Episode Details

In this episode of Culture Uncovered, Jena Dunay sits down with Dale Klasko, SVP of People at Formation Bio, to explore what it's like to build culture at an AI-native pharma company reimagining the drug development life cycle from clinical trials through FDA approval.

Dale shares how she joined the company (then called Trial Spark) in March 2020 as part of its first fully remote cohort, and the early, tangible moment that cemented her belief in the mission: running a COVID-19 clinical trial within her first few months. The conversation dives into how she found the role through an often-overlooked strategy — building relationships with VC talent partners to get warm introductions into companies aligned with her interests — and how Formation Bio's four core values, including the standout "be a scientist," have stayed consistent through years of significant company growth and change.

The episode also covers Formation Bio's deliberate, hands-on approach to AI upskilling — including a company-wide "Citizen Builder Boot Camp" where employees shipped real internal tools in under three days — alongside its strong working-parent benefits and a candid reflection on the challenge of keeping expectations clear as AI capabilities evolve so quickly.

What You'll Learn

• How Formation Bio's mission to speed up drug development led it to acquire and own its own clinical-stage drug assets
• How to use VC talent partner networks as a job-search strategy to get warm introductions to startups
• What Formation Bio's four core values are, including the distinctive "be a scientist" approach to problem-solving
• How the company's Citizen Builder Boot Camp got non-technical employees building real AI-powered tools in days, not months
• What real examples of employee-built AI tools look like, from a custom skills-training app to an interactive onboarding assistant
• Why being explicit about fast-changing AI expectations is critical as the technology accelerates

Company Highlights

• Industry: AI-native pharmaceutical and drug development
• Customer Base: Patients awaiting new treatments, served through an end-to-end, AI-powered drug development pipeline
• Company Stage: 10-year-old company (formerly Trial Spark), Series D-funded (led by a16z in 2024), ~150 employees, headquartered in NYC with a new Boston office opening
• Culture: Mission-driven, first-principles thinking, and intentionally lean in structure
• Focus Areas: AI upskilling and tooling, R&D team-building under new leadership, and working-parent support

Unique Perks & Programs

• Generous Parental Leave: 18–20 weeks for birthing parents and 12 weeks for non-birthing parents, with strong cultural support for actually taking full leave
• Parents Employee Resource Group: A community built by employees (including Dale) offering events, a take-your-kid-to-work day, and ongoing connection for working parents
• Unlimited PTO: Flexible time off, particularly valued by parents managing unpredictable schedules
• Citizen Builder Boot Camp: A 2.5-day, company-wide AI building intensive where every participant shipped a working tool tied to their job
• Ask Enterprise AI Slack Channel: An always-on peer support channel where non-technical employees get real-time help solving technical AI problems
• Enterprise AI Tool Access: Company-wide subscriptions to tools like ChatGPT and Claude, paired with structured training and engineer "buddy" support

To learn more about Formation Bio:

Careers Page
LinkedIn Page
Dale's LinkedIn