When Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Aloe Blacc contracted the coronavirus despite receiving a vaccination and booster, he sought to fund research to find a better solution. What did he quickly find? In biotechnology, you can’t just write a check. Regulators require a commercialization plan, and philanthropy does not drive science through clinical trials or license university IP. Now, he’s starting his own anti-cancer drug platform for pancreatic cancer, a cancer that kills 90% of patients, and he’s purposefully waiting to receive funding from his network until a peer-reviewed paper confirms his claims.
In this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Rebecca Bellan speaks with Aloe Blacc about what happens when creators decide to build rather than just invest, how Aloe sees how AI will reshape both biotech and the music industry in real time, and his thoughts on who will actually win.
Listen to the full episode and hear what’s next.
How he navigates a world where credibility comes from data, not fame How the University of Houston’s molecular discovery platform could shorten drug development timelines by years Why he thinks record labels, not artists or AI companies, will ultimately control the economics of AI-generated music What Suno taught him about prototyping and why his next album will still be recorded with live musicians
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