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RESI Europe 2026 Program Guide Released

17 Mar

By Dennis Ford, Founder & CEO, Life Science Nation (LSN)

DF-News-09142022

Life Science Nation (LSN) has released the official Program Guide for RESI Europe 2026, taking place March 23 in Lisbon, Portugal, followed by four days of virtual partnering on March 24–25 and March 30–31.

The hybrid conference will bring together early-stage life science and healthcare innovators with a global network of investors and strategic partners actively sourcing opportunities across drugs, devices, diagnostics, and digital health.

A central highlight of the event is the Innovator’s Pitch Challenge (IPC), where more than 20 emerging companies will present their technologies directly to investor judges and the broader RESI partnering community. These presentations offer founders the opportunity to gain visibility, receive investor feedback, and initiate conversations that can lead to future funding and strategic collaborations.

The program also features investor panels, partnering meetings, and networking opportunities designed to help founders better understand the current investment landscape and build relationships with active investors and strategic partners.

With hundreds of one-on-one partnering meetings expected to take place across the hybrid format, RESI Europe provides a focused environment for early-stage companies to connect with capital and advance their fundraising and partnership strategies.

Registration is still open, and attendees can view the full conference program in the official Program Guide.

Register for RESI Europe

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RESI Europe 2026 IPC Finalists 

10 Mar

By Claire Jeong, Chief Conference Officer, Vice President of Investor Research, Asia BD, LSN

Life Science Nation (LSN) is pleased to announce the finalists for the Innovator’s Pitch Challenge (IPC) at RESI Europe 2026, taking place in Lisbon during the week of March 23. The event will bring together early-stage life science and healthcare innovators with a global community of investors seeking opportunities across drugs, devices, diagnostics, and digital health (4Ds).

This year’s IPC will feature over 20 presenting companies, with finalists pitching their technologies in dedicated sessions throughout the conference. These startups represent a diverse range of innovations aimed at solving critical healthcare challenges and advancing the next generation of life science breakthroughs.

The IPC gives founders the opportunity to pitch directly to active investors, including venture capital firms, family offices, corporate venture groups, and angel investors. Presenting companies receive valuable feedback from investor judges while gaining visibility among the investors and strategic partners attending RESI Europe.

Finalists will also have opportunities to connect with investors through RESI’s partnering system, as well as continue conversations during networking sessions and throughout the conference.

About the RESI Innovator’s Pitch Challenge

The IPC is a cornerstone of the RESI conference series. Each pitch session brings together a coordinated panel of investors who provide interactive feedback and questions designed to help founders refine their fundraising strategy and investment narrative.

Companies selected as IPC finalists receive RESI conference registration, the opportunity to present live to investors, and the chance to build relationships with members of the RESI investment community.

Join Us at RESI Europe 2026

RESI Europe 2026 will bring together founders, investors, and strategic partners for a full day of programming including investor panels, workshops from sponsors, networking opportunities, and the Innovator’s Pitch Challenge.

Attendees will have the opportunity to engage with the early-stage life science ecosystem through structured partnering meetings and educational sessions focused on fundraising and company development.

Register for RESI Europe

Meet the RESI Europe 2026 Innovator’s Pitch Challenge Finalists:

Applications Now Open for RESI San Diego

The Innovator’s Pitch Challenge at RESI San Diego offers life science startups the opportunity to present directly to a curated panel of active investors and receive real-time, constructive feedback. Each pitch includes a live Q&A with investor judges and extended exposure through participation in the IPC exhibition hall.

Apply to Pitch at RESI San Diego

 

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Fundraising Bootcamp Ahead of RESI Europe 2026: Preparing Founders for Investor Engagement 

10 Mar

By Greg Mannix, VP, EMEA Business Development, LSN

Life Science Nation (LSN), in collaboration with Cuatrecasas, will host an exclusive Fundraising Bootcamp in Lisbon ahead of RESI Europe 2026, offering early-stage life science and healthcare executives a focused opportunity to refine their fundraising strategy and strengthen investor engagement skills. 

Taking place the day before the conference, the bootcamp will bring together founders, investors, and industry experts for an interactive session designed to help companies better position themselves for capital and partnerships within the global life science ecosystem. 

