RESI Asia Japan Opens New Gateway to Global Life Science Partnerships 

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By Momo Yamamoto, Senior Investor Research Analyst, LSN

Life Science Nation is pleased to announce the launch of RESI Asia Japan, a new conference created in collaboration with the Kobe Biomedical Innovation Cluster (KBIC), Japan’s largest biomedical cluster.

Taking place on April 13, 2027, at the ANA InterContinental Tokyo, RESI Asia Japan will bring together early-stage life science companies, investors, strategic partners, and regional stakeholders for a day of in-person programming, followed by virtual partnering opportunities.

The event expands Life Science Nation’s global platform for connecting innovative companies with the capital and strategic relationships needed to advance their technologies. For companies seeking to enter Japan, build international partnerships, or connect with new sources of capital, RESI Asia Japan provides a direct pathway into one of the world’s most important life science markets.

Why Japan Matters for Life Science Companies

Japan is home to major global pharmaceutical companies, including Takeda, Astellas, Daiichi Sankyo, Eisai, Chugai, and Ono. These organizations are active participants in licensing, acquisition, and external innovation partnerships, creating meaningful opportunities for early-stage companies with differentiated technologies and strong development plans.

A Japan rights deal can provide early non-dilutive capital, strategic validation, and a foundation for broader international growth. Japan also offers deep clinical trial and CRO capacity, as well as a regulatory environment with meaningful opportunities for regenerative medicine and cell and gene therapy development.

Yet the market can be difficult to access from outside the region. Identifying the right partners, arranging initial meetings, understanding the regulatory landscape, and navigating local business relationships all require a focused approach. RESI Asia Japan is designed to help bridge that gap.

A Partnership Built for Global Connection

RESI Asia Japan is the culmination of a three-conference collaboration between Life Science Nation and KBIC. KBIC served as a Title Sponsor at RESI Boston in September 2026 and will continue its partnership at RESI JPM in January 2027, leading into the inaugural Tokyo event in April.

For companies participating across the series, the partnership creates three opportunities to engage with the LSN network over seven months, while building visibility with investors, strategic partners, and life science stakeholders across the United States and Japan.

Beyond the conference itself, Life Science Nation and KBIC are working to strengthen the commercialization pathway for Japanese life science companies through entrepreneur education, company preparation, capital formation, and international business development.

Registration Is Open

RESI Asia Japan offers a 5-Day Hybrid format, including the in-person conference in Tokyo and virtual programming, as well as a 4-Day Virtual Partnering format.

Japan-base Registration (JPY)
Non-Japan-base Registration (USD)

Explore the RESI 2027 Series

RESI Asia Japan is part of Life Science Nation’s 2027 global conference series, creating multiple opportunities throughout the year to connect with investors, strategic partners, and life science innovators.

  • RESI JPM: January 11 to 12 in San Francisco, with virtual partnering on January 13, 18, and 19
  • RESI Asia Japan: April in Tokyo
  • RESI Philadelphia: June
  • RESI Boston: September

Learn more about the full RESI 2027 series at RESIConference.com.

Fundraising Requires More Than a Plan. It Requires Execution. 

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By Max Braht, VP of Business Development, LSN

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For early-stage life science companies, fundraising and partnering are not one-time activities. They require an ongoing, focused effort to identify the right market, communicate a clear opportunity, build relationships, and follow through consistently.

Many companies have the science, the data, and the ambition to move forward, but do not have a dedicated business development resource to manage that work throughout the year. Leadership teams are often balancing scientific progress, regulatory planning, operations, and fundraising at the same time.

Life Science Nation’s BD Assist program was developed to provide hands-on support for companies that need help executing their fundraising and partnering campaigns.

BD Assist is the execution layer of Life Science Nation’s commercialization system. It builds on the work of understanding a company’s readiness, identifying the right investor and licensing-partner market, and creating a Global Target List that can support a focused campaign.

The result is not simply a list of contacts. It is a structured process for moving from market intelligence to outreach, follow-up, and meeting generation.

From target market to active campaign

Every BD Assist engagement begins with an understanding of the company’s goals, financing needs, technology, milestones, and partnering objectives. Life Science Nation then works with the company to refine its narrative and marketing materials so the opportunity can be communicated clearly to the market.

Using Life Science Nation’s investor and licensing-partner intelligence, the BD Assist team helps construct and prioritize a Global Target List of relevant investors and strategic partners. The target list is informed by company-specific attributes as well as investor behavior, helping companies focus their efforts on the market most relevant to their opportunity.

From there, BD Assist supports campaign strategy, personalized outreach, follow-up, and meeting generation. Outreach activity is tracked through the client’s CRM platform, allowing the company to maintain visibility into campaign progress and investor engagement.

