What if one of the most important medical breakthroughs of the 20th century began with a dead cow and a desperate young farmer? That’s exactly what happened in 1933, when 21-year-old Ed Carlson arrived in Madison, Wisconsin, carrying a bucket of blood and a mystery that would eventually lead to the discovery of warfarin. This unlikely starting point sparked years of relentless research by biochemist Karl Paul Link and his team, fueled by scientific curiosity, institutional support, and an unshakable belief in the power of perseverance.

As we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), we’re shining a light on the remarkable intersection of science, history, and Wisconsin legacy that made this discovery possible. Our guest is acclaimed journalist and author Doug Moe, whose storytelling career spans four decades and includes thousands of columns and multiple award-winning biographies. His latest work, Saving Hearts and Killing Rats: Karl Paul Link and the Discovery of Warfarin, brings this fascinating journey to life and was recently honored as the “Wisconsin Book of the Month” by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

In our conversation, Doug shares how he was first approached to tell this story, why it took him years to finally dive in, and what he uncovered in Link’s letters, archives, and personal history. We’ll hear about the personalities, the persistence, and the politics that surrounded the development of warfarin and explore why the impact of WARF and university-driven innovation still resonates so powerfully a hundred years later.

In This Episode:

[01:59] Tom Link, the son of Carl Paul Link, brought Doug a stack of articles and papers about his dad. This was a decade ago.

[03:24] Doug knew Carl Paul Link was somebody who needed a biography written. This is the perfect time to highlight innovation and university research and tech transfer.

[04:40] Link died in 1978, but the University of Wisconsin had an amazing archive of his work. Link was an avid letter writer. He would even put the time of his correspondence on his letters and it was often 2:30 in the morning.

[06:09] The incoming correspondence was also a treasure trove.

[07:24] Doug walks us through the story of the origin of warfarin, beginning with a dead cow and a bucket of blood.

[09:02] There was a connection between sweet clover hay and cow's dying because their blood couldn't clot.

[10:15] Scientists spent six years trying to figure out why this was. They eventually discovered a hemorrhagic agent that they were able to reproduce synthetically.

[11:27] They faced many hurdles including how long it took to have success. Perseverance is at the top of the success list.

[13:10] People doubted Link's story, but Ed Carlson was real.

[15:14] Warfarin is an anticoagulant, but it can also be used as a rat poison.

[17:10] How warfarin got its name.

[19:06] The tipping point for warfarin becoming commonly accepted was when President Eisenhower had a heart attack in 1955.

[20:34] Link had a big personality. He was likely manic depressive or bipolar. He was a complex individual. He was also a fancy dresser.

[22:52] Link was also into activism on campus.

[25:00] He also had controversies.

[28:44] We learn about Link's blowout with Harry Steenbock.

[29:25] WARF's involvement in warfarin becoming available to the public. WARF helped with the patent and donated money to the University of Wisconsin.

[31:37] WARF's 100th anniversary, and the power of university tech transfer and public research foundations.

[32:29] Doug is glad that his book highlights the importance of innovation and tech transfer.

[34:29] What Doug would like readers to take from the book.

Resources:

Saving Hearts and Killing Rats: Karl Paul Link and the Discovery of Warfarin

Doug Moe

Doug Moe - LinkedIn

Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation:WARF

Karl Paul Link

What happens when climate innovation isn’t just a buzzword but a blueprint for real change? In this episode, we explore how climate-focused technologies are being developed, commercialized, and scaled in ways that go far beyond traditional models.

My guest, Josh Dorfman, brings a rare mix of experience in both business and policy, with a track record of building ventures that reduce emissions while delivering everyday value. Josh is the co-founder and CEO of Plantd, a company creating carbon-negative building materials that was recently named one of the world’s most innovative by Fast Company.

He also launched The Lazy Environmentalist, a media brand that made sustainability more accessible, and now runs Supercool, a platform spotlighting climate tech with real-world impact. With past work ranging from startups to established brands like Brita, Josh offers a grounded, actionable look at how innovation, sustainability, and commercialization intersect and what that means for tech transfer offices and startups who want to make a difference.

In This Episode:

[02:17] Thinking about climate goes back to being an English teacher in China in the 1990s. He saw the future of a billion cars in China and never shook the thought.

