Mentor Spotlight: Vasu Pestonjamasp

With her interdisciplinary background as a former biomedical researcher at 美国加州大学圣迭戈分校 and an Executive MBA holder, Vasu Pestonjamasp provides insightful perspectives as a business mentor and advisor. Pestonjamasp can bring two different worlds into one as an advisor and support the commercialization activities of various businesses and startups across the country and overseas.?

As well as working around the world, Pestonjamasp locally serves as a Blackstone LaunchPad mentor at The Basement at UC San Diego. In this role, she brings her extensive experience from working at the academia-industry interface across a spectrum of technologies ranging from life sciences to engineering to environmental and sustainability solutions. Last month, Pestonjamasp sat down with The Basement to talk more about her journey, and how science and business mix in her world.?

What is the work you do here at The Basement?

I’m a UCSD alumna and a mentor for the Blackstone LaunchPad here, and I use my science, research, and business expertise for this role. Over the past many years, I have advised many research investigators and young companies throughout the University of California system, as well as outside California.

What was the research you did in your postgraduate work? Why did you choose to pursue this??

At UC San Diego, I was involved in biomedical research, and this provided me with an excellent opportunity to train in the areas of certain biomarker genes and peptide structure and expression. UC San Diego is a premier university, at the forefront of cutting-edge technologies, and I absolutely enjoyed my time here.?

Biochemistry and Pharmacology hold great potential for finding cures for various diseases. There are so many different conditions we discover that are going on within the body! The intricate network of pathways that go underneath these conditions is intriguing and fascinating, and I felt curious to better understand how they work.

You shifted from working as a postdoctoral scientist to pursuing an executive MBA. What drove your decision to shift from science and medicine to business??

During my days as a bench scientist, I had the opportunity to focus on one or two projects at a time. This was a rewarding phase, and I enjoyed doing science. Along the way, I realized that there are business aspects that are a part of the wider consideration of commercializing science, and this is how I began to get interested in business. That’s why I went to business school to get my MBA.??

Would you say that there are intersections between STEM and business that you did not expect to find before you became an advisor??

In the days prior to being an advisor, I was aware of some aspects. As I started advising startups, more unraveled for me. There are several areas that innovators need to tackle to keep the work going such as protecting intellectual property and getting funding so research can continue, among others. These are critical factors and can be relevant whether you are a life science startup or any sort of STEM startup. While these aspects are very interesting, they can also be quite overwhelming! These intersections became apparent to me over time.?

Do you think your wide breadth of experience from a researcher to a business expert offers you an interesting perspective as an advisor??

Yes, absolutely. With my own experience as a researcher, I am able to better appreciate the challenges startup innovators face. As a business person, I can help them with their path forward. Additionally, my work experience in the US and overseas provides me with an understanding of global problems, and I feel that this brings a unique worldly perspective to my role as an advisor.

Do you think as a mentor you also learn from your mentees?

Innovations can arise from the combination of diverse fields including life science and engineering. There’s always new knowledge to gain! While I am a mentor, I am a lifelong learner and continue to be amazed by the science and the entrepreneurial spirit of the mentees at The Basement.

What advice would you share with student entrepreneurs?

As someone who has advanced because of the valuable advice of great mentors, I am happy to share some of mine – Believe in yourself and don’t give up.? Also, at the end of the day, if people feel respected, then that will bring out the best in them. So, be humble and acknowledge the contributions of those you work with.??

Visit Vasu Pestonjamasp on Linkedin .?