Success Story Podcast — Lessons: Solving Impossible Problems | Naveen Jain

Host: Scott D. Clary
Guest: Naveen Jain, Billionaire Serial Entrepreneur
Release Date: December 20, 2025

Episode Overview

This "Lessons" episode features billionaire entrepreneur Naveen Jain, who unpacks his unique, actionable frameworks for tackling “impossible” problems through moonshot thinking, the power of unconventional questions, and the critical role of technological exponentiality. Using the example of his healthcare company Viome, Jain illustrates how entrepreneurs can address world-changing questions while creating sustainable businesses, and underscores the necessity of resilience amid the entrepreneurial rollercoaster.

Main Discussion Points & Key Insights

1. The Power of Moonshot Thinking

• Moonshot = Vision + Execution Steps

  • Jain explains that shooting for big, audacious goals doesn't mean ignoring practical, incremental progress.
  • Quote:

    "You have a north star, you have your pointing direction where you want to go, and then you see what are the steps that needs to be done along the way for this to happen. And everything you go along the way actually creates a business."
    — Naveen Jain [01:22]

• Building Businesses Alongside Big Ideas

  • Every step on a moonshot path can unlock viable business opportunities as technologies evolve.

2. Applying Moonshot Logic: The Viome Story

• Big Problem:

  • Jain’s goal: Prevent and reverse all chronic diseases, including cancer and aging.

• Why Now?

  • The decreasing cost of digitizing bio-samples enabled new ventures.
  • Cloud computing and AI matured enough to handle enormous biological datasets.
  • Jain notes the power of betting on the prices of exponential technologies:

    “We started the company believing the technology will come down and price will come down to about 100 bucks... Guess what happened? It came down to about $18. So while we thought we were 10 times optimistic, it turns out we were actually five times pessimistic. And that’s the power of exponential technologies.”
    — Naveen Jain [03:22]

3. Challenging Industry Orthodoxy with Better Questions

• Naivete as Advantage

  • Jain, not being a scientist or doctor, refused to accept established industry beliefs at face value.
  • He scrutinized the focus on DNA, arguing it’s static and uninformative about health state changes.

• Different Question, Different Breakthrough:

  • Instead of who microbes are (“what organisms are in your gut?”), Jain asked what microbes do:

    “I think we need to focus on what they are doing, not who they are... The same organism could do something good in Scott’s gut because it’s the right environment, and the same organism can make me sick because my environment in the gut is fighting.”
    — Naveen Jain [08:56]

• Analogy:

  • Analogizes microbes to people shaped by their environments—behavior, not just identity, is key.

4. Technological Discovery and Entrepreneurial Hustle

• Scouring for Solutions:

  • Jain searched at NASA labs and national laboratories (including Los Alamos) for the required technology to analyze what the microbiome is producing — rather than just its composition.
  • Memorable sequence:

    “So I go there at NASA JPL... These guys have tons of technology, they develop and ... they have to have solved this problem. So I go there at NASA JPL and I’m like talking to the director, talking to the scientist and they’re saying we don’t care. ... And I said, you guys a bunch of morons. ... And now I get to touch all the moon rocks, I get to play with all the cool stuff. But it’s still no technology.”
    — Naveen Jain [10:08]

• Breakthrough at Los Alamos:

  • After months of searching, Jain discovers biodefense technology for RNA analysis that fits Viome’s need:

    “And one guy comes up and says, you know, dude, not only can I tell you whether it’s bacteria or virus. I can tell you exactly what they’re producing. ... My first reaction was really, so what project are you working on? And the guy looks at me, he says, what’s your security clearance level? ... I said, totally fucking bullshit. ... Can you tell me how it works?”
    — Naveen Jain [15:38]

• Relentless Recruitment:

  • Jain convinced the scientist and the head of IBM Watson’s AI division to join his mission.

5. Resilience: The Real Test of Entrepreneurship

• Every Success Story Has Peaks and Valleys

  • Jain states that almost every successful company’s story includes a near-death experience.

• Memorable Philosophy:

  • Quote:

    “Life of an entrepreneur is being alive. How do you know you’re alive? You have heartbeat. It goes up and down, up and down. When you have a smooth line, you’re dead. ... So if you’re looking to live a life which is smooth, you’re looking to live a life of a dead person. ... When you are down, all you have to do is hunker down and know the next beat is going to be up. ... And when you’re on the top ... never get too cocky. Because remember, the winter is coming and winter shall come.”
    — Naveen Jain [17:15]

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• On Moonshot Progression:

  "Along the moonshots, you develop tremendous amount of technologies that actually can be applied to create businesses today."
  — Naveen Jain [01:37]

• On Doubt and Non-Expertise:

  "I am not a scientist, I am not a doctor... But guess what? That as opposed to being really worried that I don't know about it, to me that was the biggest asset I brought to the industry was I wasn't going to take what experts have said taken it for granted."
  — Naveen Jain [05:35]

• On Challenging the Status Quo:

  "If DNA can't even tell you you're dead or alive, how can it tell you that you're healthy or sick?"
  — Naveen Jain [06:23]

• On Resilience:

  "Every business goes through, in fact, almost every successful business has gone through what I would call near death experience."
  — Naveen Jain [16:35]

Key Timestamps

• 00:00-01:22: Introduction to moonshot thinking and setting visionary goals
• 01:22-03:22: Moonshot execution—Viome’s origin; identifying business opportunities along the moonshot path
• 03:22-07:00: Exponential technology's role; disruptive questioning; Viome’s focus on gene expression and microbiome
• 10:00-14:00: Jain’s journey through NASA and national labs in search of the right bioinformatics technology
• 15:38-17:15: Encounter with Los Alamos scientist; recruitment; core lessons on entrepreneurship’s highs and lows

Final Takeaways

• Moonshot thinking is not just about bold vision—it’s about finding the right questions, leveraging technological trends, and executing step by step.
• Challenge orthodoxy by questioning assumptions, especially if you’re new to an industry.
• “What are they doing?” often matters more than “Who are they?”, whether with microbes or business problems.
• Resilience is the defining trait of lasting entrepreneurs: expect (and learn from) the highs and lows.

For more inspirational stories and strategies from top performers, visit successstorypodcast.com.