Christa L. Pawlowski, PhD • Haima Therapeutics
Episode Summary
Most people credit brilliant ideas for breakthrough companies. Dr. Christa Pawlowski, PhD, is living proof that it's the person who picks up the idea and runs with it that actually changes the world.
Christa is a biomedical engineer, co-founder of Haima Therapeutics, and operations lead at Alnair Therapeutics — two Cleveland-based companies working on a synthetic platelet analog to stop bleeding and a treatment for pulmonary hypertension and COPD, respectively. She's also a 2025 Next 25 honoree, and when I sat down with her, I quickly realized she's exactly the kind of founder my work is built for: a brilliant operator who knows that execution is 90% of the job.
We talked about the decision to bring in an external CEO for Haima while she stayed behind the scenes running operations — and why that self-awareness was one of the smartest moves she made. We also got into the Cleveland biotech ecosystem's funding gap, the creative paths Haima is pursuing to get to market faster (including a veterinary product and emergency use authorization), and what it actually takes to build a functioning team in a startup running 100 miles an hour.
The moment that stood out most to me: when Christa talked about the biggest lesson she learned as a leader. She said she didn't realize early enough how much team culture and the "soft skill side" of the business impacts outcomes — that trust between team members is the leading indicator of a high-performing organization. Dr. Christa also confirms the need and value of having an intentional operating system and culture (instead of an accidental one). Culture doesn't build itself. You have to choose your rituals, your artifacts, your language — and then actively cultivate them.
Clarity is kind. Expectations become agreements. And the best organizations are built by people who understand that operationalizing a great idea is the hardest and most important work there is.
Show Notes
Guest: Dr. Christa Pawlowski, PhD — co-founder of Haima Therapeutics, operations lead at Alnair Therapeutics, 2025 Next 25 honoree
What we cover:
- How a PhD researcher convinces her advisor to co-found a company — and what it means to be "radicalized by the data"
- The decision to bring in Mike Bruckman as CEO of Haima and why knowing you're an operator (not a front-facing CEO) is a competitive advantage, not a limitation
- Haima's synthetic platelet analog: what it does, why the military is interested, and the faster path to market through veterinary applications and emergency use authorization
- Why the Cleveland biotech ecosystem has the talent and the innovation but struggles with the middle-stage funding and the exit infrastructure needed to make it self-sustaining
- The leadership lesson Christa didn't see coming: culture is not a byproduct — it's a practice. Trust, accountability, and respecting your team's time and energy are the things that separate functional teams from burned-out ones
- Mentors who shaped her: Dr. Anirban Gupta, Lizzie Barazowski, Douglas Hay (CEO, Alnair Therapeutics), and Tim Pelora (Executive Chair, Haima Therapeutics)
Key insight from Jim: You have a culture whether you chose it or not. The question is whether it's intentional. Rituals, artifacts, and language are the three elements sociologists point to as the building blocks of culture — and every founder gets to choose them. Most don't. The ones who do build something that lasts.
Connect with Haima Therapeutics: [haimatherapeutics.com] Connect with Alnair Therapeutics: [alnairtherapeutics.com]
Keywords
biomedical engineering, Haima, entrepreneurship, team culture, mentorship, commercialization, OhioX, Next 25 award, biotech ecosystem, funding challenges, leadership
Takeaways
- Dr. Krista Pawlowski is a scientist and entrepreneur in the biotech field.
- Haima Therpeutics focuses on developing novel therapies for bleeding and other conditions.
- Team culture and soft skills are crucial for startup success.
- Recognition from the Next 25 award highlights the importance of small startups in biotech.
- Funding challenges exist in the life sciences, particularly in Ohio.
- Commercialization timelines can be accelerated with adequate funding.
- Building trust within a team enhances productivity and morale.
- Mentorship plays a significant role in personal and professional development.
- The biotech ecosystem in Ohio lacks large pharma players, impacting growth.
- Operationalizing ideas is essential for turning innovations into successful products.
#121: Michael Bruckman (Haima Therapeutics)
Haima Therapeutics
Allinaire Therapeutics
BioMotiv
Anirban Sen Gupta
Douglas Hay
Don Pawlowski ( the husband)
Creators and Guests
Host
Jim Haviland
Jim Haviland has dedicated decades to pursuing the keys to healthy entrepreneurship. Having owned or led over a dozen entrepreneurial companies himself, (including both successes and a few expensive lessons learned) he is passionate about the power of helping people build a business and in making it easier to avoid the mistakes that end them. Jim gathers his insights and stories from a career that spans an unusual breadth of experiences. As an electrical engineer, he worked on NASA satellites, digital media distribution, and professional audio recording equipment resulting in patents, peer-reviewed research, and medical school curriculum technologies. As a media producer, his work has resulted in Grammys, Oscars, and Emmys. As a technology executive, he has traveled the world working with the world’s best-known brands, presenting to audiences in over 100 cities on innovation and using technology to help organizations do “more and more with less and less forever.” As a business coach, he has helped hundreds of companies and entrepreneurial executives utilize tools and disciplines to build more productive, humane, and resilient organizations. Mr. Haviland is a partner with Impact Architects, a growth advisory firm, where he helps leadership teams develop their business, establish an intentional culture and operating system, and make repeatable progress toward their loftiest goals. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimhaviland/
