Upcoming Webinar: Source, Vet, and Rank Life Science Technology Assets

March 8, 2018June 25, 2018 ~ Next Phase Admin ~ Leave a comment

By Dennis Ford, Founder & CEO, LSN; Creator of RESI Series
Dr. William Kohlbrenner, CSO, LSN

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There is a highly competitive search underway for promising early-stage assets as pharma and medtech companies around the globe seek to fill their pipelines with new products through in-licensing. In the past, successful in-licensing strategies typically required well-funded, fast-moving business development teams, strong research capabilities and on-the-ground scouts deployed in top technology centers. However, these investments do not always guarantee success in today’s highly competitive environment where the ability to uncover and aggressively pursue novel product opportunities is key. In addition, companies without the resources to build global business development teams or Asian companies seeking to access emerging technologies in the US/Europe can find themselves at a significant competitive disadvantage.

To help address these challenges, Life Science Nation (LSN) has developed a Sourcing and Ranking Service (SRS) which provides clients with a strategic opportunity to quickly source, vet, rank and engage with early-stage partners developing technology assets that are available for in-licensing. LSN’s unique position in the early stage space, and the range of capabilities we have developed, provide a strong foundation for SRS. By leveraging the LSN global partnering platform and our extensive experience assessing technology assets, SRS will efficiently find and do a preliminary risk analysis of promising assets, thus enabling our clients to quickly focus on top-tier assets that align with their interests. Our ultimate goal is to provide clients with a service that allows them to bypass the research and technology vetting stages and position them to enter into diligence with the owners of the technologies in which they are interested. Most importantly, LSN brings global capabilities, which allows us to take on clients interested in any commercial market. SRS has built-in flexibility, which means clients can ‘pivot on the fly’ as they learn more about the early-stage domains of interest.

LSN has developed a unique process that works with the client’s strategic pipeline goals. Starting with a detailed assessment of the client’s investment interests, LSN will conduct a global search for assets within that interest area. LSN’s Expert Ranking System will then be used to stack-rank assets based on technical and business criteria (80 to 100 assets anticipated). By playing a global numbers game, our clients have access to a larger pool of technologies, which casts a wider net and allows the identification of top technologies for in-licensing. LSN will conduct a detailed assessment of the companies holding the top 10 to 20 assets. Clients will have access to an on-line ‘data vault’ with all asset information. By merging LSN database search results with Salesforce.com, we offer our clients a customized CRM solution. Every client is provided with a transparent cloud-based portal that provides real-time project status and views into ongoing dialogues with all the potential firms involved in the process. Clients rave about having this 24/7 connectivity to the CRM and feel they are a part of the process.

You can register for this webinar at the links below:

Tuesday March 27th, 10:00pm EDT

Wednesday March 28th, 9:00am EDT

Thursday March 29th, 1:00pm EDT

China-Based Investors are Looking West for New Products in Diabetes Care

March 8, 2018June 25, 2018 ~ Next Phase Admin ~ Leave a comment

By Jessica Yang, Investor Research Analyst, LSN

Diabetes mellitus is a global epidemic, with the metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular risk factors believed to underlie the disease on the increase worldwide. Among this large diabetes market, China has a higher number of diabetics than any other country. According to a World Health Organization estimate, of all adults with diabetes, one in three is from China.

This attracts a large number of Chinese investors to investments in diabetes care. For example, in 2017, when Johnson & Johnson began evaluating whether to sell its diabetes units, including glucose meters, insulin pumps and other equipment used in diabetes care, multiple Chinese investors expressed interest in buying some or all of these business units. However, many Chinese investors are looking at early stage products in this space. LSN is in touch with nearly a hundred China-based firms that are open to considering pre-approval products in the diabetes and metabolic disease field.

Chinese investors have invested, in-licensed, acquired or formed joint ventures with multiple Western diabetes care companies in recent years – the investors are expecting to extract extra value from the diabetes market in China. According to Franck Le Deu, Hong Kong-based senior partner at McKinsey, it is possible that a Chinese company could extract more value from these technologies than a multinational since they have different expectations of profitability. Even with lower margins, a tremendous growing diabetes population makes the Chinese diabetes market very significant. In addition, Chinese investors could leverage its local capabilities and knowledge to help these companies’ growth in the country.

As Chinese investors are seeking Western technologies and startups to address the diabetes market in China, it is a great time for diabetes startups to consider building connections and working with these investors.

