Investor Panels
DIAGNOSTICS INVESTORS
New Generation of Technologies Changing Treatment Paradigms
DIAGNOSTICS INVESTORS
DIAGNOSTICS INVESTORS
New Generation of Technologies Changing Treatment Paradigms
This panel focuses on investments in innovative diagnostics, ranging from IVD, genomics, precision medicine, and more. Topics may include:
- Current areas of interest
- Current challenges in this ecosystem – Navigating the competitive landscape
- Commonly observed red flags
- Successful deals
Panelists will discuss how companies can successfully fundraise for their budding diagnostics technology and the best way to successfully approach and develop a relationship with relevant investors. Panelists will also explore current areas of interest and why they are relevant, as well as developmental and regulatory hurdles and how companies can address these problems to attain key milestones.
Scott Gazelle, Managing Partner, GreyBird Ventures (Moderator)
Scott Gazelle is a physician-scientist and academic entrepreneur who has been involved in the development, commercialization and assessment of new medical technologies for more than 25 years. He graduated from Dartmouth College and Case Western Reserve University Medical School. He trained in General Surgery and Radiology at University Hospitals of Cleveland, also serving as Chief Resident in Radiology, and then in Abdominal Imaging and Interventional Radiology at the Massachusetts General Hospital. In 1992 he joined the MGH faculty. In 1996, he received a Master’s Degree in Public Health, and in 1999, a PhD in Health Policy, both from Harvard University.
Scott has established and directed basic science, clinical and policy-focused research programs. As Associate Director of the MGH Center for Imaging and Pharmaceutical Development, his team developed contrast agents for CT and ultrasound. He also established and lead a multi-national team that developed and evaluated techniques for radiofrequency tumor ablation that have been used to treat thousands of patients. In 1997, Scott established the MGH Institute for Technology Assessment, now one of the largest and most successful academic programs for early-stage technology assessment and comparative effectiveness research.
Scott is currently Professor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School and Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard School of Public Health. He is also Director of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center Program in Cancer Outcomes Research Training, Vice Chair for Faculty Affairs and Associate Vice-Chair for Research in the MGH Department of Radiology. Scott has been President of the Association of University Radiologists, the Radiology Research Alliance, and the New England Roentgen Ray Society, Director of Partners Radiology, Chair of the American College of Radiology Commission on Research and Technology Assessment, Chair of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Research Development Committee, and a member of the RSNA R&E Foundation Board of Trustees. He has authored more than 250 scientific articles, published three textbooks and presented numerous papers, lectures, and workshops nationally and internationally. Scott received a Gold Medal from the Association of University Radiologists, and was named “Outstanding Researcher” by the RSNA.
Scott serves on the Board of Hummingbird Diagnostics, Ceres Nanosciences, and Chair the Board of Atlas 5D.
George Li, Managing Partner, Proxima Ventures
Focus Areas:Medical Device and Diagnostic Mr. George Li has over 12 years experience of incubating, coaching and investing in life science industry. He is the managing partner of Proxima Venture capital fund which focus on investment in outstanding enterprises with disruptive medical technologies or service models that can address huge unmet medical needs. Proxima is managing two RMB funds and one USD fund. Proxima has invested 20+ innovative medical technology companies covering areas of cardiovascular, oncology, respiratory and diagnostic. In 2008, Mr. Li founded Biohub which is the leading life science accelerator/incubator in China. Biohub is running 5 incubators/accelerators with equipped central labs, CFDA cleared clean rooms in core cities of Wuhan, Hangzhou, Zhengzhou, Chengdu and Suzhou in China. Biohub has built an ecosystem including leading hospitals, public listed companies and network of seasoned entrepreneurs and can provide one stop professional services for start-up companies. Since it founded, Biohub has successfully incubated over 100 innovative life science projects covering pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, medical device, diagnostic and services. Before Biohub, Mr. Li co-founded Bioherms and brought the first HbA1c POCT diagnostic solution to China market. Mr. Li got his MBA from Hult International Business School and bachelor degree from Zhejiang University.
Sascha Berger, Partner, TVM Capital Life Science
Sascha Berger, PhD, joined the TVM Capital Life Science team in Munich in 2016. He is active in deal flow generation, investment due diligence, deal and exit transactions, investor communication as well as corporate finance aspects of the fund.
Sascha has a strong financial background with almost ten years of professional transaction and strategy experience. He has a track-record of concluding 20 M&A transactions, five of those he led as responsible project manager in his previous role as Senior M&A Manager in a PE backed global corporation. He was a core team member in a successful EUR 2.5bn revenue cross-border merger and successfully coordinated global merger clearance procedures (USA, China, EU, Korea).
Prior to this recent role, Sascha successfully advised multiple renowned clients in corporate finance and strategy projects working as (senior) consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Boston Consulting Group. He was selected for the global leadership development program in his previous role and was named a global high-potential in PwC.
Sascha studied technology management in Munich, Singapore and Boston and holds a Master from Munich University of Technology with majors in entrepreneurial finance and chemistry, magna cum laude. In his master thesis he analyzed the specific challenges of biotech VC financing rounds. Later he completed his PhD studies in banking and finance while already working for PwC. He is a regular speaker on corporate finance topics for German universities and business schools.
During his studies he already supported TVM Capital Life Science part-time; he supported the IPO of a German technology company at Deutsche Bank and advised Private Equity funds at Deloitte in summer internships. He lived in Singapore and New York, co-founded a student initiative on Entrepreneurship in Munich and in his spare time enjoys triathlon and world travelling.
Richard Kivel, Managing Director, GrayBella Capital
Richard Kivel serves as Managing Director of GrayBella Capital LLC., a VC/PE investment fund focused on biotech, healthcare and technology companies in Europe.
Richard has served as a CEO, Chairman and Board Director in both private and public companies in Europe, Russia, Singapore and the US. Previously, he was a Senior Manager at Bridgewater Associates, the world’s largest hedge fund, with $160 billion in global assets.
Richard is a guest lecturer on Global Entrepreneurship, Business Models and Venture Investing at MIT, Moscow School of Management Skolkovo and other universities in Europe and Singapore. He has many years of experience mentoring entrepreneurs in his role as Global Chairman of the MIT Enterprise Forum and Judge for the MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition. Richard also serves as a Trustee of the Bankinter Innovation Foundation, a global technology Think-Tank located in Spain and Portugal.
