Top Biotech Investment Picks & How AI is Transforming Healthcare

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Earn Your Leisure – Top Biotech Investment Picks & How AI is Transforming Healthcare

Release Date: January 29, 2026
Hosts: Rashad Bilal & Troy Millings (iHeartPodcasts)

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Main Theme & Purpose

This episode dives into emerging investment opportunities in biotech, with an emphasis on how artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing healthcare. The hosts, joined by contributors and analysts, discuss their top biotech picks, the integration of AI in the industry, and personal experiences with innovators and investors at the forefront of these changes. The conversation aims to blend actionable finance advice with real-world case studies and cultural relevance.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. AI’s Impact on Healthcare & Biotech

• Nvidia's Role:
  • The team recounts a recent Nvidia panel focused on medical applications of AI ([03:00]).
    • “[Nvidia] gave us a whole blueprint of how the medical industry will change because of artificial intelligence and their technology specifically.” (Biotech/Tech Analyst, [03:01])
  • AI’s speed is dramatically accelerating drug discovery, patient care, and hospital experiences.
  • Example: Analysis of human genomes, formerly taking 8 years, now completed in 4 hours with AI and advanced technology ([04:58], [06:00]).

2. Top Biotech Investment Picks

• Hunter Woodhull's “Top Three” ([03:41], [04:58]):

  • IBB ETF (iShares Biotechnology ETF): Provides broad exposure to the biotech sector.

  • Amgen: Praised as “one of the greatest companies on the planet and one of the best run ones in the biotech space.”

  • Gilead Sciences: Renowned for innovation in therapeutics.

  • Also mentions the importance of Nvidia’s partnership with Lilly, and how Nvidia is akin to “the BlackRock of AI.”

    “If I had to put my money all on three, it would be IBB, Amgen…, and Gilead Sciences. That will round out my top three.”
    – Hunter Woodhull ([04:52])

• Tara Davis Woodhull’s Perspective ([04:58]–[07:35]):

  • Adds her own “Top Three” for varied exposure and domain expertise:
    • Lilly (Eli Lilly): For its leadership and consistent innovation, especially in diabetes and obesity drugs.
    • Biogen: Pioneer in treatments for neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s).
    • Vertex Pharmaceuticals: Niche dominance in cystic fibrosis treatment.
  • Emphasizes the value of companies with clear specialty niches: "The riches [are] in those niches..." ([06:10])
  • Highlights the unpredictability in biotech, given the lengthy process for scientific testing and FDA approval.

• Joint Reflections:

  • Consensus on the value of dominant, specialized companies over generalist or fringe biotech firms.

    “With this list—Vertex, Amgen, Biogen, Gilead—the cream rose to the top. The players that were kind of on the fringes have died out. So I don’t think you can go wrong with this list.”
    – Hunter Woodhull ([07:39])

3. Real-World Encounters & Industry Insights

• Nvidia’s Multi-Industry Reach ([08:52]):

  • Nvidia is portrayed not just as a chipmaker, but as a pervasive tech enabler, from healthcare and robotics to gaming and autonomous vehicles.

    “Most people would think Nvidia as a chip company, but I look at Nvidia as a medical company, as a gaming company, as a sports company…”
    – Biotech/Tech Analyst ([09:20])

• Networking with Top Investors:

  • Memorable dinner with Nas (rapper and prominent investor), who showed deep curiosity about biotech and AI trends ([10:11]):

    “But he spent more time asking questions than talking…So somebody like that, who’s a legend icon, can, you know, spend time asking questions. You gotta…receive the information.”
    – Biotech/Tech Analyst ([11:28])

  • Peter, Nas’ business partner, follows Market Mondays and implements their advice.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Speed of Scientific Progress:

  “They talked about doing genomes and how it used to take 8 years and now they’ve got it down to 4 hours…just insanity.”
  – Tara Davis Woodhull ([04:58])

• On Investment Philosophy:

  “Sometimes things don’t need to be explicitly explained to you. It’s like the implicit intrinsic value of what’s being said.”
  – Tara Davis Woodhull ([05:00])

• On Dominance in Niches:

  “The riches in those niches…when you look specifically at what they do and what they dominate at.”
  – Tara Davis Woodhull ([06:10])

• On Learning from Icons:

  “He spent more time asking questions than talking…That goes without saying. But he spent more time asking questions than talking…never take the information for granted.”
  – Biotech/Tech Analyst ([11:28])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |------------|-------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:36 | Start of biotech and AI discussion | | 03:41 | Top biotech picks introduced by Hunter Woodhull | | 04:58 | Tara Davis Woodhull’s biotech picks, speed of AI advances | | 08:22 | Recommendations for investors, “the Holy Trinity” list | | 08:52 | Reframing Nvidia as a multi-industry software company | | 10:11 | Dinner with Nas—learning and curiosity in investment icons |

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Tone & Language

The episode blends casual, conversational language with actionable insights and occasional humor. The hosts relate market trends to broader cultural moments and personal experiences, keeping finance accessible but serious for listeners eager to learn and invest.

