Clear Thinking
Strategic patterns for life science leaders building a defensible business
Here is everything you need to know about “Clear Thinking” in a few minutes.
What’s in it for me?
Are you building a well-funded life science company and need strategic clarity beyond generic startup advice?
Clear Thinking reveals the patterns behind sustainable competitive advantages - drawn from 45+ interviews with successful techbio and pharma founders on the Life Sciences Today podcast, plus systematic analysis of what separates defensible businesses from science projects burning capital.
This newsletter serves 960+ life science leaders, including executives from Flatiron Health, Merck, IQVIA, Medtronic, Lumen Bioscience, Biosynex and 838 more.
What you’ll get:
Strategic pattern analysis - I identify what’s working (and what’s killing commercial traction) across the industry, so you can pattern-match your own situation.
Contrarian frameworks - Recent series include the 7 Powers framework applied to life sciences, and a 22-part series on anti-patterns that destroy competitive positioning.
Founder insights - Each newsletter distills patterns from my podcast interviews with founders who’ve built defensible businesses, not consultants selling generic playbooks.
The Incomplete Manifesto
Clear Thinking operates on 5 core values:
Clarity We speak plainly. No fluff, no jargon. Strong ideas don’t need marketing gobbledy.
Simplicity We make complex problems solvable by stripping away what doesn’t matter.
Workmanship We take pride in what we build. Our craftsmanship is what’s left when we’re gone.
Respect We honor attention. We respect your time. Trust is earned.
Consistency We show up. Not once. Every time.
👉 Subscribe now
The sooner you adopt this mindset, the sooner your business grows.
If you find this email in your Promotions tab, just drag it to your Primary inbox and click ‘Yes’ when prompted. Or, add us to your contacts. More free growth ideas.
About me
I’m a former pharma-tech founder who bootstrapped to exit. I’ve interviewed 45+ life science founders on my podcast and written 120+ Friday essays on substack.
My interviews and essays distill insights from people with skin in the game - people like you and me.
For strategic consulting: If you’re a well-funded life science executive dealing with competitive positioning challenges, I help solve the hidden anti-patterns destroying your competitive position. Based on systematic pattern analysis from 45+ founder interviews and 23 identified anti-design patterns, I use an inversion technique to remove blockers to success. Book a 15’ intro call with me here.
👉 Subscribe now
The sooner you adopt this mindset, the sooner your business grows.
If you find this email in your Promotions tab, just drag it to your Primary inbox and click 'Yes' when prompted. Or, add us to your contacts. More free growth ideas.
About me
I'm a former pharma-tech founder who bootstrapped to exit. I’ve interviewed 45+ successful TechBio founders. I help you avoid the patterns that kill companies and double down on the patterns that create sustainable competitive advantages.
If you're looking for a warrior then DM me. If you’re looking for a consultant don’t.
Some color:
Father of 4. Grandfather of 10.
Jazz saxophonist in a big band. Daily Qigong practitioner. Everyday cyclist.
Volunteer in “MiluimTech”. We talk with Israeli combat reservists over coffee.
At 53, I was CTO of a fintech startup. When it crashed, I turned hard-won expertise into personal wealth and freedom.
Over 20 years, I rebuilt as founder/CEO; 8-figure wins, painful failures, many lessons.
At Flask Data, we helped Theranica, Amgen, Verily, and even the Fortune 1 company. We ran 70+ trials, captured 10M+ signals, achieved 5 FDA wins in 5 years with 90%+ protocol compliance.
I sold the platform in early 2024.
Now I work with a handful of founders and execs using an inversion technique based on 23 anti-patterns. We ask how to fail and we remove the blockers to sucess.
My promises to you
To share stories that make me look strange, tough, or weak. (I don’t care.)
To be both skeptical and hopeful about AI.
To inspire you and give you hope.
To respond to every comment with depth.
Your promise to me
Write your honest opinions.
Who am I to force mine on yours?
Reclaim your work, words and worth
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When you slip don’t fall When life and work go sideways.
The 2025 Founder Over 50. On fire. Craving community.
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Why Invest in Clear Thinking?
Most people choose the $80/year subscription. It’s the best value.
For the price of one biotech conference lunch, I’ll upgrade your psychology and how you think about growth, wealth, and meaning.
🚨 If you won’t invest $80/year in yourself, what exactly are you doing with your life?
💡 Upgrade to Founders Tier – $240/year
You already know $80/year delivers absurd ROI.
But Founders Tier goes further:
Quarterly private Q&A briefings with behind-the-scenes lessons from my client work and early access to strategic playbooks.
First dibs on new programs and cohorts
👉 Ready to level up? Join the Founders Tier now.
