Juliana Hilliard

Facts, let me break it down about Juliana Hilliard, this is a straight-up rockstar in biotech. She’s part of YC’s S21 batch, so she jumped into the startup game right in the thick of things during the pandemic, which already shows she’s got that hustle and guts.

Juliana’s all about pushing the boundaries of how we do medicine. She’s the co-founder and CSO of Parallel Bio, a biotech startup that’s trying to flip the script on drug discovery. Their thing? Building immune system organoids, basically mini immune systems in a dish, to test drugs faster, cheaper, and without killing animals. No Cap, this could totally change how we find cures and understand diseases.

Before she even got into Parallel, she was deep in the brain organoid scene at System1 Biosciences, leading R&D teams working on brain organoids. That’s some advanced stuff, creating tiny, lab-grown brain structures to study neurological diseases. She also worked with Jürgen Knoblich, the big boss in brain organoids, so she’s got serious creds in the field.

Her background? She’s got a master’s in molecular bioengineering from the Technical University of Dresden, so she’s legit smart, no question. But what really stands out? Her drive. She saw the promise of organoids and knew there had to be a better way. Instead of relying on animal testing, she’s building platforms to mimic human immune responses. That’s some real innovation, modern tech, big impact, and a lot of risk.

And she crushed it, in just a few years, Parallel Bio raised over $4 million in seed funding, joined YC’s summer batch, and is already making waves with articles talking about how they’re turning drug development on its head. She’s recognized for her expertise in organoid tech and her leadership in moving away from animal testing.

Bottom line? Juliana Hilliard isn’t just some scientist tinkering in a lab. She’s a visionary pushing biotech into the future. Her process shows she’s fueled by a genuine desire to make medicine better, faster, and more humane. She’s not afraid to jump into the deep end, take risks, and really change the game. That’s why she’s so important, she’s building the tools that could save millions of lives someday.