The coronavirus has pharmaceutical and biotech companies racing to find a vaccine. Moderna is the first company to test its vaccine in people and, this week, Moderna announced those early tests appear to be a success. On this episode of Leadership Next, Alan Murray speaks with the co-founder and chairman of Moderna, Noubar Afeyan.
Moderna is a portfolio company in Afeyan’s biotech incubator, Flagship Pioneering. He founded Flagship in 2000 with the goal of financing companies that use innovative technologies to solve problems. Moderna certainly fits that description: its approach to the coronavirus vaccine is unlike any other. Afeyan explains why. He touches on the challenges of scaling production of the vaccine, and answer’s Alan’s blunt question: Is Moderna going to make any money off of this? The two also discuss how Flagship Pioneering differs from a venture capital firm, and how Afeyan’s immigrant roots have impacted his approach to business.