[04:36] He was involved in tech in the States, but wanted to do something about climate. He started a sustainable furniture company in 2004. This eventually led to where he is now.

[05:12] Plantd is working on carbon negative construction materials made out of grass and resin.

[06:23] They talked to green builders, but the scale wasn't there. They decided to reach out to the largest builders in the market.

[07:32] They opened a path to go to market with D.R. Horton, one of the biggest builders in the country.

[10:01] First steps for building sustainability into your tech transfer strategy include being integrated in the tech ecosystem that many cities are building around the country.

[11:07] Building connectivity and getting integrated in the ecosystem is paramount.

[12:05] Sustainability is built into the product. Go fast but don't over commit to the wrong path.

[13:42] Supercool focuses on technologies that reduce emissions and improve everyday life.

[14:09] Technologies include WasteLess, a food waste prevention company. Another one includes Upway which is an infrastructure for getting pre-owned bikes. It creates a built-in market for e bikes.

[18:06] When large brands commit, they're really committed.

[19:40] Working with Brita helped eliminate some disposable water bottles.

[20:46] How policy shapes the space between innovation and government.

[23:05] The global march towards the low carbon future is inevitable.

[24:20] This is a huge time for cultivating environmentally friendly technology and entrepreneurship.

[26:16] Advice includes lean into sustainability strategically just like bringing any other product to market.

[27:50] Focus on the outcomes and the results for the business that your product will enable. Use sustainability as a differentiator.

[28:26] Josh is excited about the concept of urban mining.

[29:11] In the west, we have all the stuff that contains all these materials.

[31:31] Focus on solutions.

[32:44] Josh shares his hope for the future. Sustainability is an opportunity for all ages.

Resources:

Plantd

Josh Dorman - LinkedIn

Supercool

Lazy Environmentalist

WasteLess Solutions

Upway

What if universities had a smarter way to surface the innovation already happening across their campuses? In this episode, I’m joined by Steven Lehmann, Managing Director of Stargaze at Portal Innovations, and Ashish Uppala, Head of Engineering and Product for Stargaze.

Steven brings over a decade of experience in venture building and university innovation ecosystems, including leading the University of Chicago’s $20 million pre-seed fund and authoring the Innovation Ecology Substack. Ashish, a former CTO of scite.ai and an expert in AI and machine learning, combines deep technical knowledge with a passion for mapping biotech innovation.

Together, they share how Stargaze is helping universities navigate today’s funding challenges by identifying hidden opportunities in their research ecosystems. From integrating complex data sources to predicting commercialization potential, Stargaze is transforming how institutions connect innovation with impact.

In This Episode:

[01:50] Portal has been around for about 5 years. The goal has been to build infrastructure that's necessary to commercialize innovation in areas that are over-scienced but underfunded or don't have the resources to take the innovations to market.

[02:51] They've been building the infrastructure to get academic ideas for a Series A investment.

[03:06] They needed to find the scientist and the ideas to plug into their infrastructure. Stargaze is like Google Maps for innovation.

[04:12] Stargaze builds rich maps of scientific ecosystems. They use AI, network science, and reason models.

[06:33] Stargaze helps keep track of all the possibilities and move from reactive to proactive.

[08:24] They are equipping innovators and scouts with understanding the commercial potential of research.

[09:07] They can build a picture to understand the potential landscape.

[11:41] We talk about who's working on the project.

[13:18] The core of Stargaze is organizing information around innovation so that they can feed it into different matching and scoring algorithms.

[15:17] Because of the information they have, they find investors that are interested in whatever the researcher may be working on.

[16:55] How Innovation biomarkers can be helpful in an emerging system.

[18:47] Finding the signals of who can work together in a meaningful way toward a particular problem.

[21:12] We talk about privacy and security. Data and license is scoped to that person or project.

[25:26] The recent rate of innovation has been crazy.

[27:54] Thinking about synergies and risk to the core business.

[29:18] How Tech Transfer professionals can implement Stargaze by signing up to the Stargaze network.

[31:48] It's very user friendly.

Resources:

Steve Lehmann - Portal Innovations

Steven Lehmann - LinkedIn

Ashish Uppala

Ashish Uppala - Portal Innovations

Ashish Uppala - LinkedIn

Stargaze Network

OpenAlex