3 ms·

San Diego would be a nice place to have a base of operations for getting more involved in biotech.

w1ntermute 11y ago
Let's be honest - the only place that really matters for biotech is Boston, and the movers and shakers there have no desire or need to work with YC or anyone in Silicon Valley. San Diego's biotech scene is mostly just companies mindlessly pursuing cheaper and faster sequencing.
- jacquesm 11y ago
  I wouldn't call that 'mindlessly', faster sequencing is going to unlock a whole slew of new offerings just like 'faster transistors' powered the computer revolution.
  - w1ntermute 11y ago
    That's a terrible analogy, and here are two good links on why: http://wavefunction.fieldofscience.com/2015/03/cancer-genomics-and-technological.html http://wavefunction.fieldofscience.com/2015/03/cancer-genomi... http://thesciencenetwork.org/programs/reading-the-human-genome-with-sydney-brenner/much-ado-about-nothing-systems-biology-and-inverse-problems http://thesciencenetwork.org/programs/reading-the-human-geno...
- CPLX 11y ago
  > the only place that really matters for biotech is Boston The Washington DC area I believe disproves your hypothesis.
  - w1ntermute 11y ago
    DC doesn't even come in the top 4 for biotech. The top 4 are probably Boston, SF, San Diego, and Seattle.
    - OopsCriticality 11y ago
      What about RTP?
    - owensmp 11y ago
      If we are naming cities NYC should be included. With 8 leading medical research institutions, the second highest annual NIH funding, and a wealth of talent/capital in adjacent industries - NYC's foundation for Biotech is extremely strong.
    - CPLX 11y ago
      The presence of NIH and the Federal Government apparatus alone (not to mention Johns Hopkins next door) should disprove your hypothesis. As do facts and numbers: http://www.fiercebiotech.com/story/top-15-cities-biotech-venture-funding/2014-03-06 http://www.fiercebiotech.com/story/top-15-cities-biotech-ven... http://www.genengnews.com/insight-and-intelligenceand153/top-10-u-s-biopharma-clusters/77900061/ http://www.genengnews.com/insight-and-intelligenceand153/top...
- jrkelly 11y ago
  I'll take a pro-Boston comment on hackernews however it comes!! It is true that BOS is basically unrivaled for pharma-biotech. Biotech is moving into other markets now too though. That said, we (Ginkgo Bioworks) are mostly non-pharma but are in BOS anyway. There is an awesome pool of bioengineering talent here.

Let's be honest - the only place that really matters for biotech is Boston, and the movers and shakers there have no desire or need to work with YC or anyone in Silicon Valley. San Diego's biotech scene is mostly just companies mindlessly pursuing cheaper and faster sequencing.

jacquesm 11y ago
I wouldn't call that 'mindlessly', faster sequencing is going to unlock a whole slew of new offerings just like 'faster transistors' powered the computer revolution.
- w1ntermute 11y ago
  That's a terrible analogy, and here are two good links on why: http://wavefunction.fieldofscience.com/2015/03/cancer-genomics-and-technological.html http://wavefunction.fieldofscience.com/2015/03/cancer-genomi... http://thesciencenetwork.org/programs/reading-the-human-genome-with-sydney-brenner/much-ado-about-nothing-systems-biology-and-inverse-problems http://thesciencenetwork.org/programs/reading-the-human-geno...
CPLX 11y ago
> the only place that really matters for biotech is Boston The Washington DC area I believe disproves your hypothesis.
- w1ntermute 11y ago
  DC doesn't even come in the top 4 for biotech. The top 4 are probably Boston, SF, San Diego, and Seattle.
  - OopsCriticality 11y ago
    What about RTP?
  - owensmp 11y ago
    If we are naming cities NYC should be included. With 8 leading medical research institutions, the second highest annual NIH funding, and a wealth of talent/capital in adjacent industries - NYC's foundation for Biotech is extremely strong.
  - CPLX 11y ago
    The presence of NIH and the Federal Government apparatus alone (not to mention Johns Hopkins next door) should disprove your hypothesis. As do facts and numbers: http://www.fiercebiotech.com/story/top-15-cities-biotech-venture-funding/2014-03-06 http://www.fiercebiotech.com/story/top-15-cities-biotech-ven... http://www.genengnews.com/insight-and-intelligenceand153/top-10-u-s-biopharma-clusters/77900061/ http://www.genengnews.com/insight-and-intelligenceand153/top...
jrkelly 11y ago
I'll take a pro-Boston comment on hackernews however it comes!! It is true that BOS is basically unrivaled for pharma-biotech. Biotech is moving into other markets now too though. That said, we (Ginkgo Bioworks) are mostly non-pharma but are in BOS anyway. There is an awesome pool of bioengineering talent here.