Key points in the BioCurious timeline, looking through my emails right now:
December 15th 2009, 6:37 AM according to my email, Eri invites a small group to join the hackerspace for biotech (she has a business plan and budget).
On December 14th 2009 at 2:04 PM, I wrote Eri back and asked for the business plan and budget. I also complain that I am poor and wonder if they know people who will “sponsor” members.
Why was I writing Eri even before her email was sent? I was in Tokyo at the time, which allowed me to bend the space time continuum.
Josh also is interested, and Will Reinhardt too.
Eri send back the budget and such. “Regardless, we’re shooting for an opening by Feb 28.”
December 20th: Tito’s face is plastered all over the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle. I’m in Amritsar, India, having an awesome time at a friend’s wedding, dancing, enjoying the best food of my life, and drinking lots of scotch.
December 25th:
Eri sends out “Merry Christmas from Livly”. I reply “Mele Kalikimaka from India”, while I am puking my guts out at an internet cafe/hotel in Delhi, India.
January 3rd, 2010: DIYbio meetup group created!
January 4th, 2010: French journalist contacts us about an interview.
January 21st, 2010: I bug Eri for a more detailed business plan. I’m going to speak to the California State Legislature on the topic of community biotech labs. At this point I very much remember that I saw Eri’s community lab as something great that she was working on and I was “a fan”.
January 29th: Outlaw Bio in LA. I drive down to SF and hang out with Will Reinhardt, the next morning we pick up Josh Perfetto. We use my car, and everyone else drives, we pick up Merideth Patterson on the way back who averages 95 MPH. I talk with a few people at the conference, Hugh Reinhoff sticks out in my mind as an awesome guy.
Early Feburary, we trade a bunch of emails about spaces, locations, Emryville, East Palo Alto, we like TechShop
Feb 5th: Josh and I trade an email about “PCR”, I take apart my current PCR machine and look at the parts
Feb 6th: I pull a bunch of people out of an ongoing meetup to get their help on presenting Community Biotech Lab to the California State Legislature. I meet a guy named Raymond McCauley stands out in my mind as an experienced guy who is willing to talk about the way things really work. There’s also a woman who is in sales at a big biotech company who is also clear headed but I can’t remember her name right now.
Friday, Feb 21st: I take a day off work to speak with the California State Legislature Committee on Biotech about the Wright Brothers and how they started (a bicycle shop). Community Biotech labs are the key to jobs and innovation. Rob Carlson also highlights the productivity of small businesses, and Kathryn Lowell from San Mateo wows us with their 5 years of biotech experience for high school students, George Cachianes up to great things as well. Afterwards, Eri, Joe, Will and I chat about BioCurious. It needs $100k to start, $250k to flourish — finding one big philanthropist to help us out sounds like a great idea.
End of Feb – We write a bunch of people but don’t connect with any green.
March: We all (Pearl, BioCurious, DIYgenomics) put in applications for Maker Faire. Mac Cowell is coming too!! A cool guy named Reto Stamm offers to make signs for us.
And that brings us up to March…
