Rising senior Brunnet Makava gained an inside look at a few of the more than 1,000 biotechnology firms in the Greater Boston area during a first-of-its-kind “Spiders in Innovation & Entrepreneurship: Biotech” experience.

Makava didn’t hesitate to sign up. “I thought a biotech road trip would be amazing,” she said. “I study biochemistry and molecular biology, so I wanted to hear more about what’s happening in my industry.” In the future, she plans to get a doctorate and then work as a scientist for a biotech company.

Makava was one of 13 business and STEM students on the May tour sponsored by Career Services. Past Spider Road Trips have taken students to New York, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.

“This year, we wanted to expand the scope to include opportunities of interest to our science majors. Boston, known for both healthcare and a vibrant startup ecosystem, seemed like the perfect fit,” said Frank Allen, UR director of employer relations. “It also happens to be one of the top places our current students and alumni call home.”

Students visited the Cambridge Innovation Center, which is home to over 300 life science and biotech organizations, CVS Health Ventures, Danaher Corporation, Deloitte, Google, McKesson Ventures, STRM.BIO, and The Engine, MIT’s incubator that has over 150 Tough Tech companies in residence.

“Of the many companies that we met with, seeing Google was my favorite,” said Kyle Bjornson, a rising junior business major who is drawn to innovation and the startup space. Some students were surprised to learn that Google is in the biotech industry through AI tools and resources built to support and accelerate scientific endeavors.

Biology professor Colleen Carpenter-Swanson joined the program. “The Spider road trip was a fantastic opportunity for University of Richmond students to connect with alumni working across the Boston biotech ecosystem, including senior scientists, founders, and CEOs, and to better understand the wide range of biotech career paths and the many experiences and degrees that can help them get there,” she said.

Meeting with biotech alumni

Alumni led many of the workplace tours and took part in a reception. Students had many opportunities to ask them questions about their careers.

“The alumni were very eager to help us out in any way that they could, and they expressed a strong willingness to be a contact for us going forward,” Bjornson said.

David Raiser, a 2006 alum, spent a morning with the students. He is chief operating officer at STRM.Bio, which is developing breakthrough non-viral delivery systems for genetic medicines, and helps build biotech companies through his consultancy, Raiser Advisory. The alum gave students a tour of STRM.Bio’s lab and The Engine and brought in colleagues for a panel.

“Students got a chance to get a close-up perspective of what it takes to create a successful biotech startup. They got an opportunity to learn about failure and that it’s an everyday experience for an entrepreneur,” said Cihangir Bek, UR assistant director of employer relations. “Yes, the panelists are successful, but it didn’t happen overnight.”

The students met with a mix of Richmond alumni and non-alumni, many of whom were contacts of Tim Cook, a 2003 alum and current member of the board of trustees who helped connect the group to top companies. Cook is a partner at Portage Park Partners, a healthcare venture studio.

“Visiting with alums is always great because students can see the fruition of hard work and the incredible education they are getting at UR. They also see and connect with the web of Spiders that are everywhere and making a positive impact on the world,” Allen said.