Martin Pfister, Senior Investment Manager: Life Sciences, High-Tech Gründerfonds
Dr. Martin Pfister joined the High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) Medtech/LifeSciences team in Bonn in 2010. HTGF is the largest Seedfonds in Europe with about 900 Mio EUR under management and an active portfolio of about 260 technology-based portfolio companies, about 95 of which are in life sciences. studied a combination of Medicine and Pharmacy in Germany and New York University, Medical School with a PhD in Immunology Started his career in the hospital/laboratory moved to the start-up life sciences world 18 years ago. co-founded two companies in the molecular Dx field (VC backed, Exit) and healthcare services (privately owned, Exit 2018) @ HTGF manages a portfolio of 13 life science companies including Biotech, Medtech and digital health holds board member seat in 4 companies including clinical stage Biotech.
TOOLS AND R&D SERVICES
Investing in the newest tools to advance research
TOOLS AND R&D SERVICES
TOOLS AND R&D SERVICES
Investing in the newest tools to advance research
While new breakthroughs in treatment make headlines, the tools that help these breakthroughs happen are frequently overlooked. This panel features investors who are focused on these resources that are used to advance the most cutting-edge research done today. Topics may include:
- What types of technology are investors seeking?
- How do investors evaluate new technologies?
- What kinds of validation do investors wish to see?
Panelists will discuss the technologies that are changing how new therapies are developed, tools such as organs-on-a-chip, drug discovery platforms, new instrumentation, and data analytics platforms. The panel will cover what new technologies are emerging, what investors are seeking, and what they would like to see developed.
Tad Weems, Managing Director, Agilent Technologies (Moderator)
Tad currently leads the Agilent team that manages the partnership/investment relationships with about 30 early stage life science tools companies. He has been in the life science tools industry for 20 years, serving in a variety of research, business development, financial and management roles. Prior to joining Agilent, Tad co-founded and successfully exited two companies; thus, is very familiar with the funding, commercialization and growth issues that entrepreneurs face. Additionally, he has worked in both the venture capital and petrochemical industries, serves on multiple Boards, holds several patents and is a Wharton MBA and chemical engineering graduate of UT Austin and UC Berkeley.
Nat Brinn, Partner, VC23
Nat Brinn has a successful track record of venture capital and other private investments, acquisitions and business management. He is a partner of both Vital Venture Capital and VC23. Nat has invested in 23 early-stage biotechnology and software companies including Gingko Bioworks, Quantalife (acquired by Bio-Rad), Twist Bioscience, 10X Genomics, AxioMx (acquired by Abcam), HealthTell (acquired by iCarbonX), CD Diagnostics (acquired by Zimmer), General Automation Lab Technologies, TOMA Biosciences and Tangen Biosciences. Nat has served as a director of various portfolio companies. His previous experience includes roles at HSA Bank (CEO), Webster Bank (EVP) and other firms in corporate development and investment positions. He has an MBA from Duke University, where he was a Fuqua Scholar and his class graduation speaker. Nat did his undergraduate work in economics and mathematics at University of Delaware in the undergraduate honors program.
Daniella Kranjac, Founding Partner, Dynamk Capital
Daniella Kranjac has been building life sciences businesses, developing and commercializing life sciences products for 20 years. Having co-founded Wave Biotech LLC from her dormitory room, she and a partner drove the start-up, growth and commercialization of a highly disruptive technology. As Vice President of the organization, Daniella established a high growth company with significant brand recognition, and led the group to a successful exit and acquisition by GE Healthcare in 2007.
At GE Healthcare, Daniella held a variety of strategic, M&A and business development roles. One of her most notable achievements is the success in an entrepreneurial group within the broader GE Healthcare, where a focus on integrating the acquired Xcellerex business enabled global commercialization of a several hundred million dollar enterprise solutions business. Her extensive business development, negotiations and deal-making experience with multinational biopharma and governments in developed and emerging markets provides Dynamk with a broad network of colleagues, customers, innovators and key opinion leaders.
She holds a B.E. in Chemical Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology and an Executive MBA from New York University Stern School of Business and has attended Harvard Business School Executive Education Courses in Private Equity & Venture Capital.
Gary Zweiger, Venture Partner, Cota Capital
Dr. Gary Zweiger has spent more than 20 years in the Life Sciences and Healthcare sectors, as a Consultant, Adviser, Investor, and Business Development Executive for companies developing innovative technologies, particularly DNA sequencing and other genomics technologies (microarrays, PCR, imaging, etc.), for life science markets, such as molecular diagnostics and other genetic testing. As Co-Founder and Managing Director of BioInfleXion Point Partners LLC, he provided seed capital and management support to many innovative life sciences firms, including Cota portfolio companies: Blueprint Genetics, Mission Bio, and Purigen Biosystems. Prior to that, Dr. Zweiger held business development leadership roles at BioNano Genomics, Agilent Technologies, Applied Biosystems, and Affymetrix. Dr. Zweiger holds 7 U.S. patents and has published numerous scientific papers. He has also written a book about the race to sequence the human genome and digitize biological information, “Transducing the Genome: Information, Anarchy, and Revolution in the Biomedical Sciences”, (McGraw-Hill). He earned his B.S. in Biological Sciences, and a Ph.D. in Genetics, both from Stanford University.
Tom Farb, President, CEO & Co-Founder, Thrive Bioscience, Inc.
Mr. Farb-Horch is CEO and President of Thrive Bioscience (Boston, Massachusetts) which provides instruments and software tools for the automation of cell culture and stem cell culture, a neglected yet critical area for biomedical research. Thrive has raised $25M to-date, has filed 64 patent applications is selling its first two in a family of instruments.
Mr. Farb-Horch has actively participated in the founding of over 10 life sciences, artificial intelligence and software companies and has had four exits with one billion dollars or more. He has founded and served on the Boards of numerous companies, including Exact Sciences (NASD: EXAS), Fair Isaac (NYSE: FIC), Redwood Trust (NYSE: RWT), HNC Software (acquired by Fair Isaac), Retek Systems (acquired by Oracle) and Saf-T-Med (acquired by Becton Dickinson).
