David Shin trained in both medicine and electrical engineering, conducted ophthalmology research on computer vision and augmented reality, and later worked in informatics at Thermo Fisher on integrating data across its products, giving him a technical and data-focused background unusual for a biotech investor. He has also built companies directly, serving as COO at Limelight Bio, helping create gene therapy platforms that led to two new companies, working in strategy at nanotechnology platform company Alpine Biosciences, and helping launch the long-short healthcare hedge fund Ayer Capital, giving him experience across private company building and public market investing in therapeutics, diagnostics, and devices.