Hey Brand Builders,
If you’ve ever wondered how anyone actually scales a biotech company in one of the most regulated, complex industries on earth — without venture capital and big-pharma profit pressure — this episode is for you.
I’m sitting down with Eric Moyal, Founder and Executive Director of Project Insulin, a nonprofit on a mission to produce its own generic insulin and sell it directly to patients at cost. No price gouging, no games with insurance, and a clear focus on the 1.3 million Americans who are currently rationing their insulin.
We get into:
• How Eric’s journey as a professional nonprofit fundraiser and his sister’s rare illness pushed him into health equity work
• The moment he realized insulin hasn’t meaningfully changed in 30 years — but the price has
• What it really takes (time, money, and emotional stamina) to develop a biosimilar drug from scratch
• Why he chose a nonprofit model over a traditional startup
• How LinkedIn and intentional networking literally built the foundation for Project Insulin
• The mindset shift founders need when they’re building something that might take 5–10 years to fully materialize
If you’re building anything in biotech, health equity, regulated industries, or long-timeline ventures, this is a masterclass in patience, planning, and asking for help.
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About Eric Moyal
Eric Moyal is the Founder and Executive Director of Project Insulin, a nonprofit working to produce a generic long-acting insulin and sell it directly to patients at cost, regardless of insurance status.
He’s a professional nonprofit fundraiser, board member for a CRPS organization, and a deeply mission-driven founder with a background in higher-ed fundraising, health equity, and relationship-based capital raising.
When he’s not grinding on drug development timelines, you can find him in spin class, eating Frosted Mini-Wheats, or demystifying LinkedIn for other founders.
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Connect with Eric & Project Insulin
• Website: projectinsulin.org
• Email: emoyal@projectinsulin.org
• Learn how to volunteer, host a fundraiser, or support their next phase of drug development on the site.
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Chapters / Timestamps
0:00 – Intro: Why insulin access and health equity matter
2:00 – Rapid Fire: Coffee vs tea, cereal, mornings, and spin class
5:15 – Founder tools: LinkedIn, Monday, and staying out of procrastination mode
7:00 – How Eric actually uses LinkedIn to build real relationships
11:00 – “Professional fundraiser”: what that really means in the nonprofit world
15:00 – Eric’s sister, rare illness, and learning the cost of healthcare the hard way
18:30 – The Boston-to-Miami bike ride for awareness and fundraising
22:30 – CRPS, TOS, and becoming a board member for a rare disease nonprofit
24:30 – Meeting his partner with Type 1 diabetes and discovering insulin hasn’t changed in 30 years
26:30 – The moment he realized insulin is a money problem, not a science problem
27:30 – What Project Insulin actually does and how the model works
30:30 – Cutting out the middlemen: pharma, PBMs, wholesalers, and insurance
35:00 – From U.S. launch to global impact: regulatory pathways and ambitions
36:30 – Who Project Insulin is really for: the 1.3M Americans rationing insulin
39:00 – Access, awareness, and partnerships with clinics, FQHCs, VA, and ADA
43:00 – Eric’s 3-month, 6-month, and 3-year roadmap for drug development and fundraising
47:00 – What he wishes he’d known earlier (and why he’d still start with networking)
51:00 – Burnout, LinkedIn comparison, and the lie that “everyone else is winning”
55:00 – “Nobody cares” (in the best way): why you should still celebrate your small wins
57:00 – Who Eric needs to meet next: health equity funders, operations leaders, and volunteers
1:00:00 – Dana’s closing + how to support Project Insulin and The Brand Blueprint
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