Mr. Farb-Horch has served as President, COO and/or in the senior management of numerous companies, including Thrive Bioscience, Inc., Indevus Pharmaceuticals, and Cytyc.
Mr. Farb has also been a Trustee for numerous non-profit organizations including North Shore InnoVentures (an incubator/accelerator in the Boston area), Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Asia America Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Farb is a graduate of Harvard University.
CELL & GENE THERAPY
The Next Generation of Therapeutic Technologies
CELL & GENE THERAPY
CELL & GENE THERAPY
The Next Generation of Therapeutic Technologies
This panel focuses on the advent of gene & cell therapies that are now entering the market, from CRISPR to CAR-T technologies, and the way they are shifting the paradigm of therapeutic investment. Topics may include:
- Which of the technologies emerging from this field do investors find most compelling?
- What do investors do to balance the increased regulatory risk associated with these new technologies?
- Even with how new these technologies are, are there any areas that are already becoming saturated?
Panelists will discuss how these technologies are shifting the focus from blockbuster drugs to smaller, more defined patient populations, the manufacturing challenges associated with some of these technologies and how these new challenges are affecting their investment focus.
Fabio D’Agostino, Venture Partner, Claris Ventures (Moderator)
Fabio is a well-rounded life science consultant with over 9 years’ experience in both the medical device and the biopharmaceutical industry. In 2013, he joined the Parenteral Drug Association (PDA) Cell and Gene Task Force (members include executives from GSK, Novartis, Lonza, Johnson & Johnson, Adaptimmune, Takeda, Bluebird Bio) with the aim to develop a manufacturing control strategy for cell and gene based medicinal products. His areas of expertise also include Lean Six Sigma (IASSCTM Certified Black Belt), process development and optimization, business development and technology evaluation. Fabio started his career at the medical device company Sorin Group (now LivaNova) after a BSc and a MSc with honours in Biomedical Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Turin (Italy). Later, he moved to Newcastle (UK) to take an Engineering Doctorate in Biopharmaceutical Process Development at Newcastle University. One of his main projects was the Multifactorial Analysis of Mesenchymal stem cell properties for storage and transportation.
Meghana Rao, Senior Manager, New Venture Transactions, Johnson & Johnson Innovation
Meghana Rao is Senior Manager in New Venture Transactions at the Johnson & Johnson Innovation Center in California. In this role, Meghana is responsible for managing early-stage innovation opportunities through the deal process, competitive landscaping, and sourcing new opportunities for Oncology and Immunology therapeutic areas in J&J’s pharmaceutical sector. Meghana joined Johnson & Johnson Innovation from Syneos Health Consulting, where she led consulting engagements in the Scientific & Medical Advisory Group for large and mid-cap biopharma companies, across multiple therapeutic areas. With these engagements she developed pre-launch strategies, led due diligence efforts and managed multi-company REMS programs. Meghana earned her Ph.D in Cancer Biology from Vanderbilt University, and a B.S. in Cell Biology, with a Minor in Computer Science from the University of California, San Diego.
Alicia Irurzun-Lafitte, Partner, UCB Ventures
Alicia Irurzun-Lafitte joined UCB Ventures in March 2019 as Partner. Alicia joined from M Ventures, the corporate venture arm of Merck KGaA. Since 2014, she was instrumental in the closing of multiple new investments in Oncology, Immunology and Fertility areas in the US and Europe for the M Ventures Healthcare fund. Alicia was also closely involved with the built-up of Merck spin-offs. While at M Ventures, she served on the Board of Rewind Therapeutics as Director and Artios, iOnctura, Ribometrix, and TocopheRx as Observer. Prior to ventures, Alicia held roles in global business development at Merck Serono in Geneva and EMD Serono in Boston. During her time in business development she closed multiple early stage transactions and was involved in strategic corporate development initiatives. Alicia holds a MSc from Leiden University in Biopharmaceutical Sciences. She holds a Bachelor in Biomedical Sciences and completed her undergraduate studies between the University Claude Bernard Lyon 1 and Napier Edinburgh University.Alicia is based at the UCB Ventures’ Boston office and she lives in New York.
Weiyong Sun, Senior Director, Specialty Medicine Search & Evaluation, Daiichi Sankyo
Dr. Weiyong Sun is currently Senior Director, Searching and Evaluation, Global Business Development at Daiichi Sankyo Group. He joined Daiichi Sankyo Japan in April 2002. He was involved in a broad range of R&D activities from target discovery to clinical development of a number of anti-diabetes drugs. In October 2007, Dr. Sun was elected to be assigned to work for Daiichi Sankyo Research Institute in the U.S. He was responsible for identifying and evaluating in-licensing, partnering and research collaboration opportunities. His current focus is in Immunology Cardio-Renal, Ophthalmology and Rare Disease. Dr. Sun received an M.D. from Beijing Medical University (now Peking University Medical School), a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Tokyo and an MBA from Columbia Business School. He was a postdoctoral fellow in the Blood Research Institute, Medical College of Wisconsin.
Mishael Zohar, Associate, OrbiMed Advisors LLC
Mishael Zohar, MD MBA, is an Associate at Orbimed Israel a leading healthcare investment firm, with $13 billion in assets under management, covering venture capital investments in biotech, medical devices, and diagnostic companies. Prior to joining OrbiMed he Co-founded and managed Orion.ID – a startup company that developed and designed medical applications for mental health early prevention and management. Before establishing Orion.ID Mishael was Co-partner & Head of the Training Division at M-TACS – a company that provides tactical medical solutions services worldwide. Mishael received his BMedSc and MD from Ben-Gurion University, Faculty of Health Sciences, as well as an MBA in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Harrison School of Business. Dr. Zohar is a researcher at the Julis-Rabinowitz Data Science institute at IDC, Herzliya focusing on medical big data.
Florence Rozen, Scientific Director of Investments, Fonds de solidarité FTQ
Florence Rozen is the Scientific Director of Investments with Fonds de solidarité FTQ, a labour sponsored/development capital fund based in Montreal. There since 2009, she is responsible for scientific due diligence for all potential investment opportunities within the Fonds’ life science group. She is also responsible for monitoring the group’s biotech company portfolio, which cover areas such as oncology, rare diseases, gene therapy, as well as cardiovascular, infectious and neurodegenerative diseases, all in different stages of development. Prior to her 22 years in the venture capital industry (including the seed financing arm of MDS Capital where she held similar responsibilities), she has done research in the fields of endocrinology and oncology. She holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry from McGill University.