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Takeaways

• AI is revolutionizing healthcare—not only in theory but in practical, measurable ways, with firms like Nvidia at the core.
• Top biotech investment ideas: Consider diversified ETFs, established leaders (Amgen, Gilead, Lilly, Biogen, Vertex), and specialist companies with unique niches.
• Look for dominant players in a biotech segment rather than betting on speculative or fringe firms.
• Remain teachable—even high-profile investors like Nas are still asking questions and learning from others.
• Never take information for granted, and use insights from trusted sources to inform your investment strategy.

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Transcript

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[Tara Davis Woodhull]

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[Hunter Woodhull]

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[Biotech/Tech Analyst]

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[Biotech/Tech Analyst]

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[Tara Davis Woodhull]

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[Biotech/Tech Analyst]

Biotech Biotech check in. We haven't talked about biotech in a while, but you know, in, in the age of AI and I thought it was interesting that Nvidia, when we spoke, when we spoke with some of the people at Nvidia, we had a couple panels that some of the employees spoke on and probably the number one thing that was talked about was medical healthcare.

[Tara Davis Woodhull]

Yep.

[Biotech/Tech Analyst]

Probably for like over 20 minutes. They had a detailed conversation about medical advancements and how their technology is going to change medicine. As far as, you know, hospital experiences and inpatient visits, doctors, different things that nature. They gave us a whole, a whole blueprint of how, you know, the medical industry will change because of artificial intelligence and their technology specifically and things that they were working on when it comes to the medical field. So that's one aspect of it. But you know, biotech is a big industry. So what's the biotech check in?

[Hunter Woodhull]

And I want to say off of that point, for those who think the Nvidia trade is done, I just want to be very clear, not just because I picked it and yada yada, Nvidia is like the BlackRock of AI. I will say that we can talk about it more in detail, but given how much they're investing into the space and how they have their partnership structure, I think it's fascinating. But on the biotech side, these are three that you can write down. So you have the ETF side, ibb, great return. So if you don't want to have to guess which ones to invest in, you can just invest in a basket of them. Number two, Gilead, Gilead Sciences is an incredible company, has been through and through. And number three is one that's been in stock club forever and one that I don't talk about publicly and is outpacing a lot of companies year over year. And that's Amgen. I think Amgen is probably one of the greatest companies on the planet and one of the best run ones in the biotech space. And also Nvidia and Lily has their partnership. So it's a lot of exciting things with AI that's happening as a result. But if I had to put my money all on three, it would be ibb, Amgen which has been a top pick and stop stock club forever and Gilead Sciences that will round out my top three.

[Tara Davis Woodhull]

It's a solid three. That's a solid three. Obviously we'll go, we'll go, Lily. And I think like you said, just sometimes things don't need to be explicitly explained to you. It's like the implicit intrinsic value of what's being said. And like you said, when you sit there and you listen to engineers in the field of HealthC here, when it relates to AI and how the time frames that it takes to do things has just been shortened by technology, right. They talked about doing genomes and how it used to take eight years and now they've got it down to four hours. And like what's that going to be in the next three years? Is it take two? I mean, just insanity. So I, I would take a different three. I love your three. I just want to add and give people as much value as possible. So I have Lily, obviously as one, I have Biogen. And this is interesting because when, when you hear Biogen, the ticker is B I, I B. This is one that focuses on specific things, right. So when I'm talking about, in the world of biotech, do they dominate in a specific area?

[Hunter Woodhull]

Right.

[Tara Davis Woodhull]

Like when we talk about GLPs, who's the dominant player in that? Like Biogen is, is a dominant in the neurodegenerative drugs, right. So we're talking about things that help treat Alzheimer's, things that help to treat Park Parkinson's disease. They are leaders in that. So Biogen would be one. Because I think the science that is going to prevail in the future will go into that space. How do we make things that were once not curable now curable? Right? How do we shorten the time for that? And then I got a sleeper here, man. I watched the chart and obviously knew the topic list here, but Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Ticker, vrtx, tx. Yeah, Another, another one that if you look specifically at what they do and what they dominate at. Yeah. Is it an over leverage in a sense because they're dominant at one thing? Well, we just talked about the riches in those niches, right. And so they specifically focus on being dominant in the treatment and care of cystic fibrosis. That is their thing, right. They're not doing GLPs. That is their thing. That's been their thing. And they've dominated at that. And so when you. And this is a tricky, tricky sector when we're talking about biotech. We talked about this years ago. Yeah, it can come and it can go. And it's tough to predict because science takes time, cures take time. Treatments take time, testing trials. All those things factor in, pricing factors in. And so it's a tough sector to deal with. But I like the ones that dominate in specific things. And so Lilly, obviously Biogen and Vertex all have different dominant features, different things that they do, but they're leading in those, in those spaces.

[Hunter Woodhull]

Yeah. They remind me a little bit of Nvidia. When AMD was in Elite. They were so good at one thing. Eventually you will see them branch out to others. Definitely a sleeper. And in this case, the cream rises to the top. Like they've had some tumultuous years. 22 was kind of tough. But with this list, Vertex, Amgem, Biogen, Gilead, like the cream rose to the top. The players that were kind of on the fringes have died out. So I, I don't think you can go wrong with this list.