Event Details 

Date and Time: Sunday, March 22, 2026 | 2:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Location: Cuatrecasas Law Firm
Av. Fontes Pereira de Melo 6
1050-121 Lisboa, Portugal
Cost: Free to attend (registration required) 

This workshop will focus on practical, real-world fundraising insights that early-stage companies can immediately apply when engaging with investors at RESI Europe and beyond. Participants will hear directly from experienced professionals who work with startups and investors across the life science sector. 

Agenda Highlights 

Signal, Legibility, and Risk Mitigation in Global Fundraising 
Learn how investors interpret signals when evaluating early-stage companies and how founders can structure their development plans to become more “legible to capital.” The discussion will also explore strategies for mitigating risk in global fundraising environments. 

Shark Tank Session (Company Pitch) 
Selected companies will have the opportunity to present their pitch and receive direct feedback from experienced investors and industry professionals in an interactive format designed to sharpen messaging and highlight areas for improvement. 

Networking 
The bootcamp will conclude with time for founders and participants to connect with fellow entrepreneurs, investors, and industry experts before the start of RESI Europe. 

This pre-conference session provides a valuable opportunity for innovators preparing for RESI Europe to strengthen their fundraising approach, refine their investor messaging, and begin building connections within the RESI community. 

Space is limited, and applications will be accepted in the order they are received. 

Life Science Nation looks forward to welcoming founders and investors to Lisbon for this interactive fundraising session ahead of RESI Europe 2026. 

Sign up for Bootcamp

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RESI San Diego 2026: Investor Panel Lineup Announced 

10 Mar

By Momo Yamamoto, Senior Investor Research Analyst, LSN

Life Science Nation (LSN) has announced the investor panel lineup for RESI San Diego 2026, taking place June 22 at the JULEP Venue in San Diego during Convention Week, followed by four days of virtual partnering on June 23–24 and June 29–30. The hybrid format combines in-person networking with extended virtual partnering, giving founders and investors additional opportunities to continue conversations and schedule meetings beyond the live event.

Investor panels are a cornerstone of the RESI conference series, bringing together active investors and strategic partners to share perspectives on the evolving life science funding environment. These sessions offer founders and executives the opportunity to hear directly from investors about how they evaluate opportunities across drugs, devices, diagnostics, and digital health.

This year’s discussions will explore several key themes shaping early-stage investment. Topics will include how emerging companies can successfully engage pharmaceutical partners, what strategic investors and corporate venture capital groups are prioritizing in today’s market, and how medtech innovators can position themselves to attract both financial and strategic partners. Panels will also examine investment trends in diagnostics and oncology, the growing role of artificial intelligence in healthcare innovation, and the challenges many startups face when moving from seed capital to institutional venture funding.

RESI San Diego 2026 Investor Panels

Time  Panel Title 
9AM  Inside Pharma Partnering 
How Early-Stage Companies Can Engage Pharma 
10AM  Strategic Partnerships in Medtech 
What the Next Generation of Device Companies Must Deliver 
11AM  Strategic Capital: The Role of CVCs 
Investing Where Innovation Meets Industry
1PM  New Frontiers in Diagnostics 
Investing in Technologies Enabling Earlier Disease Detection 
2PM  Emerging Approaches in Cancer Therapies 
How New Modalities Are Standing Out in a Competitive Market 
3PM  AI at the Frontlines of Healthcare Innovation 
Building Scalable Companies at the Intersection of Data and Medicine 
4PM  Crossing the Venture Gap 
Moving from Seed Funding to Venture Rounds 
Register for RESI San Diego
Apply to Speak at RESI San Diego

In addition to investor panels, RESI San Diego will feature the Innovator’s Pitch Challenge, where selected startups present their technologies directly to investor judges in an interactive pitch format. The conference also offers extensive one-on-one partnering opportunities, allowing attendees to schedule meetings with investors, strategic partners, and industry leaders through the RESI partnering system.