COMBINATION DEVICES
Integrated Devices That Cross Sector Boundaries
COMBINATION DEVICES
COMBINATION DEVICES
Integrated Devices That Cross Sector Boundaries
Combination devices are becoming more common, melding devices and therapeutics together to increase the efficacy of treatment. Panelists will discuss the challenges that many of the companies developing these products face, including:
- How to handle regulatory challenges for combination devices
- What investors look for when considering combination devices
- What to avoid when speaking to investors
Panelists will explore what they see as red flags when assessing potential portfolio companies, as well as the best ways to catch their interest.
Rick Berenson, Director – Executive Board, Mass Medical Angels (Moderator)
Rick serves as Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Thermalin Diabetes LLC. Mr. Berenson has been building organizations for twenty-five years. He has been Chief Executive Officer or Chief Operating Officer of eleven companies and the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of several more. He has been a member of the Executive Board of Mass Medical Angels. As Managing Director of Venzyme Catalyst, LLC, he has successfully launched and financed many life science organizations around important new technologies in complex markets. Mr. Berenson holds JD-MBA from Harvard Law and Business Schools in 1984 and is a graduate of Harvard College.
Oliver Keown, Director, Intuitive Ventures, Intuitive Surgical
Oliver Keown, MD Director, Intuitive Ventures Oliver joined Intuitive Ventures in 2019 and leads investment efforts with a focus on identifying future leaders of minimally invasive care, including early stage startups across digital, medical device, therapeutic, and diagnostic domains. Prior to Intuitive Ventures, Oliver was a healthcare investor with GE Ventures, driving international-startup deal flow and supporting numerous portfolio companies operationally and at the board level. He also spent a number of years advising an array of UK, US, and global healthcare innovation projects across technology, government, commercial, and academic fields. He started his career as a junior doctor and policy advisor in the UK National Health Service and remains dedicated to bringing new technologies, diverse partnerships, and investment to address healthcare‘s biggest unmet needs. Oliver holds an MD and BSc in pharmacology from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. He is a widely published author in the fields of healthcare and surgical innovation, and is an advisory board member of the Newsom administration‘s California Initiative to Advance Precision Medicine.
Aude Ouensanga, Partner, Alira Health Ventures
Aude advises start-ups and large global corporations in the U.S., EU, and Japan. Since joining Alira Health in 2012, Aude has managed over 100 corporate strategy, commercial due diligence, pre-commercial value assessments, and M&A projects in MedTech and Pharma. Previously, Aude was as an M&A analyst at BNP Paribas and a strategy analyst at Novartis Pharma. A registered U.S. investment banker with FINRA Series 79 and 63 certifications, Aude is also an investment manager at Alira Health Ventures.
Omar Khalil, Partner, Santé Ventures
Omar Khalil rejoined Santé in 2020, concentrates on the biotechnology and medical technology spaces, and manages the Boston Office. Prior to that, he held senior leadership roles with Baxter International, Baxalta (now part of Takeda) and Kaléo, a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a novel drug delivery platform primarily focused in Allergy & Immunology. He has managed and led businesses ranging from early clinical development, commercial launch and scaling to more than $3 Billion in annual sales. He spent nearly five years at Santé as a Principal, investing Funds I and II. Earlier in his career, he worked at McKinsey & Company in the healthcare practice, where he served leading medical device and pharmaceutical companies. He received his MSE and BSE in Biomedical Engineering summa cum laude from the University of Michigan with a concentration in Tissue Engineering.
MEDICAL DEVICE INVESTORS
Investing in Novel Engineering
MEDICAL DEVICE INVESTORS
MEDICAL DEVICE INVESTORS
Investing in Novel Engineering
This panel focuses on investment in new medical devices from development stage through to early commercialization. Topics may include:
- What are investors looking for?
- Areas of interest
- Overcrowded areas
- How to approach an investor
- Successful deals they’ve done before
- Common mistakes/Red flags
Panelists will discuss how to meet the challenges of raising financing for a new device and advise startups on how to make the investment case for their novel technology. Panelists will also explore what technology areas are of top interest to them and how a startup can get them into dialogue regarding an investment or deal.
David Uffer, Senior Partner, Alira Health Ventures (Moderator)
David Uffer joined Alira Health with over 25 years of management experience in the medical device, products and clinical diagnostics field. He has lead strategy development, strategic planning and business development activities in these fields for mid and large cap public companies.
David has directed business development deals ranging from M&A, licensing, distribution and co-development for companies such as Medtronic (legacy Covidien) in their respiratory and medical products business, as well as Hologic and Boston Scientific. He has held management roles at Integra Lifesciences and Abbott Labs.
David has a BA from Clark University, Worcester, MA and an MBA from Thunderbird, School of Global Management, Glendale, AZ.
Kristin King, Member, Boston Harbor Angels
Kristin is an accomplished MedTech executive, serial intrapreneur, investor and strategic advisor to startups developing biotech solutions. With a distinguished career addressing commercial strategy over 20 years spanning technical, marketing, and business development disciplines, she offers multi-discipline expertise and repeated track record for high impact Medical Device development transforming technologies from early concept to successful global divisions at leading Medical Device companies and startups.
Kristin is recognized for her strategic development, business acumen, and her ability to build and lead talented teams to commercialize products that change patients’ lives. Starting her career designing stents, a patent inventor for Johnson & Johnson’s drug eluting stent and progressing through marketing and global commercial leadership roles, she has contributed to some of the world’s most meaningful programs at top healthcare firms including Ansell Healthcare, Becton Dickinson, Johnson & Johnson Cordis, Abbott Vascular, and Pfizer. Her category expertise includes advanced wound care, infection prevention, diabetes care, interventional cardiology/ radiology, and other surgical specialties in hospital, alternate site and consumer retail segments.
In 2017, after founding Ansell Healthcare’s advanced therapeutic segment, Kristin focused her career on the Boston startup community progressing MIT spin off Rogers Sciences to clinical trials, FDA submission as well as proud member of Boston Harbor Angels. Kristin holds a B.S. in bioengineering from Syracuse University, MBA in Finance & Marketing from NYU Stern. Outside of the office she is an avid scuba diver and volunteer for environmental organizations Beneath the Sea and Boston Sea Rovers.