[Tara Davis Woodhull]

Yes, shout out to the chat. They. They got some of these in their, their portfolios already.

[Hunter Woodhull]

Already? Yep.

[Tara Davis Woodhull]

Shout out to them.

[Biotech/Tech Analyst]

Okay, but would these be. Would these be advisable investments?

[Hunter Woodhull]

No, absolutely. Amgen is, is one of the top performers in stock stock club. If you in the chat, put fire in chat. If Amgen has been performing well, for sure. Amgen for sure. Ibb, great exposure. Gilead would be third. But if you just do ibb, Amgen and Lily. Holy Trinity. Holy Trinity. You think speed felt good?

[Tara Davis Woodhull]

What.

[Hunter Woodhull]

I show Speed portfolio for sure. Ibb, Amgen and Lily together. Great combination. Great combination.

[Biotech/Tech Analyst]

Shout out to Nvidia once again. Yeah, they. They definitely talked a lot about healthcare. And I think that was the key takeaway, at least for me, was, you know, they really hammered in that they're not. They don't make anything. They said that Horizon, different time. It's like we don't. We don't make anything. You know, they're a software company. They talked about that also. Like, most people think they're a hardware company, they're actually a software company. And so when you think of Nvidia, most people would think Nvidia as a chip company, but I look at Nvidia as a medical company, as a gaming company, as a sports company, because it's every. It's everything, anything you put their technology in, that's what it is.

[Hunter Woodhull]

Yeah.

[Biotech/Tech Analyst]

So Medical Industry Day was very, very enthusiastic about that, spoke a lot about that. So that should give you some insight, if you're interested, as far as where they're thinking about going. They also spoke about robotics. They also spoke about autonomous driving vehicles. And they showed us their garage, the autonomous driving garage. So That's a few things that you guys might be interested in, if you're interested as far as some insight into the company. And shout out to Peter and Nas. You know, when we came back. When we came back from Nvidia, we had dinner with Nas and we was talking about Nvidia.

[Tara Davis Woodhull]

We gotta let that breathe for a second. For two seconds.

[Hunter Woodhull]

Yeah. He'd been breezing over these things. So I was on the phone with a billion the other day.

[Biotech/Tech Analyst]

Yeah, hold on.

[Tara Davis Woodhull]

Like, oh, oh, yeah, that Nas. Yeah, that Nas.

[Hunter Woodhull]

Okay.

[Tara Davis Woodhull]

That. Never. That always is going to be, like, pretty surreal. Like, you walk into the restaurant and it's not, you know, what's up, Troy? What's good? Let's go. Like, it's just.

[Janice Torres / Austin Hankwitz]

Huh? What?

[Biotech/Tech Analyst]

Yeah.

[Hunter Woodhull]

And he's one of the greatest investors, like, hands down, in this era. Like, if you put his returns up against any VC firm, it's not talked about in that light, but he's outperformed majority of them.

[Biotech/Tech Analyst]

Well, the thing. And the reason why I said that is that the reason why. Because, you know, obviously he's on a run right now. He's involved in the casino. You know, everybody's seen his investment portfolio, mass appeal, arguably had the best year in rap as far as all the albums that they put out. But, you know, with him, he was just like, yo, damn, I gotta learn about. He's like, yo, y' all gotta. Next time, I gotta take me, like. Like, asking us questions. Like, yo, what they. What was they talking about? What did they have? Like. Like. So I say that to say he's obviously extremely successful person, right? That's. That goes without saying. But he spent more time asking questions than talking.

[Tara Davis Woodhull]

Yeah.

[Biotech/Tech Analyst]

So somebody like. Somebody like that, who's a legend icon, can, you know, spend time asking questions. You gotta. You gotta be able to, you know, receive the information. And that's why this show is so. And his partner, Peter, he was like. He actually. He actually watches Market Mondays and implements on the information. So, you know, just at the highest level possible, people is paying attention and listening. So never take the information for granted.

[Tara Davis Woodhull]

Please don't. Please don't. It was so dope because he references Nvidia on the new album. Like, when he heard that we win, it was just like. He just was like a sponge. Like, yo, word. He's like, I think I met the CEO once, man. Like, he's a good guy. It was really surreal, man. Yeah.

[Biotech/Tech Analyst]

Shout out to Nas, man. Somebody said, nasir Jones. There's only one. Well, there's two Nas, my son's name is two nas.

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[Janice Torres / Austin Hankwitz]

Janice Torres here and I'm Austin Hankwitz. We host the podcast Mind the Small Business Success Stories, produced by Ruby Studio in partnership with Intuit QuickBooks.

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We're back for season four to talk to some incredible small business owners.

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[Hunter Woodhull]

Is that it's ever evolving, ever changing. Everyone's a rookie, that's how fast the industry is changing. So what I'm really excited about is to be part of that change.

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