This ongoing execution is a key part of the program. A target list has value only when it becomes a disciplined campaign that continues to build relationships and create opportunities over time.

Extending a company’s business development capacity

BD Assist is designed to become an extension of a company’s business development capability.

Rather than providing recommendations for a company to carry out on its own, Life Science Nation helps manage the campaign workflow. This allows company leadership to stay focused on advancing the science, reaching development milestones, and preparing for productive investor and partner conversations.

The program also includes regular strategy discussions and campaign refinement as the company receives feedback from the market. As priorities evolve, BD Assist can help ensure that outreach remains aligned with the company’s current fundraising or partnering objectives.

For companies participating in RESI, BD Assist can also support their partnering activity and help them make the most of the investor and licensing-partner marketplace.

Part of a broader commercialization process

BD Assist is one part of a connected Life Science Nation commercialization system.

The Assessment Engine helps companies understand their evidence, risks, milestones, capital readiness, and investability. LSN Labs helps companies address gaps and prepare for the market. The Investor and Licensing Partner Database provides market intelligence. The Global Target List helps companies identify and prioritize their target market. BD Assist helps execute the campaign. RESI creates opportunities to meet the global investor and licensing-partner community.

For companies seeking investment, licensing opportunities, or strategic collaborations, this creates a more connected path from preparation to market engagement.

Fundraising is not only about finding names. It is about executing a consistent process that helps the right companies connect with the right market at the right time.

To learn more about BD Assist and discuss whether it is a fit for your company, complete the LSN Labs Company Assessment Report.

Apply for LSN Labs Company Assessment Report

Volunteer Applications Are Open for RESI JPM 2027 

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By Caitlin Dolegowski, Program Director, LSN

RESI JPM 2027 is seeking committed volunteers to support Life Science Nation’s largest conference of the year during J.P. Morgan Healthcare Week in San Francisco.

Taking place January 11 to 12, 2027, at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis, RESI JPM brings together life science innovators, active investors, pharmaceutical and medtech leaders, service providers, and global ecosystem organizations for two days of in-person partnering, followed by virtual partnering on January 13, 18, and 19.

For students and early-career professionals interested in life sciences, investing, business development, and entrepreneurship, volunteering at RESI offers a valuable opportunity to experience one of the industry’s busiest and most important weeks from inside the conference.

Why Volunteer at RESI JPM?

RESI volunteers play an important role in helping create a welcoming, organized experience for attendees. At the same time, volunteers gain exposure to a broad range of companies, investors, and leaders working across the life science ecosystem.

Volunteer benefits include:

  • Complimentary registration for RESI JPM 2027
  • Complimentary breakfast and lunch during both conference days
  • An invitation to the evening cocktail reception
  • The opportunity to connect with professionals across biotech, medtech, diagnostics, digital health, and investment

Volunteer Commitment

Volunteers can identify the days they are available to support RESI JPM 2027 in the application. Conference shifts will take place Monday, January 11, and Tuesday, January 12, generally from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. A setup shift will also be available on Sunday, January 10, with timing to be confirmed.

Life Science Nation is seeking reliable volunteers who can commit to the shifts they select.

Because volunteer roles are essential to the event experience, Life Science Nation is looking for applicants who can commit fully to their assigned shifts and attend as scheduled.

Please note that RESI provides conference registration, meals during the event, and access to the Tuesday cocktail reception. Travel and accommodation are not provided.

Apply to Volunteer

If you are interested in gaining hands-on event experience while connecting with the life science innovation and investment community during J.P. Morgan Healthcare Week, apply to volunteer for RESI JPM 2027.

Apply to Volunteer at RESI JPM

Hot Investor Mandate: Early-Stage Venture Fund Seeks Therapeutics and Other Healthcare Technologies Addressing CNS and Mental Health 

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A U.S.-based venture capital firm invests in early-stage neuropsychiatric and mental health opportunities. The firm primarily invests from Pre-Seed through Series A, with initial checks typically ranging from $50K–$1M and capacity for follow-on investment. The firm is comfortable serving as the first institutional investor and can lead or co-invest alongside other investors. Investments may be structured through traditional equity financings or SAFEs. The firm primarily targets U.S.-based companies while remaining open to opportunities globally.  

The firm invests in therapeutics and technologies addressing neuropsychiatric conditions, mental health, and general wellness. Areas of interest include psychedelic medicine, brain-computer interfaces, therapeutic platforms, precision diagnostics, and other technologies addressing neurological and psychiatric conditions. For biotechnology and therapeutics opportunities, the firm generally prefers assets that are at or approaching the IND stage. For medical technology opportunities, the firm is comfortable engaging earlier in the development process.  