Ruchi Dana, Board Member, DANA Group of Companies
Dr. Ruchi Dana is a qualified medical practitioner, who has transitioned successfully into a seasoned entrepreneur and Business Leader. Ruchi did her MD from AMU and her full-time MBA from Stanford University. Ruchi also received her PMP Certificate in Public Management and Social Innovation from Stanford University. Ruchi is a frequent speaker at various industry conferences and sits on multiple Corporate, startup, non-profits and University boards including Dana Group of Companies, Dubai, Duluth Medical Technologies Inc, USA, NGO Aaroogya Foundation, India and the California State University, Chico Cybersecurity Advisory Board. Ruchi has been recognized by Forbes Middle East as the “Next Generation Business Leader, Arab World” for 3 consecutive years 2017, 2018 and 2019. She has also been recognized by Campden Wealth as the “Women to Watch” in September’18 issue, and was conferred with the Yuva Ratna Award, 2018. Ruchi has also been recognized as “Top 75 Family Business Leaders” 2019 by Campden Research (UK). Recently, Dr Ruchi was featured on the Forbes ME Top Power Businesswomen 2020. Since joining Dana Group, Ruchi has been instrumental in starting the Value-added Steel manufacturing division in 2008, Lubricants and Grease manufacturing division and also Retail, Hospital and Real Estate divisions for Dana Group in 2014. Dr. Ruchi is actively involved in strategic planning for Dana Group and manages the family office investments. Ruchi has also worked with Golden Seeds, an investment firm in New York and New Silk Route Growth Capital, a PE firm in Dubai, she has mainly focused on healthcare-related investments at both these firms.
Katherine Hill Ritchie, Director, Nottingham Spirk Family Office
Mrs. Hill Ritchie has worked internally and as an advisor to 8 family offices through her firm, Private Capital Investments, LLC. Her current role is Director and Board Member for Nottingham Spirk Family Office, and her past roles include: Simon Group Holdings, Eden Capital, PEX Global, and Wedge Alternatives. She spent 7 years in Switzerland where she was a Managing Director at Palladio Alternative Research and Senior Analyst and Investment Committee Member for the Saad family office’s $3.5 billion investment portfolio. She is an Angel Investor and is on the investment committee for University Impact, a social impact VC fund. Katherine received her MBA from Fordham University and her BS in Psychology from University of Maryland. Her Board member activities include: Chair of the ACG New York Family Office Committee, Board Member of ACG NY, and Family Office Advisory Board of TriState Capital. Her past philanthropic volunteer activities include: Global Co-Chair of The Guild, the Philanthropy and Education Committees of 100 Women in Finance, and Fordham MBA Overseers Board.
Sam Goldberger, Partner, Ambit Health Ventures
Dr. Sam Goldberger is an ophthalmologist in Newton, Massachusetts and is affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area. He has been in practice for more than 20 years. He is a healthcare and life science investor and the managing partner at Ambit Health Ventures, a boutique healthcare innovation venture capital firm focused on investments in early-stage digital health, healthcare services, and Medtech with the aim to improve healthcare through portfolio companies’ innovation while achieving financial gain for investors.
DIGITAL HEALTH
Leveraging Software to Lower Costs and Improve the Quality of Care
DIGITAL HEALTH
DIGITAL HEALTH
Leveraging Software to Lower Costs and Improve the Quality of Care
This panel focuses on investing in innovative digital health products that bring new efficiencies to the healthcare system, change how care is delivered or managed, and how patients are involved in their own care. Panelists will explore topics related to investing in digital health, including:
- In what kinds of digital health technologies are they interested in investing?
- What metrics and evidence do you look for in a digital health startup?
- How can an early stage digital health company demonstrate the value of their products?
- What are the main challenges for startups raising capital in this space?
The moderator and panelists will discuss this rapidly evolving field of healthcare investment, and will introduce the audience to the key fundraising opportunities and challenges facing digital health entrepreneurs today.
Jeffrey Ries, Managing Director, Healthbox (Moderator)
Jeff manages the DaVita Venture Fund. Previously, he led the Intermountain Healthcare Innovation Fund where he led investments in Zebra Medical Vision, Syapse, Sera Prognostics and Collective Medical Technologies. Jeff was formerly at Oxeon Partners where he focused on building and investing in healthcare companies. He was also an investor at Sandbox Industries where he helped manage BlueCross BlueShield Venture Partners, a $600M healthcare fund. While at Sandbox, Jeff started several tech-enabled startups and helped raise capital for Cultivian Sandbox, an agriculture-technology venture fund. He began his career at LaSalle Investment Management, a private equity firm with $50B AUM. Jeff resides in New York City and received his BA in Economics from Northwestern University and his MBA from Harvard Business School.
Tom Gibbs, Director, Debiopharm Innovation Fund
Tom Gibbs PhD Tom Gibbs is Director at Debiopharm Innovation Fund, Switzerland where he is responsible for new investments in smart data companies in the healthcare space. He is currently a Director on the boards of Nucleai, Carevive, BC Platforms, Immunexpress, and Acteon. Previous board positions include Biocartis and GenePOC. Tom holds a PhD in molecular microbiology from the University of Warwick and has 30 years’ experience in the commercialization of life science technologies in start-ups and established companies in Europe and the USA (including Molecular Devices Corp, Covalys, Med Discovery, Debiopharm). His responsibilities have included quality assurance, operations, late-stage product development & marketing, and business development. He is excited to apply this breadth of experience to the digital health revolution, helping companies make a medically meaningful impact.
Patrik Sobocki, Investment Director, Industrifonden
Patrik has a profound interest in deep innovation in Deeptech and with a specific passion for technologies applied in healthcare. Prior to joining Industrifonden, Patrik held the position as business franchise leader with IMS Health responsible for data and technology business in Europe, Asia and Africa including responsibility for M&A in HealthTech. His previous experiences include having built two HealthTech start-ups which were both exited to US buyers (United Health Group and IMS Health), the last as CEO and part of integrating the technology into the global IMS Health tech stack and offering. Prior to that he held international R&D and commercial leadership roles with BigPharma companies in Glaxo Smith Kline and AstraZeneca. Patrik holds a Master of Science in Finance from the Stockholm School of Economics, a Master in international management from the Community of European Management Schools (CEMS) and a PhD in Medicine from Karolinska Institutet. He currently holds an Associate Professorship in health economics and epidemiology with Karolinska Institutet and has published research in over 40 international peer-reviewed journals.
