging, I believe innovation could be a real solution to fill some of those gaps.
When you're sizing up an early-stage company, what's the first thing that gets you excited, and the first thing that gives you pause?
A founder that is passionate and truly knows his/her technology throughout gets me on the edge of my seat. That conviction and tone of excitement is one of the things that I look for.
Complete the sentence, "A year from now, I hope to..."
A year from now I hope to simply be a more well-rounded professional, one who is literate on technological innovation, policy, and the finance underlying it.