#079 The Business Behind Better Cancer Research with Inga Rose

Built For This Podcast, with Carly Pepin

September 8, 2026 by

Carly Pepin

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In this episode of Built For This, Carly Pepin sits down with Inga Rose, founder of Reference Medicine, to explore how a recurring problem she encountered throughout her career in cancer diagnostics became the foundation for a new business.

Inga explains how Reference Medicine connects consenting cancer patients with researchers who need high-quality specimens to develop and validate new diagnostics and treatments. At the heart of the model is something bigger than logistics: trust, consistency, and respect for the patient behind every specimen.

Carly and Inga also explore what it takes to build a scientific company from scratch, from establishing an accredited laboratory and developing hospital partnerships to building the right team and discovering what the company's values actually mean in practice.

It's a conversation about focus, culture, trust, and learning which opportunities to pursue as a business grows.

Key Takeaways

Focus Requires Knowing What to Say No To

There will always be more opportunities than a business can realistically pursue. Inga and her team continually return to a small number of priorities, choosing to focus on the things they know they can do exceptionally well rather than being distracted by everything they could do.

Your Values Have to Be Real Enough to Use

Reference Medicine's original values sounded good, but they didn't necessarily reflect how the team actually operated. Over time, they developed values they could genuinely "live and breathe," turning them into a practical compass for decisions, hiring, and growth.

Trust Is at the Heart of the Business

Reference Medicine works with human specimens, not commodities. Inga explains why relationships, transparency, and respect are essential when working with patients, hospitals, and researchers, and why remembering the person behind every specimen matters.

About Inga Rose

Inga Rose is the founder of Reference Medicine and has spent her career serving the healthcare industry, primarily in oncology clinical research and diagnostics.

Reference Medicine provides specimens tailored to the needs of oncology test developers, helping research teams spend less time sourcing and more time developing the next generation of cancer diagnostics, while giving consenting patients an opportunity to contribute to future research.

Memorable Quotes
"Theory versus reality is easier said than done."
"We use our values kind of as our compass now."
"Nothing replaces the working experience with each other."

Inga Rose