Chirag Shah, Principal, Define Ventures
Chirag Shah is a Principal at Define Ventures, an early stage venture capital firm focused on digital health. Chirag’s experience in healthcare has spanned startups, investing, and finance. Previously, he was the Vice President of Commercial Strategy at Imagine Health, a startup that builds and operates high performance narrow networks for self-funded employers. He was responsible for the firm’s go-to-market strategy and execution across sales, business development, marketing, and provider contracting. Prior to that he led the firm’s Analytics team, which was responsible for network and market development; prospect feasibility and post-launch reporting; and internal tools and dashboards. Prior to Imagine Health, he led Analytics at Castlight Health, which builds tools to improve the employee and employer experience across the care continuum. Earlier in his career, Chirag worked at The Carlyle Group on the healthcare buyout team and at Morgan Stanley in the investment banking division. Chirag earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Pre-medicine from New York University.
Brenda Irwin, Managing Partner, Relentless Venture Fund
Brenda is the Founder and Managing Partner of the Relentless Venture Fund. Relentless is a health technology venture capital fund that invests in preventative and proactive solutions that optimize health, activity and longevity. Relentless’ four primary themes for investment are the conditions most affected by aging: Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease Risk, Mobility and Mental Well Being. Prior to launching Relentless, Brenda was a Partner for the Healthcare Venture Capital team for the Business Development Bank of Canada.
A seasoned VC and Board Director, Brenda has been a member of 19 private and public companies as well as non-profit organizations. She currently sits on the boards of private medtech companies Canary Medical and Orpyx Medical, and serves on the investment committee of the national medical technology consortium, MEDTEQ.
Brenda’s industry honours include being declared as one of BC’s Most Influential Women in Finance and a Top 40 under 40 award recipient.
EARLY STAGE THERAPEUTICS INVESTORS
Bringing the Newest Therapies to the Clinic
EARLY STAGE THERAPEUTICS INVESTORS
EARLY STAGE THERAPEUTICS INVESTORS
Bringing the Newest Therapies to the Clinic
This panel aims to bring a diverse group of experts & senior decision making staff from VCs, corporate pharma, and other investor types together to discuss topics such as:
- How they make decisions
- What can startups do to be more attractive?
- Areas of high need
- Overcrowded areas
- Common mistakes/red flags
The moderator will guide the discussion through topics including how the investors source & vet novel therapeutic assets, what kinds of technology are of interest to them right now, and how they as investors work with a startup to move a new drug toward commercialization.
João Ribas, Senior Associate, Novo Holdings A/S (Moderator)
João joined Novo Seeds in 2018 as an Associate.
Before joining Novo, João was an Analyst at M Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of Merck KGaA. There he was involved in the entire investment process, from sourcing deals to selecting investment opportunities and performing due diligence.
Before that, João started several ventures in the US and Europe. In the US, he helped start a technology company and was part of MIT Hacking Medicine, an organization that promotes healthcare innovation around the world. In Europe, he was an Innovation Fellow at the European Institute of Innovation and Technology and co-founded a medical device company.
João holds a Ph.D. from the University of Coimbra, and conducted his research in Boston, at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He currently runs and hosts a podcast to bring visionary outlooks of the future.
Chris Haskell, VP, Head of West Coast Innovation Center, Bayer
Dr. Chris Haskell leads Bayer’s West Coast Innovation Center, supporting Bayer’s Drug Discovery activities by developing and managing partnerships with US companies and academia. Haskell is also responsible for the CoLaborator, a biotech incubator space which houses a number of startup life science firms, fostering collaboration between Bayer and emerging innovators. Haskell is also board chair emeritus and current board member of CLSI. After his graduate work at the UC-Davis and a postdoctoral fellowship at The Gladstone Institute, Haskell joined the Immunology group at Berlex Biosciences. Since joining Bayer in 2007, Haskell has served in various roles, including the Acting Head of Applied Research, responsible for hemostasis research and drug development. In late 2009, Haskell was named head of Bayer’s Science Hub. In 2017, he assumed oversight for the West Coast Innovation Center.
Meghan Zubradt, Senior Manager, Transactions, Johnson & Johnson Innovation
Meghan Zubradt is Senior Manager of Transactions at the Johnson & Johnson Innovation Center in California. In this role, she is responsible for negotiating and securing deals for early-stage innovation, focused on opportunities in areas of strategic interest across the West North America, Australia and New Zealand region. Meghan joined Johnson & Johnson Innovation from her previous role as the Director of Business Development at a UCSF-affiliated oncology start‐up, which develops bispecific antibodies for the treatment of solid tumors, and was responsible for the company’s long‐term strategy, fundraising efforts, project management, and legal. Previously, Meghan led alliance management and business development for the Office of Strategic Alliances at UCSF. Her portfolio spanned therapeutic areas with the strongest emphasis in oncology, immunology, and neuroscience, and she specialized in complex preclinical deals with multiple projects, partners, and universities, including the university’s largest publicly disclosed partnerships with Celgene/BMS, AbbVie, Amgen, Pfizer, and GSK. Meghan received her Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from UCSF where she was a Genentech Fellow and NSF Graduate Research Fellow in the laboratory of Jonathan Weissman. She holds a BS in Biology from Brown University.
Ivan Burkov, Senior Associate, INKEF Capital
Ivan is a Senior Associate in the INKEF Healthcare investment team. He joined the fund in January 2019 after graduating with his MBA from INSEAD. Trained as a biological scientist, Ivan holds a PhD in Genetics from the Institute of Cytology and Genetics (Novosibirsk) and has 10 years of experience in applied and fundamental biological research. That includes 2.5 years as a Marie Sklodowska-Curie actions postdoctoral fellow at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (Barcelona). Then, Ivan joined Sanofi’s Eurasian affiliate, where he worked in strategy and business development roles. He has also advised startups in the biotechnology and digital-health space and was an intern at Forbion Capital Partners.
