When I started Bench2Bio in the summer of 2023 after more than a decade in pharma, public health, and working with startups and investors, I had a mission: demystify and democratize the business side of building a biotech.

So I did what every business owner would do. I went to RESI, BioFuture, BioCentury - all the industry conferences. I spent days doing cold outreach to founders and investors in the hopes of finding ways of working together.

During the winter holidays that year, after more than 6 months of working 12+ hour days and weekends, I decided to take a pause and take stock.

The math wasn't pretty: I'd burned through my savings, exhausted my airline miles, and had very little to show for it.

Clearly, something wasn't working.

Fast forward to September of last year, when I made the decision to launch this newsletter. I realized that to build a community for early biotech founders and investors, I would probably need to find... biotech founders and investors :)

So I made a deal with myself: post 3 times per week on LinkedIn about what I'm writing about. Share resources that I myself would find useful on my journey.

Just try to "show up" and be present.

It was slow at first - although I was grateful for even a few conversations, and the fact that what I was doing seemed to be helpful.

Then the snowball effect began. I saw my posts getting shared. People started tagging me in conversations. And then something happened:

Since October, my posts have had 200k+ impressions, reaching over 80k people, and bringing my follower count from around 7,500 to almost 12,000 - an increase of over 40% in 90 days.

To be honest, I don’t like mentioning these metrics, because they can feel intrinsically hollow by nature. I share this only to show what’s possible, even for someone who used LinkedIn for nothing but career updates until a few months ago.

In fact, the biggest difference has not been the metrics, not by a long shot.

It’s been this community, it’s been each of you reading this newsletter, and all the conversations we've had. It has brought almost 1,000 of you here in just a matter of weeks - for which I couldn't be more grateful.

It's also brought inbound interest from investors who want to learn about companies I'm working with, service providers offering lab space and discounted services to founders, and opportunities I never could have anticipated (stay tuned on this front - many exciting things to come this year).

This has been a small but mighty foundation for everything that is to come this year. Without it, none of it would be possible.

I say all this not because I'm a social media guru (far from it), or because you need to become one.

I say it because in 2026, like it or not, we're living in an attention economy. And whether you're a founder, an emerging fund manager, or running a brick-and-mortar service business - the common denominator is distribution.

Distribution of your story, your science, your mission - to the humans most primed to be receptive to it.

This is what the modern algorithms were designed to do, and it is my belief that as a founder, if you are not incorporating this as a part of your strategy in 2026, you are not just leaving value on the table, you are being straight up irresponsible :)

So even if you have no funding, no lab space, no employees, no grants... even if you're working a day job to pay your bills and only have a few hours a week - if you can only dedicate your limited time to one thing, make this it.

From my own experience, I believe that there's a way to do this that doesn't require becoming a full-time content creator or doing anything that feels inauthentic. On the contrary, authenticity will be your biggest advantage.

Let me show you how.

Before we get into tactics, let's talk about what's actually working on the platform right now, because LinkedIn in 2026 rewards a very different type of content than it did even a few months ago.

1. Authenticity beats polish

Here's a stat that’s probably not surprising: 54% of long-form LinkedIn posts are now likely AI-generated. There's been a 189% increase in AI-assisted content since ChatGPT launched.

And the algorithm has noticed. AI-generated content now sees 30% less reach and 55% less engagement. LinkedIn is actively demoting generic, polished (but soulless) posts.

What's winning instead? Real photos beat stock images every time. A selfie at your messy lab bench outperforms a corporate headshot. A behind-the-scenes photo of your whiteboard after a late-night strategy session gets more engagement than a perfectly designed graphic.

The bar for "professional" has shifted. Authentic and human is professional now.

2. Human storytelling

Think of something that you remember well, or that you retell your friends, or your kids. Most likely, it’s not just a random fact.. more often, it is a story. LinkedIn is no different.

The posts that perform best on LinkedIn aren't announcements or hot takes - they're narratives. A challenge you faced and how you overcame it. A mistake you made and what you learned. A moment that changed how you think about your work.

"Vulnerable posts", ones that share struggles, not just wins, attract 8.5x the average engagement. People are not looking for perfection, they are looking for the journey, because that is what they can see a version of themselves in.

3. Building in public

This trend is just starting to migrate from the SaaS, consumer, and tech world into biotech, and it's working. "Building in public" means sharing your journey in real-time: the milestones, the setbacks, the questions you're wrestling with, the small wins along the way.

This does two things. First, it creates ongoing engagement - people follow along, root for you, and look out for your updates. Second, it positions you as a relatable founder rather than a distant expert. Investors, partners, and potential hires get to know you before they ever get on a call.

You don't need to share confidential data or proprietary science. You can share the experience of building, and your why - the human side that others can relate to.

Now let's get practical. The founders who succeed on LinkedIn don't post randomly; they have a clear set of themes they return to again and again.

I recommend choosing 4-5 content pillars that you'll rotate through. Here are five that work particularly well for biotech founders trying to attract investors:

1. Your origin story / your why

What personal experience, frustration, or insight led you to start this company? This is the most powerful content you can share, because no one else can tell it. Investors don't just fund science - they fund founders with conviction. Help them understand what drives you.

