Panels & Workshops
Sept. 22 • 9:00 AM
Why Boston Leads Biotech
Inside One of the World’s Most Successful Life Science Ecosystems
Greater Boston is the global epicenter of life science innovation — world-class research institutions, venture capital, entrepreneurs, and pharma all within one collaborative ecosystem. Local investors discuss what makes it work, emerging trends, and how founders can plug into one of the deepest pools of life science capital anywhere.
Featured Panelists
Moderator
Ronald Dorenbos
Founder & Managing Director
BioFrontline Ltd.
BioFrontline Ltd.
Jason Kraus
Member
Boston Harbor Angels
Boston Harbor Angels
Maggie O'Toole
President & CEO
LabCentral
LabCentral
Sept. 22 • 10:00 AM
Partnering with Health Systems
Turning Clinical Validation into Commercial Success
Health systems are increasingly vital partners for early-stage healthcare companies — as clinical collaborators, pilot sites, customers, and investors. This panel covers how startups build productive relationships with hospitals and integrated delivery networks, including pilot programs, procurement challenges, and evidence generation.
Sept. 22 • 11:00 AM
Backing Tomorrow’s Therapeutics
How Venture Investors Evaluate Early-Stage Biotech
Venture capital remains the primary source of funding for breakthrough therapeutic innovation. This panel brings together VCs actively investing from company formation through Series A, focused on scientific diligence, milestone planning, and what separates the most compelling therapeutic startups from the rest.
Featured Panelists

Caleb Bell
Venture Partner
Beyond Next Ventures

Jonathan Ilicki
Principal
Industrifonden

Kathy Ku
Partner
Sazze Partners

Daniel Teper
Managing Partner
YADAY Health

Le Zhan
Executive Director
Yunion Healthcare Ventures
Sept. 22 • 1:00 PM
Inside the Pharma Partnering Playbook
How Early-Stage Innovation Gets on Big Pharma’s Radar
Large pharmaceutical companies continue to expand their reliance on external innovation, partnering with startups earlier through research collaborations, option-to-license agreements, and strategic investments. This panel explores how pharma identifies emerging technology and how founders can position for successful BD conversations.
Featured Panelists
Moderator
Nikhil Mutyal
Head of Search and Evaluation, Respiratory and Immunology
AstraZeneca

Nimisha Gupta
Head of Business Partnerships
Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc

Parthiban Rajasekaran
Innovation Lead, Global Innovation & Emerging Sciences Vaccines R&D
Sanofi

Armin Rump
Director of Global Business Development
Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

Andrew Thomson
Business Development Partner
Ipsen S.A.
Sept. 22 • 2:00 PM
Strategic Capital
How Corporate Venture Investors Accelerate Healthcare Innovation
Corporate venture groups have become key participants in healthcare investing, offering capital, strategic expertise, and commercial networks with a longer-term lens than traditional VCs. This panel examines how CVCs evaluate opportunities and how founders can maximize value from strategic investors.
Featured Panelists
Moderator
Andrew Merken
Senior Partner
Polsinelli PC
Polsinelli PC
Shane Duffy
Head of Open Innovation
Avanos Medical, Inc.
Avanos Medical, Inc.
Tao Fang
Sr. Associate
MRL Ventures Fund (MRLV)
MRL Ventures Fund (MRLV)
Austin Hwang
Principal, ADVentures (ADV), Analog Devices
Analog Garage
Analog Garage
Satoshi Konagai
Investment Lead
Astellas Venture Management (AVM)
Astellas Venture Management (AVM)
Sept. 22 • 3:00 PM
Building the Future of Chronic Disease Care
Innovation Across Therapeutics, Devices, and Digital Health
Chronic diseases account for the majority of healthcare spending worldwide, creating enormous demand for innovative solutions that improve outcomes while reducing long-term costs. This panel explores where investors see the greatest opportunities across chronic disease management — emerging technologies, evolving reimbursement models, and what early-stage companies must demonstrate to attract investment in one of healthcare’s largest and fastest-growing markets.
Featured Panelists
Moderator
Soyoung Park
General Partner
1004 Venture Partners
1004 Venture Partners
Navin Govind
Partner
Evidence Ventures
Evidence Ventures
Nune Martiros
Vice President
Paladin Capital Group
Paladin Capital Group
John Tremblay
Investor
Launchpad Venture Group
Launchpad Venture Group
Sept. 22 • 4:00 PM
The New Face of Family Office Investing
How Private Capital Is Reshaping Early-Stage Healthcare
Family offices have moved well beyond passive investing, with many now leading rounds, syndicating deals, and building dedicated venture strategies. This panel explores what differentiates family offices from traditional VC and how startups can engage this fast-growing capital source.
Featured Panelists
Moderator
Sally Wang Liang
Managing Partner
Xpanse Venture
Xpanse Venture
John Abeles
General Partner
Northlea Partners
Northlea Partners
Marc Appel
Managing Partner
Pacific Bridge NY
Pacific Bridge NY
Andrew Rae
CEO
Woodgreen Ventures
Woodgreen Ventures
Sept. 23 • 9:00 AM
The First Believers
The Investors Behind Tomorrow’s Breakthrough Companies
For many startups, the most important investment isn’t the biggest – it’s the first. Early investors provide the capital, validation, and momentum that help companies reach their first institutional financing and beyond.
This panel brings together experienced early-stage investors to discuss how they evaluate opportunities before traditional venture rounds. Panelists will explore the qualities they seek in founders, the milestones that create conviction, and how startups can successfully navigate the earliest stages of fundraising.
Featured Panelists
Moderator
Renaud Jacquemart
CEO
Omnium Global
Omnium Global
William Hsu, PhD
Principal
NuFund Venture Group
NuFund Venture Group
Rohit Jain
CIO
HBS Alumni Angels of Northern California
HBS Alumni Angels of Northern California
Nate Macht
Lead, Digital Health Acceleration
ACS BrightEdge
ACS BrightEdge
Dushyant Pathak
CEO
Autobahn Labs
Autobahn Labs
Sept. 23 • 10:00 AM
Closing the Gap in Women’s Health
Investing in One of Healthcare’s Largest Untapped Markets
Women’s health is emerging as one of the most exciting investment categories, driven by growing recognition of historically underserved conditions and expanding scientific innovation. This panel covers where capital is flowing across reproductive health, menopause, oncology, and more.
Featured Panelists
Yvanka de Soysa
Associate
Foreground Capital
Foreground Capital
Anula Jayasuriya
Co-Founder & Partner
Kidron Capital
Kidron Capital
Rohit Nuwal
Partner
TELUS Ventures
TELUS Ventures
Mo Soleja
Managing Director
Golden Seeds
Golden Seeds
Sept. 23 • 11:00 AM
Investing for Impact
Generating Returns While Improving Global Health
Impact investing is an increasingly important capital source for companies tackling major healthcare challenges. This panel examines how impact investors measure outcomes beyond financial performance and identify opportunities to improve access, affordability, and equity while creating long-term value.
Featured Panelists
Moderator
David Fogel
Member of Screening & Due Diligence Committees
Mass Medical Angels
Mass Medical Angels
Farnaz Bakhshi
Director, Innovation
ACS BrightEdge
ACS BrightEdge
Alan Chiu
Scientist
Breakthrough T1D
Breakthrough T1D
Scott Davis
Managing Director
Sontag Foundation
Sontag Foundation
Garrett Peterson
Chief Strategy Officer
Yahara Ventures
Yahara Ventures