Dr. David
Kiewlich
Founder & CEO of BADASS Labs — the nonprofit biotech incubator with an 89% startup success rate. Harvard undergrad. UC Davis PhD. 6x founder. 30+ years reshaping how science gets built.
Success Rate
barriers in biotech
Dr. David Kiewlich studied at Harvard University before earning his PhD from UC Davis in just three years while working two jobs. With over 30 years in biotech — spanning oncology therapeutics, cell-based therapies, and autoimmune disease — David knows the struggle of early-stage biotech firsthand. After launching multiple startups of his own, he experienced just how difficult it was to find adequate lab space and the infrastructure needed to do real science. He refused to accept the 2–5% historical success rate for early-stage biotechs, and founded BADASS Labs to change the equation entirely.
Today, BADASS Labs operates three locations across Alameda and Salt Lake City, takes zero equity, claims no IP, and has achieved an 89% success rate across 37 member companies — proof that those old odds do not have to be the norm. David is also the CSO of a cell-based therapy company focused on autoimmune disease.
audiences to action
your stage
Whether it's a keynote, panel, fireside chat, or podcast — David brings 30 years of hands-on biotech experience, a compelling founder story, and actionable insights your audience will remember.