The AI CEO changing pharma from the inside.
Pep Gubau is one of those rare founders who carries deep technical brilliance lightly.
He has built and sold two serious businesses, is now doing it again with Aizon, and yet speaks with a calm humility that makes you lean in rather than feel lectured. No chest beating. No hype. Just clarity, conviction, and a genuine love for solving problems.
What struck me most in our conversation was Pep’s passion. Not the performative kind, but the kind that has been there for decades. His love for technology, for selling, for explaining complex things simply, and for building things that actually work. You can feel that this is not a job for him. It is a calling.
What I learned
One of the most powerful ideas Pep shared was working out what not to do early. His first internship lasted two weeks and that was enough to realise he was a builder, not a slide deck politician. That early clarity shaped everything that followed.
I also loved his framing of AI in pharma manufacturing. Not as something futuristic or flashy, but as a practical tool to help people make better decisions in regulated environments. Pharma people building technology, not technology people trying to do pharma. That distinction matters more than ever.
His perspective on data was equally sharp. Pharma generates enormous amounts of it, yet uses so little to drive real decisions. Aizon exists because Pep could not reconcile that contradiction and decided to fix it.
What I liked
Pep is incredibly chilled about success. Two exits, decades of experience, global impact, yet no ego. He speaks with warmth and humour, and there is a genuine generosity in how he shares insight.
I also really resonated with his reflections on moving countries with his family. Starting from zero. Rejuvenating yourself. Giving your kids adaptability, flexibility, and confidence. That idea of deliberately putting yourself back into learning mode is something I deeply believe in too.
There was also something very human in the way he spoke about selling. Not as a dirty word, but as communication. As connection. As helping people understand why something matters.
Reflection
Pep reminded me that real innovation rarely comes from chasing what is fashionable. Aizon was pitching AI long before it was cool. Long before ChatGPT. Long before the market was ready.
That takes conviction. It also takes patience.
His story is a reminder that the best founders are not chasing exits or applause. They are obsessed with the problem. They are builders at heart. And they never stop learning.
That combination is incredibly powerful.
If you want to hear the full conversation, it is well worth your time.
Listen to the full episode
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And yes, this is another episode where I also wrote a Memoir alongside the podcast, because some conversations deserve a slower second pass.As always, thank you to our sponsors Bora Pharmaceuticals and Lead Candidate for supporting Molecule to Market
