Ashim Subedee, Director, Catalyst Office, Biomedical Advanced R&D Authority (BARDA) (Moderator)
Ashim Subedee is the Director of the Catalyst Office at the Division of Research, Innovation, and Ventures (DRIVe) at the Biomedical Research & Development Authority (BARDA), within the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS). Ashim leads a team dedicated to fostering health security innovation ecosystem and commercialization of technologies through several public private partnerships including BARDA Ventures, BARDA Accelerator Network, and J&J – BARDA Blue Knight partnership. Prior to BARDA, Ashim was at the NIH where he supported biomedical entrepreneurship and product development by both academic and small business innovators at the NCI Small Business Development Center,  NIH Small Business Education and Entrepreneurial Development (SEED) Office, and the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) program. He funded and supported academics and startups developing innovative therapeutics, diagnostics, and medical devices and initiated and led several programs and public private partnerships including the NIH Proof of Concept Network, NCI SBIR Investor Initiatives, and NCI SBIR mentoring programs. Ashim joined the federal government as a Presidential Management Fellow and completed multiple rotations across the NIH and at the FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER). He received his PhD in Biological and Biomedical Sciences with a secondary concentration on Science, Technology, and Society from Harvard University where his dissertation work was focused on molecular mechanisms of triple negative breast cancer.

Chris Garabedian, CEO, Xontogeny
Chris Garabedian founded Xontogeny in June of 2016 to support multiple promising technologies from early development through clinical proof of concept. In 2017, Chris joined Perceptive Advisors to develop their Venture Fund strategy and is Portfolio Manager of the Perceptive Xontogeny Ventures Fund which supports early-stage companies with Series A investments across biotech, medtech and healthtech.

Chris has a broad base of experience and a track record of success over his decades long experience in the biopharma industry. Chris served as the President and CEO of Sarepta Therapeutics from 2011 to 2015, overseeing the turnaround of a company that is now a commercial stage leader in the genetic technology space after leading the development of the company’s Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy program. Prior to Sarepta, Chris led Corporate Strategy for Celgene from 2007 to 2010. Prior to Celgene, Chris served in a number of global commercial and corporate development leadership roles at Gilead from 1997 to 2005.

Chris serves on the boards of several life sciences companies and speaks at industry conferences on a wide range of important issues. He is a member of the Corporate Relations Board for the Keck Graduate Institute and has previously served on the Board of Directors of MassBio as well as a Senior Advisor for the Boston Consulting Group.

Jill Goldstein, Senior Associate, Vida Ventures
Jill has over 10 years of experience in life sciences research. She received her B.S. in Biochemistry and German Studies with high distinction at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Jill completed her Ph.D. at Yale University in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology where she studied skin stem cell biology in the context of tissue maintenance and cancer. She was awarded an NIH F32 Fellowship to pursue postdoctoral training at Harvard University in Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology where she studied blood and muscle stem cell function in settings of aging and tissue regeneration. She chaired the 2019 Gordon Research Seminar on Stem Cells and Cancer and participated as a Fellow at Vida Ventures. Jill’s research has resulted in over 10 scientific publications and she is a co-inventor on three patents.

Allan Gobbs, Managing Partner, ATEM Capital
Allan Gobbs is the Managing Partner at ATEM Capital, a New York-based Life Sciences venture firm. In recent years, Allan has seen five of his portfolio companies go public on NASDAQ, including notable names like Atea Pharmaceuticals, Marinus Pharmaceuticals, and Syndax Pharmaceuticals. Additionally, four of his portfolio companies have been successfully acquired, such as Tobira Therapeutics, which was bought by Allergan for up to $1.7 billion, and Amolyt Pharmaceuticals, acquired by AstraZeneca for up to $1.05 billion in March 2024.

Allan is also the CEO and Chairman of YCare, a digital health integrator in strategic partnership with Dell Technologies and InterSystems, and the Chairman of PGxAI, an AI-powered pharmacogenetics platform. He serves as the President of Virry Health, an AI-powered XR platform focused on tackling mental health conditions, and is a Board Member of Heos Machines, a 3D bioprinting startup. Prior to joining ATEM Capital, Allan was an investment banker at Barclays Capital and other financial institutions, where he advised on mergers, acquisitions, and capital market transactions totaling over $20 billion. He is also a member of the Forbes Business Council, the Private Directors Association, and serves on the Review Committee of the National Cancer Institute at the NIH.

Claire Leurent, Managing Director, AbbVie Ventures
Claire is a trained molecular and cellular biologist with extensive experience leading preclinical and clinical drug development programs. Claire marries the breadth of her broad technological reach, with prime experience in all stages of investments (Seed, A, B, C, IPO, PIPE, SPAC) which she acquired in established corporate venture funds. With this totality, she has proven to be a catalyst for organizations developing transformative technologies, where she is known to build bespoke deal financing structures and business models to generate progress in the community.

Claire has a PhD from the Institute of Genetics, Molecular and Cellular Biology of Strasbourg-Illkirch France, and a Master of Business Administration from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School (Cambridge MA). She has 14 years of experience in drug development acquired at Forenap Pharma, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, and Pfizer Inc. She was an investor at Samsung Venture America (SVA), Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation (JJDC), and most recently was an Entrepreneur in Residence at the National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, MD).

Squire Servance, Founder & Managing Partner, Syridex Bio
Squire Servance is the Founder and Managing Partner of Syridex Bio, a life sciences investment firm focused on advancing global health equity. He oversees the firm’s operations, strategy, investments, and fundraising. Previously, Squire was General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Repligen Corporation, advising the CEO and Board on legal matters, including intellectual property, business development, and compliance. Before that, he was Associate General Counsel at Baxter International, leading legal functions for its $2.2B global pharmaceuticals division. Squire is also a dedicated volunteer and leader on various Duke and Rutgers boards.