The Coral Reef of Innovation: Building Symbiosis in the Biotech Ecosystem

In this season finale, Nic sits down with Errik Anderson, founder and CEO of Alloy Therapeutics, for a deep dive into how collaboration—not competition—is redefining the future of drug discovery.

Alloy isn’t a traditional biotech company chasing its own therapies. It’s building the plumbing—the shared infrastructure and ecosystem upon which others develop life-saving drugs. Much like Linux transformed software through open collaboration, Alloy is reimagining the business of innovation itself by making the tools of discovery accessible to all.

Errik’s approach to strategy and innovation is a masterclass. He seamlessly pulls on the full spectrum of the Doblin Group’s Ten Types of Innovation—from product and experience to networks, structure, and business models—creating a moat that’s not only unique, but dizzying to potential competitors.

Together, Nic and Errik unpack the principles of culture, incentive alignment, and systems design that allow openness to scale without losing coherence. This conversation goes beyond Alloy—it’s about how to think differently, build collaboratively, and redefine what it means to innovate in one of the world’s most complex industries.

A perfect close to Season One of unNatural Selection, before Nic’s upcoming Season Synthesis episode that will connect the dots across all 45 interviews to reveal the broader patterns of innovation and survival.