Siya Jain and Rumaana Patel discuss with Altitude Lab's Executive Director Chandana Haque’s leadership in biotech, insights on entrepreneurship, women in STEM, embracing failure, and the ongoing mission of Altitude Lab (Salt Lake City, UT) to support life science startups.
Chandana Haque Shares Insights on Biotech Leadership, Startups, and Embracing Failure
Salt Lake City, Utah - April 1, 2025
Altitude Lab is a biotech startup in partnership with Recursion, an organization that integrates experimental biology, bioinformatics, and artificial intelligence in a hybrid lab-to-cloud platform to identify treatments. Based in Salt Lake City, Utah, Altitude Lab is dedicated to connecting health tech founders with the resources they need to create a healthier future. The organization focuses on developing a diverse group of early-stage life science and healthcare entrepreneurs into leaders of innovation, inclusivity, and smart business. It serves as a platform for supporting these startups by offering mentorship, resources, and connections to help them scale. Chandana Haque, Executive Director of Altitude Lab, shared her insights into the biotechnology industry and the key factors behind her success.
From a young age, Haque exhibited strong leadership skills, forming clubs and taking on leadership roles. In high school, she founded the Key Club and led the journalism club. "In science, there's the ability to discover something novel and exciting while also creating something for humanity," she said. To Haque, leadership is about creating—it’s not about being in charge but about guiding efforts toward a better future.
Haque began her career as a molecular biologist. Her first job was at a biotech company in San Francisco, Plutody, founded by Steven Quick. Fascinated by biology and the unknown aspects of the field, she pursued a career in biotech. "I discovered along the way that there's so much we don't know in biology. It was always fascinating, inspiring, and something to dig deeper into, no matter what specific area of research."
For those entering the biotechnology field, Haque advises against joining a very early-stage startup, instead recommending growth-stage companies that offer more mentorship opportunities. Reflecting on her early challenges at Altitude Lab, she shared, "Everyone I hired left within a year. It was a low point for me. But the team has been thriving for three years now." Young scientists, she suggests, should work at companies where they can receive strong guidance and professional development.
Women in STEM fields, Haque noted, face even greater challenges in finding mentorship. "I was one of maybe two women on my team at the time. There are many dynamics that unfold along the way." She emphasized the importance of increasing female participation in male-dominated fields to pave the way for future generations and introduce diverse perspectives. "Putting yourself out there and sharing your ideas is the only way to make an impact."
A key lesson in building a startup, Haque believes, is embracing failure as part of the learning process. "You're more likely to fail than to succeed," she stated. The important thing is understanding that failure does not define the individual. "If the company fails, that doesn’t mean you have failed. You can always build another company. But if you let failure destroy your confidence, who will build another you?" She stressed that the real mistake is not learning from failure. "Every investor wants to know—what did you learn from your last business that you won’t repeat in this one?"
Haque highlighted that developing critical skills such as investment banking knowledge, self-awareness, and strong communication can help individuals advance in their careers. Looking ahead, she aims to significantly increase funding for startups at Altitude Lab. "Our goal is to support 100% seed-funded startups by 2035. We hope to triple the number of startups we’ve built so far."
Her passion and strategic vision have been key to her success, and she continues to drive meaningful change in the biotech and startup ecosystems.
Siya Jain and Rumaana Patel are students at Cedar Valley High School in Eagle Mountain, Utah, actively participating in SheTech programs. Through the SheTech Media Internship, offered by TechBuzz News, they interview and write about Women Tech Awardees. Their work is published on TechBuzz News, Silicon Slopes, and other media channels.
Siya aspires to become a successful entrepreneur and is always seeking opportunities to expand her knowledge of business. She is committed to building her entrepreneurial skills through hands-on experiences like networking and education. Beyond SheTech, she serves as its president in her school and is also a student board member, actively engaging in leadership roles.
Rumaana is passionate about technology and dreams of launching her own business. She is working toward a career in software engineering, taking advanced programming courses to strengthen her skills. Outside of coding, she has been dancing for eight years, a pursuit that fosters both discipline and joy. She also enjoys sketching and reading, which fuel her creativity and curiosity.