Catello Somma, Associate, TVM Capital Life Science
Catello Somma, MBA, joined the TVM Capital Life Science team in January 2020. He is active in deal flow generation, investment due diligence, deal and exit transactions, investor communication as well as fundraising support. Catello is biotech start-up founder with more than ten years of clinical development and corporate development experience. Prior to this role, Catello worked for a mid-cap biotech where he supported the development of immuno-oncology assets, both internal and in partnership with big pharma, and the preparatory work for a successful licensing in opportunity. Catello holds an MSc in Molecular biology and an MBA with major in finance.
DIGITAL THERAPEUTICS
Novel Therapeutic Solutions Using Digital Technology
DIGITAL THERAPEUTICS
DIGITAL THERAPEUTICS
Novel Therapeutic Solutions Using Digital Technology
Digital health has played an increasingly large role in the healthcare system. Among the varied technologies under development, digital therapeutics have started to play a role as a companion to traditional therapeutics in managing disease, or in treating diseases where traditional therapeutic interventions may not be possible. This panel will cover topics such as:
- What sort of evidence of efficacy do investors seek?
- How should companies manage the regulatory and reimbursement landscapes?
- What part will digital therapeutics play in long term chronic disease management?
Panelists will discuss what challenges face companies in this still relatively new area, and how to manage growing a company in a field that has not yet been fully developed.
Andy Merken, Partner, Corporate and Securities Co-Chair, Life Sciences, Burns & Levinson (Moderator)
Andy is a Partner in the Corporate Group and the Venture Capital & Emerging Companies Group. He is also the Co-Chair of both the Life Sciences Group and the Securities Group. Andy focuses on business and transactional matters for a wide range of clients, with a particular concentration on Seed round and Venture Capital financings, recapitalizations, mergers & acquisitions, private equity transactions, and corporate governance. In addition to his corporate finance and mergers & acquisitions work, Andy represents entrepreneurs, start-up and growth-stage companies, and investment banks, as well as venture capital investors, private foundations, family offices, and angel investors, in formation and structuring matters, equity and compensation, business contracts and general business advice and planning. Andy also represents C-level and R&D executives in employment matters, including equity compensation. Andy works with clients in a variety of industries, including life sciences (biotech/biopharmaceutical, medical device, healthcare, digital health, and healthcare services), business services, software, financial services, venture capital, investment banking, consulting, legal services, consumer products, staffing, food services, real estate, and entertainment.
Varun Ramdevan, Digital Innovation Lead, Johnson & Johnson Innovation
Varun is a Digital Innovation leader for J&J’s external innovation organization responsible for partnerships in digital health for J&J Innovation. He also owns Digital responsibilities for the Lung Cancer Initiative and World Without Disease at J&J, shaping their digital strategy and technology portfolio efforts globally.
Varun has an MBA from Babson F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business and has gained rich experiences in areas including digital health, Medical Device R&D M&A and economic research. Previous to his current role, Varun guided strategy and data-driven approaches for J&J’s Medical Devices R&D investment decisions. He also has helped bootstrap digital health initiatives related to post-orthopedic surgical care.
Varun supports a Boston startup ecosystem, nurturing as a mentor and investor in the energy tech and food tech space. He is on the board at MedSchoolCoach, a Boston based organization supporting students aspiring to enter medicine, and a founding member of OneAmazingThing.org.
Anne DeGheest, Founder and Managing Director, HealthTech Capital
Anne DeGheest pioneered the HealthTech or Digital Health space as a healthcare executive, an entrepreneur, angel investor, corporate advisor and mentor capitalist. She is the founder of HealthTech Capital and MedStars. Since she founded MedStars, in 1986, she has been a business consultant to large healthcare companies and a mentor capitalist specializing in early stage healthcare companies. Her life science portfolio companies have generated over $18 billion in market capitalization including 8 IPOs. She provided angel capital, hands-on operating expertise and/or business strategy in the founding of major venture-backed companies like Pyxis (CareFusion), Aspect Medical (acquired by Covidien), VISX (acquired by AMO), Thermage (merged into Solta Medical), VISICU(acquired by Philips), Masimo (Nasdaq: MASI). She also helped grow new entrepreneurial division of large corporations like ASP/Johnson & Johnson, Baxter, Medtronic and McKesson. She was also part of the founding executive team of Nellcor (a division of Covidien), MedPool and OmniCell (Nasdaq: OMCL). She was an Entrepreneur-In-Residence with Canaan Partners and IVP. In 2010, Anne founded HealthTech Capital, a group of private and corporate investors dedicated to funding and mentoring new “HealthTech” startups to decrease healthcare cost and empower patients. HealthTech capital is an ecosystem of angels, venture capitalists, providers, payers and healthcare industry key players with the three sets of expertise needed to succeed in this new HealthTech space: healthcare, technology and user engagement. She organized the HealthTech Conferences between 2012-2015 and is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and a guest-lecturer at Stanford Business School. MBA from Harvard and a Master in Business Engineering from University of Brussels. She is also a recognized artist.
Valerie Photos, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Iaso Ventures
Valerie Photos is an Operating Partner at Iaso Ventures. She is a pioneer in multiple sectors of behavioral health innovation and translation (Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital). She has extensive experience driving multi-million dollar revenue in specialized cutting-edge treatment programs (Gunderson Residences), community outpatient clinics (Two Brattle Center), and addiction/suicide treatment centers (PsychGarden).
Dr Photos is a founding member of the American Psychological Association’s Policy Workgroup for Technology and Innovation.
She received her PhD in Clinical Science from Harvard, postdoctoral training in Clinical Psychology from Harvard Medical School, and finance education from the University of Chicago.
Julianne Roseman, Senior Associate, Venture, Plug and Play Ventures
Julianne is the Ventures Associate for Health at Plug and Play, a global innovation platform that includes venture capital, accelerator programs, and corporate innovation.
Her background has been focused on seed stage venture investing and developing strategic partnerships in both for-profit and non-profit settings. Her experience includes working with hospital systems, pharmaceutical companies, academia, and other accelerator organizations. She has worked with many first-time entrepreneurs and developed resources to support their success.
