Large pharmaceutical companies are relying more than ever on external innovation to build future pipelines, especially as they face looming patent cliffs and funding pressure. Increasingly, pharma is engaging with startups before clinical proof-of-concept, often through discovery collaborations, option-to-license agreements, and platform deals that share risk and tie value to clear development milestones. 

This panel will look at how pharma teams actually scout new technologies today and what specific signals trigger early partnering interest. Panelists will discuss current dealmaking trends, structured milestone-heavy “biobucks” deals with modest upfronts, and focused interest in areas such as oncology, immunology, metabolic disease, and more.

For early-stage companies seeking strategic partnerships, this session will offer practical, candid guidance on how to approach pharma, what level of data or validation is needed to get on the radar, and how early collaborations can support long-term growth rather than constrain it.

For many medtech startups, strategics are the ultimate partners, anchor customers, or acquirers. As innovation accelerates in surgical robotics, minimally invasive interventions, and connected diagnostics, leading device companies are forming more cross-company alliances and scouting earlier-stage technologies to fill portfolio gaps.

This panel will examine how major medtech corporations evaluate partnerships and investments, and what they now expect from early-stage device and digital health companies. Panelists will discuss the milestones that matter most, how regulatory and reimbursement dynamics shape investment decisions, and how trends such as site-of-care shifts, AI-enabled imaging, and next-generation robotics are influencing strategic roadmaps.

Startups will come away with concrete insight into how to design products, evidence plans, and commercial models that line up with what strategics need to see before they commit.

Corporate venture capital has become a central force in healthcare investing, often investing alongside traditional VCs while also shaping pilots, commercial partnerships, and future M&A. Beyond capital, CVCs can open doors to market insight, development resources, and global distribution channels that are difficult for startups to access on their own.

This panel will explore how corporate venture groups source deals, evaluate early-stage companies, and collaborate with financial investors across the cap table. Panelists will also discuss how startups can position themselves for strategic capital, what CVCs look for that traditional funds may not, and how to manage the balance between strategic alignment and entrepreneurial independence.

Advances in diagnostic technologies are changing how diseases are detected, monitored, and managed. From liquid biopsies and molecular diagnostics to AI-enabled imaging and point-of-care testing, new tools are making earlier detection and more personalized care increasingly feasible, with meaningful implications for outcomes and cost of care.

This panel will explore where investors and strategics see the most promising opportunities in diagnostics, including oncology screening, cardiometabolic risk, and chronic disease monitoring. Panelists will discuss how early-stage companies can demonstrate clinical utility, navigate evolving regulatory and reimbursement pathways, and build compelling value stories in a market where many tests compete for attention and budgets.

For startups developing diagnostic solutions, the discussion will offer practical insight into how investors evaluate this rapidly shifting sector, what milestones and study designs help companies stand out, and how to think about partnerships with providers, labs, and pharma.

Oncology remains one of the most active and competitive areas in life science innovation. New modalities – from next-generation immunotherapies and cell and gene therapies to targeted radiopharmaceuticals and novel combinations – are reshaping treatment options but also raising the bar for differentiation.

This panel will explore current trends in cancer therapy development and how investors judge new approaches in oncology and immuno-oncology. Panelists will discuss which modalities and indications are generating real enthusiasm, how startups can position their science in crowded settings, and what early clinical and translational milestones build confidence that a program can break through.

For startups developing oncology therapeutics, this session will provide actionable perspective on how to communicate differentiation, frame risk, and secure funding in one of the most dynamic but scrutinized segments of the market.

Artificial intelligence is now embedded across healthcare, from drug discovery and trial design to diagnostics, workflow automation, and decision support. As AI capabilities advance and regulatory frameworks mature, investors are concentrating on companies that pair distinctive data assets with clinically meaningful use cases and realistic go-to-market strategies.

This panel will look at how AI is reshaping healthcare innovation and where investors see durable opportunity rather than hype. Panelists will discuss lessons from recent AI–pharma partnerships and early clinical readouts, how to build defensible platforms and evidence, and what it takes for AI-driven products to be adopted inside health systems and by life science partners.

For many startups, the move from seed funding to a first institutional venture round is a key inflection point. At this stage, companies must show not only strong science or technology, but also a credible path to value-creating clinical, regulatory, or commercial milestones in a tougher funding environment.

This panel will explore what investors now expect from companies preparing to raise their first major venture round. Panelists will discuss evidence and traction by stage, team and board-building, capital strategy, and how founders can tell a coherent story that connects their near-term plan to an investable long-term vision.