Get to Know Yasmeen

August 25, 2022 | Interview by Emilia Charno

Yasmeen and her family in their backyard at home.

Yasmeen and her Cornell Tech students on a trip to Hudson Yards.

What are the values that drive your work?

I am a real estate and planning consultant, primarily for biotechnology startups in New York City. I founded East Egg Project Management about six years ago and have been doing this work in various incarnations for 20+ years. My first jobs were with nonprofits, so I am driven by the idea of working with people who are here to make the world a better place. I was introduced to biotech through working at the NYC Economic Development Corporation in the early 2000s - when it was just starting in New York- and realized that these startups were also making the world a better place. The idea of helping the scientists and engineers facing some of our most critical problems to do what they do - through buying furniture, planning their spaces, helping them lower their cost of occupancy, and more - has been very inspiring to me. This is an idea I call “creating spaces for the greater good.”

What led you to found East Egg Project Management?

When I was at EDC, the biotech sector in New York was just starting. It feels like every major step of my career has lined up with the growth of the industry here and I have been inspired to help scientists find places to call home. In terms of a motivating impulse, I started East Egg after thinking about what I do and do not like to do, and what services I can and cannot offer. I have had such a rewarding time working with scientists, architects, designers, engineers, construction teams, and vendors over my career that I wanted to use the context I gained to engage in this work myself. New York does not have the life sciences infrastructure of Boston or San Francisco when it comes to real estate, and this is a gap I saw l could fill. It also helped that New York State and New York City put out money around this time to support life sciences and incubate startups!

What have you learned so far and what has been surprising?

If you asked me ten years ago if I would be working independently as a consultant, I would have said definitely not! The combination of the experiences that I had and the timing of growing my family seemed to work.

As another surprise, there were times that I felt nervous about East Egg’s work streams. Looking back over the last few years, the work has been very steady. I love doing what I do and hope to keep doing it as long as I can!

You founded East Egg almost six years ago now! What wisdom have you gathered over the years that you can offer to other female founders entering or looking to start a firm?

I’ve always felt that success is in many ways about the people that you know. Even though I did not realize it at the time, starting in graduate school I have been networking with people who have come to be pivotal in my career. You go to lunch or coffee, and ask questions about what an individual works on and what strikes a chord with you personally. There are then ripple effects: this person can give you a warm introduction to even more people who are helpful for you to know. It has been my experience that people want to open up their networks to help emerging professionals. This is especially helpful when you are early in your career.

Another piece of advice is to recognize what you are and what you are not, what you like and do not like. These things evolve over time, but it is crucial to check in with yourself on what speaks to you about your work. You want to enjoy what you are doing. My work evolved based upon the projects that spoke to me and the people I enjoyed working with. This has been what feels right to me.

What does it mean to you to operate as a M/WBE?

I incorporated East Egg after operating as an independent consultant for nearly two years. Getting your LLC gives you credibility and has enabled me to prime projects that I cared deeply about.

In terms of operating as an M/WBE, I don’t always love being the only woman in the room, but I have become comfortable with this being the case. Often too, I am the only person of color in the room. I did not go into this work thinking that I would be a kind of representative. But by the way, I am good at what I do, I enjoy what I do, I work well with people, and I am representative. People have to learn how to pronounce my name and be comfortable with a person who looks like me in the room. I think that representation is an added bonus.

What dynamics are at play in influencing the vision of turning Greater NY into a biotech mega-region?

When Mayor Bloomberg decided to bring life sciences to New York, it made so much sense. We have finance, we have research institutions, we have medicine, and we certainly know about real estate. I have bought into this idea strongly since the early 2000s. The idea of fostering homegrown research and discovery makes me exceptionally proud to be a New Yorker. In growing the sector, we have coordinated well with New Jersey, Connecticut, Westchester County, and Long Island.

This is a city of old buildings but also new ideas; it is a wonderful challenge that we are facing. Real estate work in New York is riddled with complications - building codes and permits and ancient infrastructure - but we make it work! There is so much brain power channeled into biotech at the moment.

What is different about the story of life sciences real estate in NYC as opposed to general real estate in NYC?

Certainly if you are talking about challenges, to create biotech spaces like labs, clean rooms, and freezer rooms - the intensity of the infrastructure, cost, complexity, and need for precision are vital. Freezers can’t die and air chambers can’t malfunction. The way the market is now in New York, more often we are converting existing buildings as opposed to building new ones for biotech. For instance, the Brooklyn Army Terminal is a 100+-year-old building with character and presence. The challenge is manipulating the inside to do incredibly modern work - this is an imagery and a juxtaposition that I love. The architects, designers, and engineers that I work with do truly amazing work - talk about rising to the challenge!

What are the places or geographies that have shaped you?

My whole life, other than the nine years I lived in California, I’ve lived in New York. Growing up on Long Island, I commuted into Penn Station on the Port Washington line and this area represents to me a gateway to the city. When you stand at 34th Street and 7th Avenue you can face the flagship Macy’s or the Empire State Building. And we get to do this every day but people make movies about this spot, they dream their whole lives about this view, and we take it for granted!

The Genome Center is also one of my favorites. Initially I did not want to sign the lease at this location, which is above Canal Street in SoHo, but the people on our team worked so much magic on the space, it ended up being amazing. How they converted the building from an older office building to brand new lab space was inspiring. It was so rewarding to ultimately be able to walk the scientists through their new facilities.

Is there anything that you’re reading or watching that’s inspiring you?

I just finished rewatching The Golden Girls, and I love the idea of older women standing up for themselves. I also recently read a book called Queen Victoria’s Matchmaking about the history of Europe in the late nineteenth century. She was strategic in marrying her grandchildren around the continent with the idea of facilitating better relations through all being one family. Two very different examples of women making the calls!

"This is a city of old buildings but also new ideas; it is a wonderful challenge that we are facing."

Exiting Penn Station on W 34th Street and 7th Avenue.

The sixth floor whiteboard at the New York Genome Center.