Vijay Pande’s New Venture

Vijay Pande’s New Venture

Vijay Pande, who left a16z’s roughly $4 billion biotech practice last year to start the much smaller, AI-native VZVC, talks about why biology is finally shifting from a “discovery” science to an “engineering” one.

Challenges in Medicine

Pande discusses why clinical trials are still brutally expensive and why he thinks open, shared datasets (not walled-off ones) are what will actually let AI transform medicine.

AI in Biotech

Pande’s new venture, VZVC, is focused on AI-native approaches in biotech, suggesting a shift in how the industry is leveraging technology.

Open Data vs. Walled Datasets

He emphasizes the importance of open, shared datasets over walled-off ones, arguing that this is the key to AI’s potential in medicine.

Industry Shift

Pande’s comments reflect a broader trend in biotech, where AI is increasingly seen as a tool for engineering rather than just discovery.