December 12, 2025· 50 min

D.A. Wallach Explains Why Biotech VC Is So Different

D.A. Wallach

Orality

Model

50%

Speaker Breakdown

HostJoe Weisenthal(1,472 words)

M:94%

HostTracy Alloway(2,063 words)

M:94%

GuestD.A. Wallach(4,897 words)

M:28%

Oral Indicators

Agonistic28%

literally, completely, very

Engagement70%

you, our, your

Memory Aids100%

listen, now, right

Repetition100%

like (76x), know (66x), your (57x)

Parallelism74%

And I'm Joe Weisenthal...., And someone asked a question a..., And We don't do enough, do we?...

Sound Patterns51%

51 question(s), alliteration: "markets move", alliteration: "barclays brief"

Formulaic Phrases4%

i mean, so to speak

Literate Indicators

Hedging6%

may, maybe, might

Passive Voice6%

is often, was involved, is required

Abstract Nouns18%

investment, recommendation, business

Subordination8%

while, because, unless

Sentence Length37%

Avg: 14.2 words/sentence

Word Complexity48%

investment, analyze, anticipate

Academic Markers0%

Impersonal Style30%

708 personal pronouns found

Descriptive Style90%

literally, completely, apply

Description

Most people think of venture capital as funding software startups or, these days, some new AI tool. But VC also plays a major role in developing new medicines and treatments. That’s the world of D.A. Wallach — though he didn’t start there. Before becoming a biotech investor, Wallach was the lead singer of the indie rock band Chester French. So how did he make the leap from music to venture capital? How does he spot promising biotech opportunities? What does it actually take to bring a new drug to market? And how does biotech investing differ from traditional VC? We talk to the co-founder of Time BioVentures about all of this — plus we get his thoughts on AI’s impact on music and a special performance. Have a question for Joe and Tracy? Now's your chance to be the perfect guest - record a voice memo with your name, age, location and question and email to oddlots@bloomberg.net for a chance to be included in the holiday AMA episode. Read More: Big Pharma’s Patent Cliff Puts China Front and Center Novartis Strikes Deal With UK Biotech for Up To $1.7 Billion Join the conversation: discord.gg/oddlots Only Bloomberg.com subscribers can get the Odd Lots newsletter in their inbox — now delivered every weekday — plus unlimited access to the site and app. bloomberg.com/subscriptions/oddlots See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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