Paola Dama

There are moments in a founder’s life when a single “no” does not simply close a door; it changes the entire trajectory of what comes next. Some time ago, while laying the foundations for NAMina Bio Corp, I found myself standing at a crossroads that felt almost cinematic. On one side, there was the comfort of structure: access to capital, a guaranteed salary, and the appearance of safety. On the other hand, there was the harder path: preserving the independence of the science, the ownership...

Lessons from the Founder In the early days of a potential partnership with a private investor, energy can move quickly. There are calls. Brief exchanges. Follow-ups. Signals that something is accelerating. The tone is collaborative. Encouraging. Forward-looking. You leave meetings feeling reassured. You send summaries. You draft projections. You imagine what could be built. And then, sometimes, a single conversation reframes everything. Not dramatically. Not emotionally. Simply...

A reflective series on building biotech with integrity.