Examples: A family member's diagnosis that sparked your mission. The moment in the lab when you realized the current standard of care wasn't good enough. Why you left a comfortable career to bet on this.

2. The problem you're solving (and why it matters)

What's broken about the status quo in your space? This is where you get to be the expert, educating your audience about a problem they may not fully understand, and why existing solutions fall short.

The key here: focus on outcomes, not technology. How many patients are affected? What's the cost to the healthcare system? What does this mean for real people? Investors and partners think in terms of impact: lives improved, dollars saved, problems eliminated.

Examples: "Why X patients still don't have a viable treatment option in 2026." "The hidden cost of [current standard of care]." "What most people get wrong about [your disease area]."

3. Your perspective / worldview

What do you believe that others in your industry don't? What trends are you watching? What do you think the future looks like?

This is thought leadership in the truest sense - not regurgitating industry news, but offering a point of view that's uniquely yours. It positions you as someone who is solution focused and thinks actively about the space.

Examples: "Why I'm skeptical of [common approach]." "3 trends that will reshape [your therapeutic area] by 2030." "The question I wish investors would ask."

4. The journey (building in public)

Share the milestones, the wins, the challenges, and the lessons - in real-time. This is where you bring people along for the ride.

The key is balance: celebrate wins without bragging, share challenges without complaining. Frame everything as learning.

Examples: "We just hit [milestone] - here's what it took." "What I learned from 47 investor rejections." "The hardest decision I've made as a founder this year." "A behind-the-scenes look at our first [experiment/hire/partnership]"

5. The human side

As busy and as hectic things get, you're not just a founder - you're a person. Sharing glimpses of who you are outside the company builds connection and makes you memorable. This doesn't mean oversharing; it means being a three-dimensional human.

Examples: A book that changed how you think about leadership. What you do to recharge after a tough week. A lesson from a mentor. Something you're learning for the first time.

Here are 10 starter ideas you can adapt to your own story. Pick 2-3 that resonate and try them this week:

With over half of LinkedIn posts now AI-generated, sounding authentically human is your competitive advantage. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

Write like you talk. Read your post out loud before you hit publish. If it sounds like something you'd never actually say in conversation, rewrite it. Ditch the jargon, the buzzwords, the corporate-speak.

Use voice memos. If writing feels hard, open your voice notes app and talk through what you want to say. Then transcribe it and clean it up. This is the fastest way to capture your natural voice.

Start with a story, not a statement. Instead of "Leadership is important," try "Last Tuesday, I had to make the hardest call of my career..."

Include details only you would know. The name of the coffee shop where you had the breakthrough conversation. The exact number of rejections before your first yes. The song that was playing when you got the news. Details make stories memorable, and authentically yours.

One idea per post. Don't try to say everything. The best posts make one point, well. If you have a lot to say, that’s great! Create a Notion page or iPhone notes for an idea dump to come back to later.

Here's something worth noting: biotech founders tend to underutilize LinkedIn more than almost any other industry. The risk-averse culture means most stay invisible - which is actually an opportunity for those who show up.

But other industries are further along. If you want to see what great founder content looks like, look at:

You don't need to copy their style, but studying what works in adjacent industries can spark ideas you'd never have staying in the biotech echo chamber.

You don't need to become a full-time content creator. You just need to start. Here's a week-by-week sprint to build momentum:

Week 1: Foundation

Week 2: Build the habit

Week 3: Find your voice

Week 4: Create consistency

That's it. No fancy tools. No ‘Marketing’ hire. No PR agency. Just you, showing up consistently, telling your story.

Use this prompt to brainstorm your content pillars. Copy and paste into Claude or ChatGPT:

Once you have your pillars, use this prompt to generate a month's worth of post ideas:

I've created a simple one-page template you can print out and fill in with your content pillars at the top, and a monthly calendar grid to plan your posts.

[Download the template here]

If there's one thing I want you to take away from this newsletter, it's this:

You don't need more followers, a bigger budget, or a "personal brand strategy" to get started. You just need to start telling your story - consistently, authentically, and in your own voice.

The founders who will win in 2026 won’t be the ones with the best data (though of course that matters). They will be the ones who can articulate their vision in a way that makes investors, partners, and future employees want to learn more about that data, and to be part of the journey.

LinkedIn, and telling your story, isn't a distraction from building your company. It's the foundation that makes everything else easier.

So here's my challenge to you: Post once this week. That's it. Your origin story. A lesson learned. A behind-the-scenes photo with a few sentences about what you're working on or your takeaways from JPM if you’re attending.

You might be surprised what happens.

One more thing:

I'm considering putting together a training on this topic - going deeper on content strategy, profile optimization, and building a sustainable LinkedIn presence that is specific to biotech founders looking to raise capital in 2026.

If that's something you'd be interested in, just reply “Yes” to this email. I read every response, and your feedback will help me decide what to build next.

By the way - I'm packing my bags for JPM as I write this. If you'll be there and we haven't met yet, reach out! I'll also try to send daily mini-updates on what I'm hearing throughout the week so I can be your eyes and ears on the ground. Let's see if I can keep up!

Talk soon!

- Vadim

PS: If you have someone on your team helping with fundraising or know another founder who could benefit from being in this community - I’d love to include them. They can join us here: [Join the Community]