By Karen Deyo, Director of Investor Research, Israel BD, LSN
Registration is now open for RESI Partnering Week, November 16-18! Super early bird rates end next week, so check out our preliminary agenda below, featuring investor panels specific to life science and healthcare, as well as AI and age-tech applications. Sign up by Friday, October 8 to save $200 on registration!
Tuesday, November 16
11:00 AM EDT – Oncology Innovation Panel
The Search for New Approaches to Diagnosing & Treating Cancer
This panel is a discussion on topics relevant to investment in current innovations in the oncology space. Topics the panelists might consider discussing include:
- The technologies/approaches that investors find the most compelling
- Whether platform technologies or single assets are preferred for investment/partnerships
- What criteria do investors use when assessing companies for their portfolio or pipeline
Panelists can discuss the industry-wide changes currently seen, including the rise of new therapeutic approaches (CAR-T, oncolytic viruses etc.), and how that is affecting the investing landscape.
12:00 PM EDT – Fireside Chat: The Future of Aging in Place
The Covid-19 global pandemic has highlighted the need for safe, accessible remote care, particularly for seniors and vulnerable populations, making aging in place no longer merely a preference for older adults, but also a priority for healthcare providers. Hear the latest industry news on how home-based care has improved in the past couple years and the miles still to go.
2:00 PM EDT – AI-Assisted Remote Care & Chronic Disease Management Panel
Mobile and Home-Based Patient Support
Millions living with chronic disease are often tasked with being their own caregivers in addition to being patients. AI-assisted tech can ease some of the burden of day-to-day management, enabling users to live happier and healthier lives without compromising care. Learn from investors working with early-stage tech to tackle the challenges, risks, and the potential of the latest innovation connecting patients with their care more efficiently.
3:00 PM EDT – Medtech Strategics Panel
Large Corporations Seeking External Innovation in Medtech
In the medical technology sector, major corporations are increasingly looking to external startups and inventors for innovative new technologies. In addition to traditional M&A, these major strategic players are exploring innovative strategies to partner with early-stage startups, and our speakers will explore topics such as:
- How do major corporations find new device technologies that are fit their pipelines?
- What can an early-stage startup do to find the right partner?
- How do partnerships work, and what conditions might a major partner have?
- What kind of technical and commercial validation will be required to secure a partnership?
The panelists will explore these topics with reference to the technology areas that they are looking at for their future pipelines.
4:00 PM EDT – Tales from the Road: Age-Tech Innovators on Their Fundraising Journey
Age-tech entrepreneurs are pounding the pavement, seeking funding to enable seniors to live longer, healthier lives. Learn the strategies they’ve implemented to stand out to investors, book meetings, make deals, and work effectively with investors and strategic partners.
5:00 PM EDT – Angels & Family Offices Panel
How Do Family Offices & Angels View Seed & Series A Rounds?
Angel investors are a mainstay in the earliest financing rounds, and many consider Family Offices as the holy grail of investors. These groups share many similarities and can work in synergy to help their portfolio companies advance. This panel will cover topics such as:
- What are the similarities and differences between Angels and Family Offices?
- What are the benefits of working with each group?
- How does investing personal money change the way Angels and Family Offices act from the traditional VC?
A startup looks to different types of investors when fundraising and understanding the fundamental differences between groups can improve the success of their approach. Angels and Family Offices frequently invest early on and can shape the way a company develops. Panelists will discuss how best to approach them and engage their interest.
Wednesday, November 17
11:00 AM EDT – am Cognitive Care Panel
Advancing Treatments in Matters of the Mind
Cognitive decline in the aging population includes several signs and symptoms. Studies show that most experience a slowing in cognitive skills around the age of 60. These conditions can range in severity, from decreased processing speed, loss of memory, social withdrawal and increased anxiety. Cognitive decline feels vast and inevitable but learning from investors in this sector on the ideas and advances they’re seeing in the industry, toward treatment options reveals exciting opportunities to improve this side effect of aging.
12:00 PM EDT – Fireside Chat: The CRO Impact on Drug Development
Clinical Research Organizations (CRO) are integral to the development of therapeutics, however, connecting with the right ones for an early-stage company’s needs isn’t always straightforward. Learn how successful companies are connecting with the right CROs for them and how they can optimize the relationship to advance drug development.
2:00 PM EDT – Investing in Precision Medicine Panel
Improving Outcomes through a Patient-Tailored Approach
This panel discusses current trends in precision medicine. Topics may include:
- How investors assess precision medicine technologies and applications in diagnostics, drug discovery and treatment plans
- Which indications investors believe are showing the most promise – genetic disorders, orphan diseases, oncology, etc.
