What Most Founders Don’t Expect About Biotech with Mehek Bapna

What Most Founders Don’t Expect About Biotech with Mehek Bapna

From Provider's Edge | Where health leaders and innovators learn how to scale smarter, lead stronger, and create lasting impact by Sabrina Runbeck, MPH, MHS, PA-C | Strategic Advisor | Venture Partner | Human Capital Architect | TEDx Speaker | Fractional CSO / COO | Empowering HealthTech Founders to Gain Visibility, Credibility & Capital for Scalable, Mission-Driven Growth

April 1, 2026 · 28 min · Episode 199

About this episode

Sabrina Runbeck interviews Mehek Bapna about the challenges and resilience required in biotech, particularly in women's health.

Building in healthcare is never easy, but building biotech, at 23, in women’s health? That’s a different level of resilience. In this episode of Provider’s Edge , Sabrina sits down with Mehek Bapna, an NIH-funded clinical researcher and women’s health founder who is rethinking what contraception could look like for the next generation. This conversation goes far beyond science. It’s about long timelines, credibility, tradeoffs, and how founders stay grounded when the path ahead is anything but predictable. If you’ve ever questioned whether the long road is worth it, this episode is for you. What You’ll Learn in This Episode: ✅ Why lived experience can be a strategic advantage—not a liability—in healthcare innovation ✅ How founders decide to take on long regulatory runways (and stay sane doing it) ✅ What current market signals are telling us about dissatisfaction with existing women’s health solutions ✅ How to think about choice, tradeoffs, and real-world adoption , not just clinical success ✅ Why resilience isn’t about pushing harder—it’s about building the right foundation and team ✅ Lessons from pitch competitions, losses, and refining your message when investors only give you…

People in this episode

Host: Sabrina Runbeck

Guest: Mehek Bapna

Topics covered

  • biotech
  • women's health
  • healthcare innovation
  • founder resilience
  • regulatory challenges
  • market signals
  • entrepreneurship

Keywords

  • market signals
  • biotech
  • women's health
  • healthcare innovation
  • founder resilience
  • regulatory runways
  • tradeoffs
  • real-world adoption

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: NIH, women’s health, FemTech

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