How can values create value? Join Venture Capitalist and Author Michael Eisenberg as he speaks with global business leaders to explore the values and purpose behind their businesses, the impact of technology on humanity, and the humanity behind digitization. Michael Eisenberg is Co-Founder and General Partner of Aleph, an early-stage venture capital fund with $850M under management in Tel Aviv, Israel. Aleph is an early stage venture capital fund focused on partnering with great Israeli entrepreneurs to build large, meaningful companies and impactful global brands.
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How can values create value? Join Venture Capitalist and Author Michael Eisenberg as he speaks with global business leaders to explore the values and purpose behind their businesses, the impact of technology on humanity, and the humanity behind digitization. Michael Eisenberg is Co-Founder and General Partner of Aleph, an early-stage venture capital fund with $850M under management in Tel Aviv, Israel. Aleph is an early stage venture capital fund focused on partnering with great Israeli entrepreneurs to build large, meaningful companies and impactful global brands.
Ex-Amazon Dan Davidi on Replacing Fuel with His Company Ohr, Literally Reinventing Rocket Science, and Whether Synthetic Biology is Playing God
Invested by Aleph
59 minutes
8 months ago
Ex-Amazon Dan Davidi on Replacing Fuel with His Company Ohr, Literally Reinventing Rocket Science, and Whether Synthetic Biology is Playing God
On this episode of Invested, Michael hosts Dan Davidi, a distinguished scientist and entrepreneur known for his groundbreaking work in computational and synthetic biology. Davidi earned his Ph.D. from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, where he developed expertise in systems biology and metabolism. Following his doctoral studies, he served as a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School and then joined as faculty to establish the Synthetic Biology Center, advancing research at the intersection of biology and technology. After Harvard, Dan worked as a strategy and design lead at the Amazon Moonshot Factory, where he applied his scientific insights to real-world challenges. Dan currently serves on the steering committee of the National Israeli Synthetic Biology program.
In 2023, he joined Aleph, a venture capital fund, as an Entrepreneur in Residence, focusing on the convergence of artificial intelligence, synthetic biology, and physical sciences to address pressing global issues like climate change and manufacturing security. Dan is currently the Founder and CEO of OHR, a company which uses primordial chemistry and synthetic biology to fashion rocket fuel and other strategic chemicals.
Please rate this episode 5 stars wherever you stream your podcasts!
KEY TOPICS
[00:00:00] Intro
[00:02:10] - How Dan became the EIR at Aleph
[00:05:10] - Harvard vs. Weizmann
[00:09:20] - What is Synthetic Biology?
[00:13:25] - Core Values
[00:14:20] - Returning to Israel and the Experience of an EIR
[00:18:30] - Dan’s Company: OHR
[00:25:00] - Reverse Engineering Chemistry, or Anti-Darwinism?
[00:28:30] - Israel Needs to Learn How to Scale
[00:34:30] - Research Happens Outside of Academia Nowadays
[00:38:50] - Making Israel the Silicon Valley of Biotech
[00:40:23] - What’s the Next Big Area For Scientific Development?
[00:43:47] - How is Science Improved by AI?
[00:46:00] - Trusting Data to Accelerate Life Science Development
[00:50:45] - Why Do Some Ideas Fail as an Entrepreneur?
[00:54:00] - What Should Students Study?
[00:58:30] - Closing Questions
RESOURCES
Follow Dan on LinkedIn
Follow Dan on X
Subscribe to Invested
Learn more about Aleph
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Follow Michael on Twitter
Follow Michael on LinkedIn
Follow Aleph on Twitter
Follow Aleph on LinkedIn
Follow Aleph on Instagram
CREDITS
Executive Producer: Erica Marom
Producer: Yoni Mayer
Video and Editing: Ron Baranov
Music and Art: Uri Ar
Content and Editorial: Kira Goldring
Design: Rony Karadi
Invested by Aleph
How can values create value? Join Venture Capitalist and Author Michael Eisenberg as he speaks with global business leaders to explore the values and purpose behind their businesses, the impact of technology on humanity, and the humanity behind digitization. Michael Eisenberg is Co-Founder and General Partner of Aleph, an early-stage venture capital fund with $850M under management in Tel Aviv, Israel. Aleph is an early stage venture capital fund focused on partnering with great Israeli entrepreneurs to build large, meaningful companies and impactful global brands.
