China's Biotech Rise: What Founders Need to Know | Marc Appel

📬 Get free weekly tips & resources for biotech founders: https://www.biofounder.io/ China’s biotech boom is changing the competition for licensing deals and venture capital. How can founders protect their edge - and use a more global biotech ecosystem to their advantage? In this episode of Bio Founder GPS, I sit down with Marc Appel, founder and managing partner of Pacific Bridge New York, to unpack what China’s rise means for early-stage biotech founders, where to compete, and where collaboration can help you build a stronger company. Marc brings the perspective of both a biotech company builder and an investor. We explore how promising drug programs move from Asia to the U.S., how Western biotechs can tap into Asia’s clinical development capabilities, and what VCs and family offices look for when evaluating a company. In this episode: • What’s driving China’s biotech rise and “China speed” • How to differentiate your science and build a defensible competitive advantage • Why founders need to think globally when designing clinical trials • Opportunities across China and the wider Asia-Pacific ecosystem • How licensing and partnerships can help advance or reposition your company • How family offices approach biotech investing - and what makes a credible fundraising pitch 📄 Free industry report: Biotech’s Shifting Center of Gravity While preparing for this conversation, I took a deep dive into China and the wider Asia-Pacific biotech ecosystem -examining the dealmaking trends, regional strengths, and practical implications for founders. I’ve brought that work together in an in-depth, printable industry report covering the licensing boom, what different markets offer founders, and the development, partnership, and licensing decisions that can shape your company’s next steps. Get your free copy: https://www.biofounder.io/asia-biotec... Connect with Marc and Pacific Bridge NY: Marc on LinkedIn:   / marcsappel   Pacific Bridge NY: https://pacificbridgeny.com/ Pacific Bridge NY on LinkedIn:   / pbny   Work with me through Bench2Bio: Raising capital, exploring licensing opportunities with pharma, or looking to build visibility and tell your company’s story in a way that could attract the right investors, partners, and new hires? My advisory firm, Bench2Bio, helps life sciences founders do just that. Learn more and get in touch to see whether there’s a fit to work together: https://bench2bio.com Connect with Vadim: Join the free Bio Founder GPS community for founders, investors, and builders in life sciences: https://www.biofounder.io/ LinkedIn:   / vadim-shepel   Instagram:   / vadim.bio   Substack: https://substack.com/@biofoundergps Bio Founder GPS Podcast: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033iviW... Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... YouTube:    / @biofoundergps   Bio Founder GPS: Build the business your science deserves. 0:00 Why China matters now: the out-licensing boom 2:41 Meet Marc Appel, Pacific Bridge NY 5:19 How China built a biotech industry in 25 years 8:44 Me too, me better, first-in-class: China's drug waves 16:38 China's structural advantages the US can't match 20:00 Should you run your clinical trial in Asia? 23:53 Phase 3: you need sites where you want to sell 25:37 The out-licensing wave and the east-west arbitrage 33:19 Deal structures: new co, reverse merger, build-to-buy 38:42 How to diligence a Chinese asset 43:33 IP risk and the freedom-to-operate playbook 45:25 The Biosecure Act and geopolitics: signal vs noise 50:42 Beyond China: Korea, Japan, Australia, India 56:55 Family offices: how they really think about biotech 1:07:33 Advice for US preclinical founders 1:09:24 Building a moat around your science 1:15:30 What Pacific Bridge invests in 1:19:56 The five-minute deck scan 1:22:31 Founder pitching mistakes to avoid 1:26:37 Where biotech goes by 2030