Design work that matters to you: From Lab Scientist to MedTech start-up Founder at 22: Starting a PhD While Launching a Startup and Turning Discovery Into Real-World Diagnostics with Dr. Dharmica Mistry

🎙️ **From Lab Scientist to MedTech Founder at 22**

**Starting a PhD While Launching a Startup and Turning Discovery Into Real-World Diagnostics**

How does a 22-year-old STEMM graduate go from the lab to co-founding a Medtech startup?

Dharmica shares how she co-founded BCAL Diagnostics while starting her PhD, using her thesis to validate a product rather than pursue pure academia. it’s a roadmap for turning your research into impact, especially if you’re a scientist wondering what else your skills can do.

If you’re a STEMM professional thinking about founding a deep tech company—or just looking to make your next move more entrepreneurial—this episode is for you.

🔍 What You’ll Learn:

• How to turn a lab discovery into a viable business—even if you’re still early in your career
• Why a PhD can be a commercialization pathway—not just an academic one
• How to validate, fund, and pitch a deep-tech idea with no business background
• How to build confidence and credibility in business as a scientist—without an MBA
• The practical steps to move from research bench to boardroom (and how to fund it)
• How to navigate identity, credibility, and investor rooms as a young woman in STEMM

🧠 **About the Guest:**

Dr. Dharmica Mistry is a medtech entrepreneur and microbiologist who co-founded BCAL Diagnostics at just 22. Her early work led to a blood-based diagnostic test for early breast cancer detection. Since then, she’s held leadership roles in deep tech and innovation, including as Head of Medtech & Biotech at Cicada Innovations and now Director of Diagnostics Industry Engagement at MTPConnect. Dharmica is a vocal advocate for equitable innovation and increasing women’s visibility in STEMM commercialization.

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📌 **Episode Highlights:**

* 00:00 From olive oil to blood diagnostics: a scientist's accidental breakthrough

* 03:00 What is MTPConnect and how it shapes Australia’s diagnostic sector

* 08:00 Turning a biotech job into a PhD and startup foundation

* 11:00 Founding BCAL Diagnostics while doing a PhD at 22

* 18:00 Killer experiments, clinical validation, and strategic pivots

* 24:00 Bringing deep science into clinical practice—barriers and bridges

* 29:00 How incubators and commercialization training programs changed everything

* 34:00 Moving beyond the “scientist” label and building a boardroom voice

* 40:00 Crafting a deep-tech pitch that works—from KOLs to investors

* 44:00 Funding realities: early-stage capital, personal risk, and resilience

* 52:00 Regulatory challenges and how to plan for exit (or scale) from day one

🔗 Resources Mentioned:

• BCAL Diagnostics – Official Website
• Dr. Dharmica Mistry on LinkedIn
• MTPConnect – Diagnostics Industry Engagement
• Cicada Innovations – Deep Tech Incubator
• Franklin Women – STEMM Visibility Initiative

🤔 Reflection Time:

• Could your research idea become a product? What’s your “killer experiment” to validate or kill it fast?
• Are you stuck in the scientist box? How can you shift your network and brand to be perceived differently?
• What’s one skill—from pitching to regulatory pathways—you could upskill in this month?

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