Aloe Blacc’s fame means nothing in biotech (and that’s the point)

The first StrictlyVC of 2026 hits San Francisco. Tickets are going fast. Register now.Save up to $680 on your Disrupt 2026 pass. Ends 11:59 p.m. PT tonight. REGISTER NOW. Latest AI Amazon Apps Biotech & Health Climate Cloud Computing Commerce Crypto Enterprise EVs Fintech Fundraising Gadgets Gaming Google Government & Policy Hardware Instagram Layoffs Media & Entertainment Meta Microsoft Privacy Robotics Security Social Space Startups TikTok Transportation Venture Staff Events Startup Battlefield StrictlyVC Newsletters Podcasts Videos Partner Content TechCrunch Brand Studio Crunchboard Contact Us When Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Aloe Blacc got COVID despite being vaccinated and boosted, he tried to fund research for a better solution. What he quickly found out? You can’t just write a check in biotech. Regulators require a commercialization plan, and philanthropy doesn’t move science through clinical trials or get you a license on university IP. Now, he’s bootstrapping a cancer drug platform targeting pancreatic cancer, a disease that kills 90% of its patients, and intentionally waiting to raise from his network until peer-reviewed papers can make his case. Watch as Aloe Blacc joins Rebecca Bellan on TechCrunch’s Equity podcast to talk about what happens when a creator decides to build instead of just invest, how Aloe is watching AI reshape both the biotech and music industries in real time, and his thoughts on who actually wins. Subscribe to Equity on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod.

Topics Audio Producer Theresa Loconsolo is an audio producer at TechCrunch focusing on Equity, the network’s flagship podcast. Before joining TechCrunch in 2022, she was one of 2 producers at a four-station conglomerate where she wrote, recorded, voiced and edited content, and engineered live performances and interviews from guests like lovelytheband. Theresa is based in New Jersey and holds a bachelors degree in Communication from Monmouth University. You can contact or verify outreach from Theresa by emailing theresa.loconsolo@techcrunch.com. StrictlyVC kicks off the year in SF. Get in the room for unfiltered fireside chats with industry leaders, insider VC insights, and high-value connections that actually move the needle. Tickets are limited. An Amazon warehouse worker died on the job at Oregon facility Stanford report highlights growing disconnect between AI insiders and everyone else Sam Altman responds to ‘incendiary’ New Yorker article after attack on his home Anthropic temporarily banned OpenClaw’s creator from accessing Claude France to ditch Windows for Linux to reduce reliance on US tech YouTube Premium and YouTube Music are getting more expensive This founder helped build SpaceX’s most powerful rocket engine. Now he’s building a ‘fighter jet for orbit.’ Subscribe for the industry’s biggest tech newsEvery weekday and Sunday, you can get the best of TechCrunch’s coverage.TechCrunch's AI experts cover the latest news in the fast-moving field.Every Monday, gets you up to speed on the latest advances in aerospace.Startups are the core of TechCrunch, so get our best coverage delivered weekly.By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice.© 2026 TechCrunch Media LLC.