- Investing in individualized treatments (such as CAR-T) and the scalability challenges of autologous vs allogeneic/xenogeneic off-the-shelf treatments
- The regulatory challenges some of these technologies face, whether to ensure individual privacy from genomics databanks or to prevent potential harmful side effects from therapeutics such as CRISPR technologies
Precision medicine has proven to produce more effective treatments in multiple indications by tailoring medical treatment to the individual and their disease. Additionally, early detection of disease has improved outcomes for many patients. Panelists will discuss where the field is heading and what unique challenges companies in this area will face.
3:00 PM EDT – Clinical & Research Data Panel
Engaging AI in Collection, Application, and Targeting Bias
AI technology has enabled countless technological breakthroughs in the healthcare arena, but one area in which it is still limited is through data. Like gas to a car, the right data is necessary for AI to truly help clinicians and patients. Investors focused on targeting this challenge through their early-stage deal flow meet to discuss these challenges and how they work with companies seeking to eliminate bias and error.
4:00 PM EDT – Tales from the Road: Biotech and Medtech Innovators on Their Fundraising Journey
The industry has quickly adapted to a “new normal” – entrepreneurs and investors meet virtually over digital platforms to discuss potential investment opportunities, and it is not uncommon to see entrepreneurs raise capital from investors they have never met before in person. That said, there is no doubt that the fundraising journey continues to be challenging for many. In this panel, you will be able to hear fellow entrepreneurs share their experiences, from successes to challenges.
This panel will discuss the following topics and more:
- What are some of the greatest challenges entrepreneurs have faced, especially during the pandemic, and how were they overcome?
- How did entrepreneurs identify investors that fit their technology?
- What are some misconceptions entrepreneurs had about the early-stage investment landscape?
Furthermore, entrepreneurs will share unique tips and insights they have gained from their fundraising experiences, and how others can work their way towards a more successful campaign.
Thursday, November 18
11:00 AM EDT – Digital Health Panel
Leveraging Software to Lower Costs and Improve the Quality of Care
This panel focuses on investing in innovative digital health products that bring new efficiencies to the healthcare system, change how care is delivered or managed, and how patients are involved in their own care. Panelists will explore topics related to investing in digital health, including:
- In what kinds of digital health technologies are they interested in investing?
- What metrics and evidence do you look for in a digital health startup?
- How can an early stage digital health company demonstrate the value of their products?
- What are the main challenges for startups raising capital in this space?
The moderator and panelists will discuss this rapidly evolving field of healthcare investment, and will introduce the audience to the key fundraising opportunities and challenges facing digital health entrepreneurs today.
12:00 PM EDT – Fireside Chat: AI-Assisted Imaging in Diagnosis
Few areas of healthcare show more promise through AI applications than radiology. Through AI-enabled imaging, clinicians are able to work harder and smarter, as well as provide more accurate and detailed information crucial to patient care. Learn about the future of AI in pathology and imaging and where the industry is headed next.
2:00 PM EDT – Women in Age-Tech
Investing in Strategy and Success
Women remain the majority of caregivers in 2021 and the difference between male and female caregivers providing more hours of unpaid care is much greater. Hear from healthcare investors working with age-tech entrepreneurs to bridge the care and equity gap in senior care.
3:00 PM EDT – Impact Investors Panel
Life Science Investors Looking for More Than Financial Returns
This panel features four speakers and a moderator from firms that make equity investments into early-stage companies and organizations with the intent to generate a positive social or environmental impact alongside a financial return. Some of these firms focus on impacting a specific patient population, whereas others have broader goals in creating an impact for their local region, or the world. Topics may include:
- What is impact investing?
- How is the investment mandate affected by the impact goal? • How do investors measure and increase the impact of their capital?
- How should startups approach impact investors for fundraising, and what criteria do they use to evaluate opportunities?
- What separates an impact investor from a traditional VC?
Panelists will discuss how impact investors provide capital to address challenges in life sciences and healthcare sectors worldwide. While impact investing market is a relatively new trend, panelists will also discuss how companies can successfully fundraise from impact investors and the best way to develop a relationship with relevant investors.
4:00 PM EDT – Tales from the Road: AI Innovators on Their Fundraising Journey
Hear from fundraising entrepreneurs on their processes researching, pitching, and working with investors. AI technology has incredible potential in healthcare, but also raises unique challenges. Hear from founders on how AI fits into their story and solutions, and how they sourced the right investors for them.
What can often stand in the way of meaningful connection with investors is a company story, and what often stands in the way of crafting the tale you want to tell can be you. No one knows your story better than you do, which can make it difficult to tell it clearly and concisely to those who do not yet know you.
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