The Team, The Team, The Team: Why Unity Drives Commercial Success
Introduction
In the early 1980s, legendary Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler delivered a speech that continues to echo far beyond the locker room. His message—“The team, the team, the team”—has become shorthand for the kind of collective mindset that underpins any high-performing organization.
In life sciences startups, where uncertainty is high and resources are often thin, this mantra is not just relevant—it’s essential. As we covered in the first article of this series, assembling a team of experienced individuals from diverse backgrounds is a critical starting point. But finding the right people is only the beginning. To truly move the science—and the company—forward, those individuals must function as a team.
Startups are not collections of soloists; they are ensembles. The best ones blend science, business, and operations into a unified rhythm that drives toward a common goal: solving real problems in human health. And that rhythm only emerges when the team, not the individual, comes first.
As Bo put it:
“No man is more important than the team. No coach is more important than the team. The team, the team, the team.”
In this piece, we explore why putting the team first is not just a cultural value but a strategic imperative—backed by examples, expert insight, and real-world lessons from the front lines of biotech innovation.
1. Unity Over Hierarchy
Life science tool startups often bring together PhDs, data scientists, engineers, and commercial leads. These professionals arrive with deep individual expertise—but without an aligned framework, turf wars and miscommunication can derail progress.
“Leadership is not about being in charge. It is about taking care of those in your charge.”
—Simon Sinek, Leaders Eat Last
Bo’s framing reinforces this principle. The team succeeds when no one person is seen as more important than the mission. The best technical founders and CEOs in this space create flattened structures where every function is valued—and integrated.
2. Cross-Functional Collaboration is the Engine
Building a breakthrough tool requires the fluid collaboration of R&D, product development, quality, and field-facing teams. The feedback loop must be tight. Engineers must hear from scientists. Product managers must interface with customers. Regulatory leads must work with assay developers.
Take 10x Genomics, for example. Their meteoric rise was driven by a tight integration between bioinformatics, chemistry, and hardware—none of which would have succeeded in isolation. As co-founder Serge Saxonov said in an interview:
“The magic happens when the chemists talk to the software engineers.”
—Serge Saxonov, Co-Founder & CEO, 10x Genomics (Source: Andreessen Horowitz Interview)
This type of collaboration is hard to force—but easier to foster when the team sees itself as one.
3. Shared Accountability Builds Market Readiness
In the tools space, timing and data quality are everything. Miss a milestone and a pharma partner may walk. Deliver incomplete validation data and adoption can stall for years. Internal accountability—especially across functions—is essential.
Bo’s words remind us:
“Everything that you do—you take into consideration what effect does it have on my team?”
This principle is exemplified by Dr. Alison Todd, Co-Founder and CSO of SpeeDx, a molecular diagnostics company known for its real-time PCR technologies. In discussing the development of their platform, she emphasizes the collaborative nature of innovation:
“I do not invent in isolation, but rather with a team of incredibly bright researchers, all of whom spark off each other and constantly come up with novel technical solutions.”
—Dr. Alison Todd, SpeeDx (Source: NSW Women of the Year Awards, 2020)
Her insight underscores a broader truth: tools companies thrive when the development of assays, software, and systems is driven by shared ownership—not isolated expertise. When teams operate with cross-functional accountability, they build not only better products, but stronger reputations in the market.
4. Mission Alignment Prevents Fragmentation
As life sciences tool startups scale, competing priorities emerge: fundraising, customer onboarding, scientific credibility, product support. When each function runs toward its own finish line, the whole company can stall.
“Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”
—Peter Drucker (often paraphrased)
In tools companies, culture must be grounded in the mission: helping researchers discover the next therapeutic target, identify biomarkers, or streamline diagnostics. Teams that align on this purpose are more resilient and more agile when market conditions shift.
Bo again:
“You can forget about the individual awards. You can forget about the selfishness. The team, the team, the team.”
5. Sustaining Momentum Through Adversity
Early-stage companies in our space often face brutal obstacles: failed assays, regulatory delays, loss of a key hire, or a tough funding round. These are make-or-break moments. And in every one of them, the strength of the team determines the outcome.
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
—African proverb (frequently cited by startup leaders including Eric Topol)
The tools that survive—and thrive—are those backed by teams who’ve built trust through shared purpose. When setbacks hit, they don't fragment. They huddle up, reset, and push forward—together.
Conclusion
In life science tools startups, individual brilliance is only part of the equation. Breakthroughs happen—but only when the team is aligned, accountable, and working toward a shared mission. From product development to customer support, it’s the cohesion of the group that determines whether a company builds a great tool—or just a good idea that never gets adopted.
As Bo reminded us:
“The team, the team, the team.”
So ask yourself:
- Are your scientists, engineers, and commercial leads marching toward the same goals?
- Do your systems encourage collaboration, or reinforce silos?
- When obstacles arise—as they always do—does your team come together or break apart?
The strongest life science tools companies we’ve worked with aren’t just technically excellent. They operate as one. At i5 BioPartners, we specialize in helping startups foster that alignment—across teams, systems, and strategies—so they can bring their discoveries to the researchers, clinicians, and patients who need them most.
Want to assess how your team is functioning? Let’s talk.