Yogev Debbi, Mana Bio

How do you run a company that is – quite literally – in a warzone?

Why should you define your culture before building the company?

And what is the secret to a co-founder relationship that’s lasted longer than most marriages?

Today I’m joined by Yogev Debbi, CEO and co-founder of Mana Bio based in Tel Aviv, Israel. Mana is an AI based drug delivery startup, focusing on gene therapy including DNA and RNA-based therapeutics, and vaccines.

About LifeScience ORG

It’s no secret that Europe is a global leader in generating translational science. We’re grateful at LifeScience ORG to have a community of over 400 life science CEOs – leaders driving change in biotech, medtech, techBio and healthcare.

The conversations inside our community – stories of conviction, navigating challenges, and making bold decisions – inspire us every week. To hear the stories, lessons, and experiences of our life science leaders, listen to A Call to Lead @ LifeScience ORG, available on all good podcasting platforms.

Chapters

1:37 – From Software to Life Science: Finding Purpose Beyond Profit

3:41 – Building a Founding Team: Hiring Scientists When You're Not One

16:42 – The Co-Founder Relationship: Trust, Transparency, and Two Decades Together

19:17 – Defining Culture Before You Have a Company

21:05 – Using Investors as a Filter: Reverse Due Diligence During Ideation

32:38 – Leading Through Crisis: Resilience in an Active Conflict Zone

37:55 – The Gene Delivery Challenge: Why the Space Shuttle Matters More Than the Astronaut

39:41 – AI-Driven Drug Discovery: Redefining What a Failed Experiment Means

45:18 – The Tech-Bio Convergence: Bridging Two Worlds Within One Team