What We Do

Our Engagements

BCBA engagements run for 10-12 weeks and are staffed with graduate student and postdoc volunteers from some of the top biomedical research institutes in the Bay Area. Our project model encourages a continuous partnership with the client to refine the project scope and maximize the impact of our insights.

Team begins project

Execution (10-12 weeks)

Kickoff Meeting:

Team meets with client to align on project scope, objectives and deliverables

Midpoint Presentation:

Team present initial findings and identifies key focus areas for second half

Final Presentation:

BCBA team presents their synthesized insights and recommendations

Our Teams

  • Each BCBA project is staffed with 4-6 academic trainees, a project manager with previous BCBA project experience, a senior BCBA consultant with multi-project experience, and an industry professional to provide mentorship and guidance.
  • Our highly-motivated team members possess the analytical abilities, creative and hypothesis-driven problem-solving approaches, and deep technical insights to address business challenges in the life-science industry.

BCBA’s Value Proposition

Our network of BCBA leadership and industry
professionals ensure that each team has the
support they need to succeed.

Competitive interviews allow us to recruit domain
experts from Stanford, UC Berkeley, and UCSF for
each engagement.

We work in close partnership with clients
and welcome iterative feedback to
maximize the impact and value of our
projects.

A written statement of work and
predefined deliverables ensures that the
project stays on time and within scope.

Our members represent the diversity of
backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives that
fuels innovation in the Bay Area.

Our in-house training materials, resources, best
practices, and frameworks enable us to
consistently surpass expectations.

What We Offer

BCBA is flexible in defining and executing projects tailored to client’s needs. We utilize a variety of methods to collect and analyze the necessary data, interpret findings, and use our expertise to form actionable recommendations. Our diverse casework spans pipeline prioritization, market assessment, competitive landscaping, business development, and new product strategy. Examples of past projects include:

Due Diligence for Investment

  • Performed scientific diligence on biotech startups under consideration by a venture capital firm
  • Evaluated company capabilities, market attractiveness, and competitive landscape
  • Delivered market reports summarizing analyses to inform investment decisions

Prioritization of Indications

  • Analyzed and prioritized indications for novel therapeutics company
  • Utilized secondary research and KOL interviews to evaluate applications based on scientific merit, drug and disease characteristics, unmet need, and market landscape
  • Presented slide decks summarizing findings and provided recommendations to guide the client’s pipeline strategy

Market Opportunity Assessment

  • Evaluated market landscape to prioritize market entry points for a novel drug discovery platform
  • Assessed different business model types across market segments and determined strategic alliances to maximize value
  • Provided recommendations based on market potential, stakeholder needs, technical requirements, and competitive landscape

Client Testimonials

"The BCBA team was very thorough, responsive, and worked hard to answer all of the questions we raised. We would use BCBA again for future scoping projects."

Ashley Zehnder, PhD, Co-founder and CEO, Fauna Bio

"With proper client involvement, BCBA provides excellent value in both scientific rigor and the level of business insights. The quality of project leaders and VPs at BCBA rival that of some consulting firms. Working with BCBA has been a joy."

Noel Jee, PhD, COO, Optical Biosystems, Inc.

“I had the chance to work with BCBA in two different projects. BCBA teams were great in delivering high-quality results in a very short period of time. By researching the topic, running customer interviews, and analyzing the data, the team provided the company with new insights that were essential for our strategic decisions. I will definitely work again with BCBA for future projects where a fresh perspective and direct contact with the market are required.”

Ariel Notcovich, PhD, COO, Biodesy, Inc.

"Not only did the BCBA team help validate and refine our business development strategy, they also produced a valuable data trove for strategic decision-making, grant applications, and presentations, and produced a list of 16 quantitatively ranked therapeutic targets uniquely addressable by our platform. BCBA team leaders and team members were strong scientists with a clear grasp of the commercial issues and were a genuine pleasure to work with. I strongly recommend BCBA as consultants for early-stage biotech startups."

Richard Yu, PhD, Co-founder and COO of Next-Interactions, Inc.

“Insights delivered by BCBA formed the foundation of our initial commercialization planning and enabled us to thoroughly evaluate new applications for our technology. Furthermore, inclusion of BCBA’s data in a grant proposal enabled us to secure a valuable SBIR Phase II award from NSF.”

Mary Ludlam, PhD, Founder and CEO, Cairn Biosciences

Diverse Alumni Network Shows Value of Experiential Learning

Through BCBA engagements, our graduate student and postdoctoral scholar consultants interview key opinion leaders, perform secondary research, assess markets, analyze competitive landscapes, and develop critical strategic insights. Many have leveraged their resulting business intuition, fluency with diverse business strategies, and relationships with clients to launch careers across a spectrum of industries.

Alumni Testimonials

"BCBA is an excellent opportunity for young professionals to get plugged into a growing network of smart and motivated individuals. You get hands-on experience working on a consulting project with an industry client. Your project deliverables will have a direct impact on market strategy and product development for your client, which is pretty exciting. If you are interested in being on the front lines, working with a passionate leadership team, and joining a supportive network of peers across the Bay Area, join BCBA."

Artem Trotsyuk, PhD, BCBA '19

"This is my 3rd BCBA project and it has helped immensely to understand what new type of work I can do. The projects were essentials additions to my CV and allowed me to reach new opportunities. They also helped apply a business mindset to my scientific projects giving it a new way to explore science-based projects."

Bruno Barros Queliconi, PhD, BCBA '20

"It was a great opportunity for experiencing consulting. You will hear what the client wants and working together to team members to discuss and address their requests, which would be really different world outside of the lab. I did an oncology project and learned a lot about cancer indications and drug development. I strongly recommend this opportunity. "

Sumin Lee, PhD, BCBA '19

"BCBA provides a unique training opportunity in which you directly participate in all aspects of a consulting project. I would highly recommend BCBA to any business or industry-minded scientist seeking to gain a perspective beyond the bench."

Nick McConnell, PhD, BCBA '19

"Our client really liked our work—so much so the CEO offered us jobs at their company! I learned A LOT and am so happy that I went through the process. BCBA really trains you well and has dedicated mentors you can learn from and work with."

Jeewon Kim, BCBA '19

"As a project manager, I learned how to structure a consulting project, manage a team, and interface directly with clients. I can use this experience as a talking point for future career interviews as I look to transition out of academia."

Tobias Schmid, BCBA '20

"The model underlying BCBA is beneficial to all parties. Students and postdocs gain valuable exposure to consulting, establish industry connections and gain a nice resume booster. Clients benefit from our knowledge and expertise without having to pay for high-priced consultants. It is rapidly gaining a reputation for excellence due to the efforts of passionate trainees in the Bay Area. Highly recommend!"

Shawn Gillespie, BCBA '20

"BCBA is a great opportunity to work directly with biotech clients, learn about real problems they are facing, and develop frameworks to solve those problems. "

Arielle Shkedi, BCBA '19

"BCBA has been informative for my career development by providing on-the-job consulting training. I enjoyed working with the group's leadership, my team, and the client, and feel as though I have provided impactful work."

Linda Chio, BCBA '19

“BCBA helped me determine what career path to pursue. I learned both business skills/knowledge and soft people skills.”

Amanda Rose Mason, PhD, BCBA '16