Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in biotechnology but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Milan Patel, CEO & Co-Founder of PathogenDx, located in Scottsdale, AZ, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
PathogenDx is an innovative biotech company that provides disruptive molecular-based pathogen testing technology and solutions to clients in the food safety, cannabis, and clinical lab industries. Compared to other technologies in these sectors (qPCR and NGS), PathogenDx's proprietary D³ Dynamic Dimensional Detection Array technology is more flexible, rapid, and lower cost – setting a new standard in multiplexed testing.
Tell us about yourself
As Co-Founder and CEO of PathogenDx, I lead the strategic vision and global growth of the Company and previously spent nearly three decades working with large public, small private, and entrepreneurial companies in numerous fields, from the life sciences to biotechnology, to government services and the automotive industry. I have always had a passion for being in the biotech/life sciences sector. It stems from my graduate degree in Biomedical Engineering. Having seen the technology that our Chief Scientific Officer invented, I realized the potential widespread application it could have. We licensed the technology and founded PathogenDx.
The ideation of this realized that whether it was food, agriculture, the environment, or even us, as humans, we're at risk of infection and contamination. And the number of outbreaks was not subsiding but increasing over time. All of this, whether consumption of contaminated food, agriculture, water, or even the air we breathe, ultimately impacts our health. Therefore, my motivation is to drive a positive change in the health and safety of people's lives. It sounds like our mission statement, and it is, but when you are armed with a technology that can make that a reality, the motivation is just that much easier.
Even personally, I see this technology as being valuable beyond pathogen detection and having the power to help with cancer diagnostics. My mother is now a three-time cancer survivor, and the journey she and many others have been through – especially the grueling period of waiting for diagnostic test results – needs to change. The sooner results come in, the sooner the doctor and patient can work together to make therapeutic decisions. That is what drives me. To make this technology a reality so patients like my mother can gain back an extra 2-3 weeks of their lives.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
One of my biggest accomplishments as a business owner was PathogenDx's contribution to Operation Warp Speed during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. I'm incredibly proud to say that our business was selected to scale its operations for COVID-19 and variant testing with the ultimate goal of broadening testing access to help curb the pandemic.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Balancing and optimizing so many different variables that go into successfully growing a business: money, people, priorities, direction, resources, etc.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Stay true to yourself and your vision.
- Use your network to your advantage. With every new business I've started, I called on others for advice and support.
- Be flexible and willing to take appropriate risks. The global economy is constantly changing, and new business opportunities arise every day.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://pathogendx.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PathogenDx
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pathogen_dx/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PathogenDX
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pathogendx/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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