AJ Fortier

Recently, I had a conversation with @dbanyard , MD, MS, MBA, Founder & CEO of @SayenzaBio , who is on a mission to unlock a new universe of medical applications by harnessing the power of body fat to produce stem cell therapeutics for regenerative medicine applications. As a plastic surgeon, Derek observed how inefficiencies in the operating room during plastic surgery procedures contributed to increased costs for surgeons and increased risk of complications for patients. Now, he’s targeting the source of the inefficiency by building a medical device which aims to automate fat processing, reducing processing time from 45 mins to 15 mins. Based on current practices, however, body fat processed during plastic surgery procedures is grossly underutilized and it is often discarded post-processing, despite being the largest source of adult stem cells in the body. But Derek saw an opportunity to add an additional function to his device: creating stem cell therapeutics. By creating these stem cell therapeutics, plastic surgeons and physicians will be able to utilize the same body fat, most popularly used for Brazilian Butt Lifts (BBLs) and Breast Augmentations, for regenerative medicine applications in wound healing, hair restoration, skin rejuvenation, and myocardium restoration (heart tissue). During our conversation, Derek and I discussed: - The Genesis of Sayenza Biosciences - What Are Stem Cells, and How Can Fat Be Used For Regenerative Medicine? - Current Methods for Fat Processing - Sayenza Biosciences’s Device - Common Applications of Stem Cell Therapeutics - Emerging Medical Specialties Adopting Stem Cell Therapies - Derek’s Source of Motivation - Derek’s Founder-Market Fit

Market Validation >

The Market is The Authority

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@mwseibel 💯💯💯💯💯💯

I hate that the startup world puts investors on a pedestal. As a startup founder, it distracted me from serving my users. As an investor, it distracts my companies from serving their users. Investors aren’t the heroes of the startup world.

@saylor The Antidote to Dereliction #BTC

15 Years of #Bitcoin in 15 Minutes

@APompliano Exactly—Ambition leads to thoughts that have the potential to transform industries and societies!

Ambition can be a competitive advantage when applied correctly.

Relief and Security > Entertainment

@nikitabier Makes you wonder: Communication > Product? 🤔

If you can't explain your app in fewer than 5 words, do you think your users will ever bother telling anyone about the app? Before you have product-market fit, product development is not about "adding features"—but distilling a product to a simple marketable sentence. Adding features more often impairs growth.

@alexisohanian Facts! Clarity builds The Foundation!

When you're an early-stage investor, you HAVE to have a strong BS indicator. In my experience, the #1 sign somebody is full of 💩? They don't know their own market. 👀 Any founder should be able to tell you CLEARLY why what they are building is 10x better than anything else that exists. They should be able to name all the smartest people already working to solve the same problem. And they should be able to ID their advantage. They should also have a realistic sense of their market share. If a founder is telling you they're gonna have 50% of the market? 💩 If they say 5%? And have a specific plan to get there? Now we're talking. Any good founder knows that the problems we solve are never unique. What they SHOULD know is what they're up against and how to differentiate. That requires knowing your market better than anyone else.

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The Message > The Messenger

Consensus is an Enemy of Progress.

Business is a Team Sport

Harmony is the Ultimate Objective

Clear Line of Sight

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Less focused on How, More focused on Why

I’m very grateful to have an Opportunity. All it takes is One. 🤞🏽

“[Persons] ought to know that in the theatre of human life it is only for Gods and angels to be spectators”