Drug developer Suma Krishnan was 51 when she had the idea for a topical gene therapy to treat a rare and terrible skin disorder, called dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, in which the skin becomes as fragile as butterfly wings. It was a risky move, as was her decision with her husband and cofounder Krish Krishnan to shun VC funding for their startup Krystal Biotech. Today, Pittsburgh-based Krystal, founded in 2016, is publicly traded, with a market cap of $4.1 billion, one FDA-approved therapy on the market and others in the works. “You have to be brave and bold to do this,” says Krishnan, an Indian immigrant who Forbes estimates is worth $287 million. “I was never afraid of risk-taking. I never felt like I needed a stable job.”<br /><br />Read the full story on Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/50over50/<br /><br />Subscribe to FORBES: https://www.youtube.com/user/Forbes?sub_confirmation=1<br /><br />0:00 - Introduction: From Big Pharma Scientist to Biotech Founder<br />3:00 - Why We Avoided Venture Capital & Co-Founded as a Couple<br />5:22 - How We Succeeded Without Venture Capital<br />7:38 - From a $50M IPO to a $4.4B Company<br />10:14 - What is Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB)?<br />13:00 - The Science: How Our Topical Gene Therapy Works<br />15:33 - The 'Daunting' FDA Approval Process During COVID<br />17:51 - Beyond Skin: Applying Gene Therapy to Cystic Fibrosis & More<br />21:07 - What Patients Taught Me About Life<br />23:38 - I Never Would Have Imagined This Career<br />25:17 - My Advice for Young Women: Patience is Your Weapon<br /><br />Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:<br /><br />https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript<br /><br />Stay Connected<br />Forbes newsletters: https://newsletters.editorial.forbes.com<br />Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes<br />Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes<br />Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes<br />More From Forbes: http://forbes.com<br /><br />Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.
