What happens when brilliant scientific innovation meets masterful storytelling?

Marketing rarely tops the priority list for scientists and biotech founders who are deep in the technical challenges of making their innovations work. Yet without effective communication, even groundbreaking discoveries risk languishing in obscurity, unable to attract the talent, funding, and partnerships necessary to scale their impact.

In this illuminating conversation, Dan Goodwin welcomes marketing experts Erum Azeez Khan and Karl Schmieder — from Messaginglab and the Grow Everything Biotech Podcast — who work with science-driven companies to elevate their stories and impact. With their unique backgrounds spanning biochemistry, creative writing, and entrepreneurship, they share insights on transforming complex scientific concepts into compelling narratives that resonate with investors, partners, and the public.

Through revealing case studies like K18 Hair (which sold to Unilever for nearly $1 billion after just three years) and Cultivarium, we explore how effective scientific storytelling creates tangible business results and exame how scientific innovators must adapt their messaging to emphasize performance advantages.

Whether you're a scientist, entrepreneur, investor, or simply curious about how ideas spread, this episode offers practical wisdom on making people care about innovations that could shape our collective future.

(00:00) Introduction to Climate Biotech Podcast
(00:35) Meet the Hosts: Dan Goodwin
(00:51) Special Guests: Erum Azeez and Karl Schmeider
(01:37) The Importance of Storytelling in Science
(02:26) Marketing Strategies for Scientists
(03:41) Getting to Know Karl and Erum
(05:03) Erum's Journey from Pharma to Marketing
(07:34) Karl's Path to Biotech Marketing
(09:58) The Role of a Fractional CMO
(14:26) Effective Storytelling Techniques
(21:09) The Value of Blogging and Content Creation
(24:20) The Attention Economy and Google's 7-11-4 Rule
(25:11) Maximizing Content Reach Across Platforms
(26:23) Case Study: K18 Hair's Science Storytelling Success
(29:08) Leveraging Experts for Market Differentiation
(29:57) Case Study: Verium's Strategic Growth
(31:39) Shifts in Climate Biotech Narratives
(37:25) The Importance of Language and Buzzwords
(40:18) Rapid Fire Questions and Closing Thoughts

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