A Scientist-Founder’s Journey to Make Biotech Research Reliable and Ethical
My conversation with Katie Bashant Day, the founder of Media City Scientific
Scientist, tech leader, and entrepreneur
Based in Sydney, Australia, Katie Bashant Day is a scientist and entrepreneur with expertise spanning cellular agriculture, medicine, microbiology, and cell biology.
I got to know Katie through her incredibly insightful LinkedIn posts, where she shares her perspectives on the differences between working in academia and a fast-growing startup, the behind-the-scenes of building her company, entrepreneurship, job applications, and much more. I highly encourage you to go check her out there!
She founded Media City Scientific, developing an animal-free, chemically defined replacement for fetal bovine serum (FBS) to address one of the most pressing challenges in biological research: making it more ethical, affordable, and reproducible. I’ll share more about Media City Scientific in a moment.
Her journey in science began with years of hands-on lab work across a wide range of disciplines, from molecular biology and genetics to immunology and biophysics. Katie earned her PhD in Medicine through the NIH Oxford-Cambridge Scholars Program, where her research focused on cellular biophysics and the immune response.
Following her doctoral work, Katie joined Vow1, a leading cultivated meat company, where she played a key role in scaling the company from its early days as a small team to a prominent player in the cultivated meat sector. As Vow’s Head of Technology, she led a team of 40 scientists and engineers, driving the R&D necessary to bring their first product to market.
Katie is also passionate about mentoring the next generation of scientist-entrepreneurs. She is an advisor for several pre-seed biotech startups and is actively involved in initiatives like the UNSW Bio10X accelerator.
Cell culture media by scientists, for scientists, improving reproducibility in research
Founded in 2024, Media City Scientific is tackling one of the biggest challenges in biological research: the widespread use of FBS in cell culture. FBS, derived from cow fetuses, has long been a staple in laboratories worldwide.
However, its use raises serious ethical, financial, and scientific issues. With global demand exceeding 800,000 litres per year, FBS comes at the cost of countless animals and has seen price hikes of over 300% in recent years. Beyond these concerns, FBS is notoriously inconsistent, prone to contamination, and can, due to its animal-derived nature, affect the reliability of research outcomes.
The Australian startup’s debut product, FRS™️—a chemically defined, animal-free replacement for FBS. FRS™️ is set to tackle this problem. It is designed to outperform existing serum substitutes by offering consistency, reproducibility, and a cleaner alternative without sacrificing the efficacy researchers have come to expect from FBS.
This is particularly important as organizations like the FDA and the European Medicines Agency encourage reducing or eliminating FBS in the development of human biological products due to contamination risks and poor reproducibility.
Media City Scientific is driven by a mission to solve a critical scientific problem.
As the website eloquently states, “Our products are by scientists, for scientists. They are improving the reproducibility of scientific research, unlocking the potential of cell-based therapies, and reducing the environmental footprint of biology research.”
The inspiration behind Media City Scientific
Katie’s decision to start Media City Scientific stemmed from a deep-seated frustration with the prevalent use of FBS in academic laboratories. As she explained, "FBS use is absolutely endemic in academic labs," posing many ethical, sustainability, and scientific challenges.
Katie's extensive experience in the biotech space positioned her uniquely to address this issue, but the seeds for her solution were planted much earlier, in a pivotal moment that occurred 15 years ago.
When she was 14, Katie delivered a journal club talk to her science class, sharing a piece of literature that left a lasting impression on her. The study showed how human cells grown in mouse serum exhibit a mouse-centric immune response and vice versa.
"The results from that paper have been in the back of my mind, bugging me ever since," Katie recalled. Over the years, as she continued working with cell cultures, this question lingered: could drug discovery be more efficient and effective if researchers used a medium that more closely resembled human serum rather than relying on FBS?
This realization became the driving force behind Katie’s long-term vision for Media City Scientific. While her immediate focus is developing an Animal-Component-Free (ACF), chemically defined, broad-spectrum replacement for FBS, she envisions a future where human cells are cultured in a medium that better reflects the human body.
"Many scientists aren’t aware of the impact of the serum on immune responses," she explained. "They just use FBS because it's available and works." However, Katie sees untapped potential in culturing human cells in something closer to human serum, believing it could significantly improve the accuracy of preclinical studies and streamline the drug discovery pipeline.
Building a lab and breaking ground in FBS alternatives
Over the past year, Katie has mainly focused on research and development, with significant progress in formulating a viable FBS alternative. To do this, Katie built her own cell culture facility! “I previously built a lab while working at another early-stage startup. My husband had just finished building our house, so we figured a laboratory couldn’t be too much more challenging,” she shared.
Katie shared that she has successfully developed a formula that supports the growth of several nutritionally demanding cell types, including primary mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), muscle stem cells (MuSCs), chondrocytes, and fibroblasts. This is a significant milestone in her journey toward replacing FBS in laboratories.
Currently, Media City is in the pilot testing phase, working with external labs to validate the formula using common immortalized cell types. Katie highlighted that logistical challenges, such as shipping and storage, are now at the forefront as the company prepares for broader testing and product deployment.
The primary goal for the next 12 months is clear: product launch. "This is absolutely my #1 goal for the next 12 months," Katie emphasized.
