Biotech entrepreneur Ping Yeh thought he’d stay with the company he started forever. Then he realized his expertise was more valuable helping scale the next groundbreaking medical company.
Ping Yeh’s path to entrepreneurship was literally life or death. Diagnosed with an aggressive cancer in his 30s, he endured a chemotherapy cocktail so intense that doctors worried it could destroy his heart. The experience inspired Yeh—who had a background in nanotechnology and software development for big companies like Seagate—to build StemoniX. The Maple Grove-based biotech company, which is transforming drug discovery by testing on lab-grown human brains made from special stem cells rather than animals, won the MN Cup grand prize in 2016 and a host of other honors for its groundbreaking work. In March 2021, StemoniX merged with Cancer Genetics Inc., a New Jersey-based drug discovery company, and the two formed Vyant Bio. Yeh became chief innovation officer for the company, with offices around the world, but less than a year later, he decided to leave. Here’s why…