Held during San Diego’s broader biotech Convention Week, RESI San Diego provides a focused environment for early-stage companies to connect with active healthcare investors and strategic partners. The event brings together venture capital firms, family offices, corporate venture groups, and industry leaders seeking opportunities across drugs, devices, diagnostics, and digital health.

Register today to secure your place at RESI San Diego 2026 and connect with investors shaping the future of healthcare innovation. Super Early Bird rates are available through April 17.

Apply to Pitch at RESI San Diego

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The Trap of Complacency 

10 Mar

By Karen Deyo, VP of Product, Israel BD, LSN

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One message we consistently emphasize when speaking with early-stage companies is the importance of looking beyond your local ecosystem and building relationships with investors globally. Too often, founders assume they have plenty of time to expand their network, particularly in regions that offer strong support for launching startups. 

Paradoxically, those supportive ecosystems can create a false sense of security. Grants, incubators, and local funding programs can make it feel as though capital will always be available. In reality, many regions simply do not have enough follow-on capital to support every company that begins there. When the initial funding runs out, startups may suddenly find themselves approaching a financial cliff. At that point, companies that haven’t built relationships outside their region may be forced to accept unfavorable investment terms just to survive. 

Another common misconception is that companies should only begin speaking with investors once they are actively fundraising. In practice, this approach often backfires. Founders tend to underestimate how long fundraising actually takes—a typical fundraising process can last anywhere from 9 to 18 months. Waiting until the last moment leaves little room to build relationships or refine the company’s strategy. 

Early conversations with investors can be extremely valuable even when a company is not raising capital. Investors bring deep industry knowledge and experience, and their feedback can help companies sharpen their development plans, prioritize critical data, and better understand what will make them investable. Just as importantly, fundraising is ultimately driven by relationships. Building those relationships early can significantly accelerate the process when the time comes to raise capital. 

Rather than treating fundraising as something that switches on and off, companies should think of it more like a dial—one that adjusts the intensity of their efforts over time. Engaging with investors early should be considered just as essential as customer discovery or market research. These conversations can help gauge investor interest, identify potential weaknesses in a strategy, and prevent companies from investing significant time and resources in a direction that may not resonate with the market. 

Sometimes, this early feedback leads to a pivot that ultimately strengthens the company. Making adjustments sooner rather than later can help a startup reach the market faster—or even transform a company that might otherwise fail into one that achieves a successful exit. 

Register for RESI Europe

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RESI Europe 2026 Investor Panels Take the Stage in Lisbon 

3 Mar

By Claire Jeong, Chief Conference Officer, Vice President of Investor Research, Asia BD, LSN

Life Science Nation (LSN) is preparing for RESI Europe 2026, taking place March 23 in person at the EPIC SANA Lisboa Hotel, followed by four days of virtual partnering. 

The RESI Europe panel program will bring together active healthcare investors to discuss the sectors and strategies shaping early-stage capital formation across therapeutics, devices, diagnostics, digital health, and enabling technologies. As European companies increasingly look beyond domestic markets for capital, the conversations will reflect cross-border investment dynamics and milestone expectations in today’s disciplined funding environment. 

These panels are structured as constructive dialogue between investors and fundraising CEOs. Attendees will hear directly from venture, corporate, and strategic investors about how opportunities are evaluated, what readiness looks like at Seed and Series A, and how companies can engage the right partnering environments at the right time. 

Join the panelists at RESI Europe 2026 and engage directly with the investors shaping early-stage healthcare capital. 

Special Offer: Register for a RESI Europe 5-day hybrid ticket and receive a complimentary second attendee pass. This promotion applies to standard hybrid registrations and provides an opportunity to bring a colleague to maximize partnering coverage across all five days. 

Register for RESI Europe and secure meetings with active healthcare investors in Lisbon this March. 