‘It’s hard to beat someone who’s learning faster than everyone else and refuses to give up’
For Katie, founding Media City Scientific has been a test of resilience, consistency, and the ability to adapt quickly. She emphasized that success as a founder is not necessarily about major breakthroughs but about "consistency and traction."
Building a biotech company requires constantly running systems, whether it’s maintaining an ongoing dialogue with scientists who still use FBS or optimizing experiments that run every day of the week. This steady pace allows the company to move forward gradually but effectively.
In addition to consistency, Katie highlighted the importance of self-reflection and adaptability. She constantly challenges herself by asking, "Is this the right action? What assumptions am I making? How can I accelerate learning?" This approach keeps her grounded and helps her avoid unnecessary pitfalls.
For Katie, learning faster than others while being willing to reevaluate decisions based on new information is a critical skill in the fast-paced biotech world. As she sees it, "It’s hard to beat someone who’s learning faster than everyone else and refuses to give up."
This balance between perseverance and continuous learning has been vital in her journey as a founder and is a key trait she believes all entrepreneurs should cultivate.
The different mindsets for academia, startups, and entrepreneurship
Katie’s journey from academia to a high-growth startup and finally to founding her own biotech company has been marked by major shifts in her mindset. Reflecting on her transition from academia to the startup world, she admitted that she initially underestimated how challenging the shift would be.
"I write about this on LinkedIn so often because I’ve seen firsthand how difficult it can be for scientists to make this transition, and I want to help others through it," she explained. The mindset in academia, where the focus is often on understanding a phenomenon and publishing research, is quite different from the fast-paced environment of startups, where the focus is on speed, efficiency, and outcomes.
In her new role as a founder, Katie had to zoom out even further, learning to cover her blind spots. Initially, she was inclined to focus solely on the science—getting into the lab, developing the product, and emerging with a solution. But she quickly realized that building a company requires more than scientific breakthroughs.
"I started writing on LinkedIn because I knew 'shipping product' was going to feel uncomfortable, and 'shipping my words' was a small way to start getting comfortable with that." Over the past six months, she has grown more confident in trusting her instincts as a founder, even when it means going against conventional startup wisdom.
Advice for academics looking to transition to biotech entrepreneurship
As a strong advocate for scientists pursuing entrepreneurship, Katie is clear about one thing: transitioning from academia to a biotech startup requires a shift in mindset.
"Don’t expect it to be the same," she warns. While academics are highly trained and bring a wealth of scientific expertise, many aspects of working in a startup will feel entirely new. "You are incredibly well trained and very advanced in science, but very much entry level with respect to a lot of the everyday activities that happen in a startup company," she explained.
Her key advice is to strike a balance between confidence and openness. Scientists entering the startup world should be confident in the unique value they bring and ensure their voices are heard. At the same time, they should remain open to learning from colleagues in operations, computer science, or product development, who may approach problem-solving from different perspectives.
Katie also emphasizes that how science is conducted in a startup should not mirror an academic lab. Startups are fast-paced, goal-driven environments, and if the scientific processes are too similar to those in academia, it could be a red flag for the company's future. "Science at a startup shouldn’t look the same as it does in an academic laboratory—if it does, I’d be concerned about the startup’s expected lifespan," she concluded.
‘Sharing my journey on Linkedin has become a 10x-er for my company’s growth and my network’
Reflecting on her previous role at Vow, where she spent four years intensely focused on internal operations and technical leadership, Katie realized how much of the broader world she had missed. "When Vow was ready to launch their first product, and I made the tough choice to move on, it felt like I picked up my head and realized how much cool other stuff was happening in the world," she shared.
Her decision to start writing on LinkedIn stemmed from several motivations: reflecting on her experiences at Vow, maintaining the mentorship aspect of her role, and getting comfortable with "shipping something into the universe." Perhaps most importantly, as a woman working in a lab in regional Australia, Katie recognized the need to make her presence known if she was going to tackle the FBS problem on a larger scale.
The results have been remarkable. "It’s absolutely become a 10x-er for my company’s growth and my own personal network," Katie explained. Through her posts, she’s connected with an incredible community of biotech founders, forming a support network that she anticipates relying on for years to come.
Even more, her LinkedIn presence has facilitated conversations with scientists interested in pilot testing her first product, FRS, without her needing to directly market Media City's work. "I’ve written maybe three posts that refer to what we’re actually doing," she said, underscoring the organic connections her content has created.
For Katie, LinkedIn has become an essential tool in working on the business, not just in the business. While her core work remains in the lab, her consistent social media presence prepares her for future outreach and marketing efforts. "I can’t imagine doing this without the power of social media," she noted a stark contrast to the Katie of a year ago who “cringed” at the idea of writing regularly on social media. Now, she’s even added short-form video editing to her skill set!
More than just a growth strategy, sharing her journey publicly has allowed Katie to contribute to the biotech community by offering advice and learning to other scientists and founders. "It’s important to me that I’ve genuinely been able to help some folks as well by sharing my learnings," she concluded.
Want to learn more about Katie and Media City Scientific?
Check out Katie’s LinkedIn and Media City Scientific’s website!
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Disclaimer: Better Bite Ventures, where I work at the time of writing, is an investor of Vow.