From a company and management team perspective, the firm does not impose strict requirements regarding team composition. The firm has a strong preference for founders with prior pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry experience or a demonstrated track record of successful entrepreneurship. The firm may seek a board seat or observer position on a case-by-case basis and takes a flexible approach to governance depending on the company’s stage and financing structure. 

If you are interested in more information about this investor and other investors tracked by LSN, please email salescore@lifesciencenation.com. 

Hot Investor Mandate: USA-Based VC Firm Invests in Seed to Growth-Stage Healthcare and Deeptech Companies, With Focus on Healthtech 

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The firm is a U.S.-based venture capital investor focused on Seed through growth-stage deep-tech companies, including opportunities across healthcare. The firm invests through direct and special-purpose investment structures and can access matching capital of up to $10M for qualifying companies willing to establish operations in a designated U.S. innovation ecosystem. The firm primarily targets companies with differentiated technologies and evidence of meaningful technical or commercial validation. 

Within healthcare, the firm focuses primarily on healthtech, including digital health and medical technology. For therapeutics, the firm selectively considers companies addressing compelling disease areas through novel technologies and generally requires programs to have completed Phase I development or otherwise achieved substantial technical and clinical de-risking. For digital health opportunities, the firm requires demonstrated customer traction and a minimum level of commercial revenue. Pre-revenue pharmaceutical companies may be considered when meaningful alternative indicators of traction and validation can be demonstrated.  

From a company and management team perspective, the firm seeks companies that can demonstrate clear evidence of technology validation, market traction, or clinical de-risking appropriate to their sector and development stage. The firm takes an active governance approach and requires a board seat as part of its investment. 

If you are interested in more information about this investor and other investors tracked by LSN, please email salescore@lifesciencenation.com. 

Hot Investor Mandate: Venture Studio and Early-Stage Focused Fund Supports Preclinical Therapeutics Programs With Focus in USA-Based Opportunities

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The firm is a U.S.-focused therapeutics venture studio that translates academic discoveries into venture- and pharmaceutical-ready drug development programs. Backed by a specialist life sciences investor and supported by strategic industry partners, the firm combines company creation, scientific development, and very early-stage investment capabilities. The firm works closely with academic institutions to identify promising discoveries, form new biotechnology companies, and advance programs toward milestones suitable for institutional financing. The firm currently focuses primarily on U.S.-based opportunities while expanding its activities into the UK and Israel.  

The firm invests exclusively in traditional therapeutics and targets programs at the earliest stages of development, with clinical-stage assets generally considered too advanced for its model. The firm is broadly modality-agnostic but has a preference for established therapeutic modalities such as small molecules and biologics. Areas of particular interest include oncology, kidney disease, fibrosis, immunology and inflammation, and neuroscience/CNS. The firm remains open to other indications when programs address compelling unmet medical needs and have substantial commercial potential.  

From a company and management team perspective, the firm does not impose strict requirements and is specifically structured to work with academic founders before a conventional management team has been assembled. Academic investigators may serve as scientific founders while the firm’s internal leadership and development team provide interim executive and operational support. The firm works hands-on to advance scientific programs, establish new companies, and prepare them for subsequent institutional financing and continued development. 

If you are interested in more information about this investor and other investors tracked by LSN, please email salescore@lifesciencenation.com. 

Hot Investor Mandate: CVC of Global Pharma Deploys Flexible Early-Stage Capital Across Therapeutics and Healthcare Innovation

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A corporate venture capital arm of a global pharmaceutical company is actively identifying next-generation healthcare technologies and emerging growth opportunities. Operating independently from the parent company’s traditional business development activities, the firm takes a primarily financially driven investment approach. The firm focuses on Seed, early-, and mid-stage companies while remaining open to select Pre-Seed opportunities.  

The firm invests globally across Asia, North America, and Europe, with investment sizes tailored to each company’s stage and financing needs. The firm invests across three broad themes: restoration and enhancement of human biological functions, infectious disease eradication, and technologies that strengthen the healthcare value chain. The firm’s mandate extends beyond therapeutics to include enabling technologies, healthcare infrastructure, and platform innovations that could shape future healthcare delivery and development. The firm seeks opportunities both adjacent to and beyond its parent company’s existing businesses, prioritizing breakthrough science, significant unmet medical needs, and technologies with substantial long-term growth potential.  

From a company and management team perspective, the firm seeks scientifically differentiated technologies and founders with the potential to build sustainable healthcare businesses. The firm does not require licensing rights, acquisition options, commercialization agreements, or other strategic rights as a condition of investment. The firm can provide portfolio companies with access to pharmaceutical R&D expertise, development capabilities, industry experience, and a global network. Strategic collaborations, licensing, co-development, or other transactions may be explored separately as portfolio companies mature when mutually beneficial. 

If you are interested in more information about this investor and other investors tracked by LSN, please email salescore@lifesciencenation.com.