Early Stage Therapeutics Panel
Bringing the Newest Therapies to the Clinic
Wednesday (3/15) – 10 AM EDT
This panel aims to bring a diverse group of experts & senior decision making staff from VCs, corporate pharma, and other investor types who focus on biotech/therapeutics investments together to discuss topics such as:
- The decision-making process
- Current areas of interest and areas of high need
- How companies can better differentiate themselves, especially those in overcrowded indications
- Common mistakes /red flags
- Recently successful deals and how they were successful
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.
Panelists:
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.
Martin Pfister, Principal, High-Tech Gründerfonds
Martin Pfister is the current principal and authorized signatory for Life Sciences & Chemistry at High-Tech Gründerfonds. Martin has also served on the advisory board for Cardior Pharmaceuticals, GeneQuine Biotherapeutics, lino Biotech AG, and JeNaCell GmbH. From 2016 to 2020, they were a member of the advisory board for Biametrics GmbH. Before their current position, Pfister was the managing director for biosaxony from 2007 to 2010. Martin also founded dii – an Economist Intelligence Unit – Healthcare business in 2004 and served as a partner until 2018 when they had an exit to The Economist.
Martin Pfister is a medical doctor who has also earned a PhD in immunology. Martin has also studied biopharmacology at Universität Greifswald. In addition to their medical training, they are also certified as a yoga teacher.
Martin Pfister reports to Alex von Frankenberg, Managing Director. Some of their coworkers include Romy Schnelle – Partner, Digital Tech, Frank Kerim Reinecke – Principal & Authorized Signatory, Berlin, and Tobias Schulz – Senior Investment Manager, Digital Tech.
