When Grammy-nominated singer-songwriterAloe Blaccgot COVID despite being vaccinated and boosted, he tried to fund research for a better solution.Whathequicklyfoundout? Youcan’tjust write a check in biotech. Regulators require a commercialization plan, and philanthropydoesn’tmove science through clinical trials or get you a license on university IP. Now,he’sbootstrapping a cancer drug platform targeting pancreatic cancer, a disease that kills 90% of its patients, andintentionally waiting to raise from his network until peer-reviewed papers can makehiscase.
On this episode of TechCrunch’sEquitypodcast, Rebecca Bellan sits down with Aloe Blacc to talk about what happens when a creator decides to build instead of just invest, how Aloe iswatching AI reshapeboth the biotech andmusicindustriesin real time,and his thoughtsonwhoactually wins.
Listen to the full episode to hear:
- Howhe’snavigating a world where credibility is earned indata, not fame
- How a University of Houston molecule discovery platform could cut years off drug development timelines
- Why he thinks record labels, not artists or AI companies, willultimately controlthe economics of AI-generated music
- What Suno taught him about prototyping, and why his next album will still be recorded with live musicians
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