Register for RESI Europe
RESI Europe Investor Panel Speakers
Raj-Airey
Raj Airey
Convergence Partners AG		 Rosie-Barnett
Rosie Barnett
Delin Ventures		 Amine-Benmoussa
Amine Benmoussa
Karista
Marcos-Casado
Marcos Casado
Invivo Partners		 Bettina-Ernst
Bettina Ernst
BERNINA BioInvest		 Navin-Govind-
Navin Govind
Evidence Ventures

William Hsu
Life Science Angels		 Mohammad-Khobreh
Mohammad Khobreh
NG Bio		 Carsten-Laue
Carsten Laue
M2Care
Chloe-Lepretre
Chloé Lepretre
Servier		 Mukul-Mohanty
Mukul Mohanty
Truffle Capital		 Luka-Nicin
Luka Nicin
Pace Ventures
Joseph-Oliver
Joseph Oliver
Stanford Angels of the UK		 Soyoung-Park
Soyoung Park
1004 Venture Partners		 Francisco-Pinto
Francisco Pinto
Bynd Venture Capital
Bibi-Sattar-Marques
Bibi Sattar Marques
Buenavista Equity Partners		 Jeff-Stinson
Jeff Stinson
HTA		 Mercedes-Tuin
Mercedes Tuin
Heran Partners
Carmel-van-den-Berk
Carmel van den Berk
Brightlands Venture Partners		 Mariette-van-der-Velden
Mariette van der Velden
Curie Capital		 Giulia-Vestri
Giulia Vestri
Claris Ventures
Yu-Zhang
Yu Zhang
FaaS Capital

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EU Webinar Series: From Discovery to Decision Making Early-Stage Life Science Legible to Capital 

3 Mar

By Greg Mannix, VP, EMEA Business Development, LSN

Life Science Nation’s EU-focused webinar series, From Discovery to Decision: Making Early-Stage Life Science Legible to Capital, continues this week with Session III. Recordings of the first two sessions are available for those who would like to revisit the insights shared by active investors shaping early-stage healthcare financing.

This series examines a central question for early-stage companies: why strong science alone is not enough to secure capital, and how founders can structure development to become legible to investors.

Session I

Why Solid Science Fails to Translate Before Capital Even Considers It

Hosted by Richard Berenson, Managing Partner, Venzyme Catalyst

Watch the recording:
https://youtu.be/ODbukG6cjNM?si=9lj-BGKRhv2wJISW

In Session I, Richard Berenson offered a candid investor perspective on why many early-stage assets stall before diligence begins. He emphasized that the issue is often not a shortage of capital, but a failure of translation.

Scientific merit alone does not make an opportunity investable. Investors must see clarity around risk reduction, defined milestones, regulatory trajectory, and capital deployment strategy. Companies that struggle to articulate this framework may be filtered out long before meaningful evaluation takes place.

The discussion reframed from fundraising challenges as structural alignment issues rather than capital scarcity.

Session II

Legibility, Signal, and the Real Work Between Seed and Series B

Hosted by Karim Galzhar, Partner, OKG Capital

Watch the recording:
https://youtu.be/Dak112sslq4?si=9MpLvecop5Jxw4_E

Session II built on this foundation with a deeper examination of how investors form conviction between Seed and Series B.

Karim Galzhar outlined what global investors require to underwrite early-stage risk. Signals are formed across scientific validation, regulatory planning, commercial strategy, and disciplined capital use. Data alone does not create signals. Structured progress and stage-appropriate positioning.

The session highlighted how companies can unintentionally dilute signals by engaging the wrong forums too early or by misaligning fundraising expectations with development readiness.

Session III — This Wednesday

Partnering Is Not Exposure. It Is Filtration

Wednesday, March 4 | 10:00 AM ET / 4:00 PM CET

Session III will feature Dennis Ford, Founder & CEO of Life Science Nation and creator of the RESI Conference Series, alongside Gregory Mannix, VP, International Business Development, Life Science Nation.

This session confronts a simple truth: great science does not raise capital, signal does. We will examine how investors actually price risk, why fundraising must be run as a disciplined global campaign, and how legibility turns complex science into an investable story.

We will also address a costly mistake: engaging the wrong partnering events and the wrong investors too early. Not every conference, forum, or investor fits every stage of development. Success requires selecting the right venues, building a stage-appropriate global target list, and engaging partners who are structurally aligned with your product. The goal is to replace activity with real transaction momentum.

Registration for Session III is open: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_oe499TEOQGmrSnoAzNr1yw#/registration

Register for RESI Europe

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