Entrepreneur Workshops
Fundraising BootCamp
Fundraising Boot Camp Workshop
- Greg Mannix, VP of International Business Development, Life Science Nation
- Ashley Zborowski, Director of Business Development, Life Science Nation
Sourcing and Developing Global Partnerships
Sourcing and Developing Global Partnerships
Sourcing and developing relationships with investors and strategic licensing partners is a fundamental ongoing process, and is a critical part of any global partnering campaign. It takes 9-18 months and the strategy is to find equity and licensing partners that are a fit for your stage of development and products and get on their radar screens. You need to get a global target list of potential partners and go after them. Whether an opportunity for your current campaign, or a future one, or even if they can introduce you to another interested party ( a pointer), cultivating these relationships is how it is done and what works.
- How do you know which investors are your best targets?
- How do you make your first meeting a success, making the best possible impression?
This session will go over how to identify which investors are the best fit for you and how to nail your first meeting, to improve your chances of building a lasting relationship.
- Karen Deyo, Director of Investor Research, Israel BD, Strategic Projects, Life Science Nation
- Ashley Zborowski, Director of Business Development, Life Science Nation
Branding & Messaging
Branding & Messaging
Greg Mannix, VP of International Business Development, Life Science Nation
Greg Mannix is Vice President of International Business Development at Life Science Nation. After graduating from the University of California, he moved to Europe where he began a career in the life sciences and obtained a Master’s degree from IE Business School in Madrid. He has extensive experience in sales and marketing management in the medical devices field. He has worked extensively in Europe, North America and Latin America and he speaks English, Spanish and French. Greg’s role at LSN is to provide international early-stage companies with the tools and strategies to succesfully fundraise and to facilitate cross-boarder investments, licensing and M&A transactions.
Negotiating Term Sheets
Negotiating Term Sheets
Negotiating Term Sheets: What’s Best for the Company and What’s Best for You?
Instructors:
- Nancy Briefs, President & CEO, AltrixBio, Inc.
- David Hendren, Managing Director, Augmentum Ventures
- John Demeter, General Counsel, Khosla Ventures
- Mark Mihanovic, Partner, McDermott Will & Emery
- Aroma Sharma, Partner, McDermott Will & Emery
This interactive workshop, organized and led by McDermott Will & Emery, will provide wisdom to early-stage CEOs and management on the latest trends in term sheets, with a focus on founder and management equity opportunities. The workshop will cover common issues of concern to entrepreneurs (valuation/dilution, liquidation preference, board makeup, protective provisions, anti-dilution). Experts from the legal, investment and entrepreneurial community will discuss the interplay of financing milestones in the term sheet discussion.
Company Valuation for Fundraising
Company Valuation for Fundraising
Company Valuation for Fundraising
Instructors:
- Patrik Frei, PhD, CEO, Venture Valuation
- Gergely Ivanyi, PharmD, Business Analyst, Venture Valuation
Valuation is a key aspect of fundraising. An average value assumption for each company in a specific financing stage just does not do it anymore. For entrepreneurs, as for investors, it’s important to understand the value drivers of a company. We are looking at the financing trends of the last years, discuss dos and don’ts when speaking with investors and look at how to value a life science company with no revenues.
Topics include, but are not limited to:
- Overview financing trends
- Which is the right investor
- Dos and don’ts
- Company valuation approaches
Preparing You and Your Firm for a Global Licensing Campaign
Preparing You and Your Firm for a Global Licensing Campaign
There are many things to be aware of in preparation for a global partnering campaign. The first one is how to your prepare your company for the global roadshow where you will be presenting your firms team, product and technology. Resourcing for all the leg work in scheduling and attending weekly meeting via zoom and soon again face2face. Spending the time to refine your message and finding the right partners that will assist you in this process. Whether you are a North American, European or Asian based company the task is the same. Prepare your pitch, organize for tracking and metrics for the global roadshow, identify the partners that you need for law firm who can help with Licensing both international and domestic. Find local regional partners who can help you map the players in the different geographies. Hear from Life Science Nation, Yafo Capital and MWE on Global Licensing Initiatives.
Dennis Ford, Founder & CEO, Creator of RESI Conference Series, Life Science Nation
Dennis Ford is an entrepreneur and author with expertise in sales, marketing, and business development. He has spent most of his career finding, vetting and launching a myriad of technology-based companies. Over the last decade, he has worked extensively with global alternative investors and is deeply interested in getting funding for high-growth early-stage technologies. He is a big proponent of using profiling and matching technology to find that all-important business fit in the marketing and selling process. In today’s context Dennis can connect early stage life science companies with 10 categories of global partners thus making the finding of capital and distribution channels very efficient.
Dennis created the Redefining Early Stage Investments conference series to facilitate an interactive ongoing dialog between buyers and sellers in the life science arena. Before LSN, Dennis was the President and CEO of a company that improved the way hedge fund and private equity fund managers raised capital and marketed their funds to investors.
Ford is the author of The Peddler’s Prerogative and The Life Science Executive’s Fundraising Manifesto, two well-received sales and marketing books.
Kun Tao, CFA, Managing Partner, YAFO Capital
Mr. Tao is a Managing Partner of Yafo Capital and the Head of our U.S. Business. Mr. Tao has more than 15 years experience as an analyst and consultant working with public and private companies in North America and China across a variety of technology sectors. He has extensive knowledge on market analysis, business development, due diligence, and operations for U.S. – China cross-border transactions. He previously worked at William O’neil + Co. where he developed its Chinese operations and oversaw Chinese research. Before that, he was Director of Chinese research and senior research analyst at Roth Capital Partners where he supported over $2 billion cross-border equity financings.
Mr. Tao is a CFA Charter holder and has a MBA from University of California, Riverside.
Richard B. Smith, Counsel | Boston, McDermott Will & Emery
Richard B. Smith focuses his practice on representation of life sciences companies and related transactions. He has served as counsel to public, private and emerging life sciences companies, advising those companies on strategic business transactions such as licensing, joint ventures, and collaborations involving research, development, marketing, supply, clinical development and co-promotion of pharmaceutical, diagnostic and medical device products.
Richard also advises companies on other corporate issues common to life sciences companies, including corporate formation of new ventures, venture capital, private equity, venture philanthropy and other forms of financing, mergers and acquisitions, as well as university and institutional licensing and intellectual property strategies.