New CFDA Regulations Already Showing Benefits for China’s Biotech Innovation

March 1, 2018June 25, 2018 ~ Next Phase Admin ~ Leave a comment

By James Huang, Research Analyst, LSN

james-wp Within the last few months, China has been formally rolling out their new CFDA regulations that have given startups and new technology developers in China all sorts of benefits. These benefits include allowing the submission of data from clinical trial sites outside of China, allowing more Chinese hospitals to run trials, and allowing drug makers who are waiting for the green light on a safety study to go ahead if they haven’t heard back from the CFDA within 60 days.

All these regulation changes have seen a big boom to China’s biotech innovations. In fact, many Taiwanese companies have seen this regulatory shift as an opportunity to get into the Chinese market. Companies such as Taiwan Liposome (TLC) have started joint ventures with Chinese investors in order to run trials and commercialize their products in China. With the ability to submit their clinical trial data from Taiwan and start their new trials more quickly in China, many of these companies expect to see NDA filings for their assets by the end of the year.

Another highlight of this new regulatory system is that CRISPR human trials have already started within Chinese hospitals. CRISPR in the US, on the other hand, has yet to receive any approval or the go ahead for such trials. Some describe this discrepancy as being the result of China’s lack of regulations. However, that is not necessarily the case. China’s new regulations are geared towards pushing new innovative technologies into trials and out onto market as quickly as possible and has the benefit of being a newly reformed system. In contrast, the US FDA is a much older system using regulations that have been built upon for years, resulting in a much slower and more meticulous process.

Therefore, it might be an advantageous for startups to consider working with Chinese investors through joint ventures. The benefits of having an accelerated clinical trial process with reduced trial costs may be worth the pain of forming a joint venture with a qualified Chinese partner. Of course, while the process of finding a qualified Chinese partner and working with them may be tedious on its own, it definitely should not be immediately discounted. Given how the times are changing, a global outlook towards potential partners and opportunities is becoming more and more necessary in order to succeed.

Building a Life Science Startup Community on Linkedin

March 1, 2018June 25, 2018 ~ Next Phase Admin ~ Leave a comment

By Sean Tran, Business Development Manager, LSN

Life Science Nation (LSN) just revamped its LinkedIn profile in an effort to help life science startups engage with potential investors! With the growing impact of social media, we aim to create another avenue to build connections with early-stage life science players and offer content relevant to our growing community.

On the primary LSN profile, we will post the hottest investor mandates from our LSN Database, latest news about the life science industry, and updates on the Redefining Early Stage Investment (RESI) conference series.

LSN has also created a separate RESI Conference group on LinkedIn to help past and new attendees stay connected with one another. Through this channel, members can promote their companies, announce updates on the development of their technologies, build relationships with other like-minded members, and collectively move the needle in the life sciences.

We hope you will connect with us and help us build a startup community that can make an impact on the life science industry!

Please click here to explore and follow our page.

RESI Is Now Offering Investor Spotlight Package

February 22, 2018June 25, 2018 ~ Next Phase Admin ~ Leave a comment

By Natasha Eldridge, Director of RESI Conference Series, LSN

The Redefining Early Stage Investments Conference (RESI) is now offering an Investor Spotlight Package, which for the first time allows investor firms to be featured and stand out from more than 300+ investors attending the 2018 RESI Toronto conference.

Investor Spotlight Package includes the following:

A Dedicated, Branded Partnering Table in the partnering forum. This is your table and a great opportunity to have an established highly visible spot in the partnering room where companies can meet you. The table will be branded by your firm’s logo and name.
Featured Investor Profile on the RESI website, in the hard copy and digital version of the RESI Conference Program Guide, and in the RESI Partnering System – making your investment mandate visible to RESI attendees.
Special mailings of your firm’s profile to all RESI Companies that are a fit for your firm’s mandate.

To qualify you must be:

Investment staff involved directly in an early-stage life science or healthcare venture capital or private equity fund.
Investment staff at a family office or private wealth fund that invests in life sciences.
External innovation, early-stage partnering or in-licensing staff from major corporations in the life science and healthcare industry.
Active life science angels or executive staff at angel organizations that invest in early-stage life science companies.
Investment staff and executives at nonprofit organizations, venture philanthropy/impact investment firms or patient groups that provide funding to startup companies.
Senior management or investment staff from a pension, endowment, foundation or employee benefit plan currently invested in life sciences.

For more information, please contact us

at 617-600-0668 or resi@lifesciencenation.com

A Canadian Fundraising CEO’s Success at RESI

February 22, 2018June 25, 2018 ~ Next Phase Admin ~ Leave a comment

An interview with Anton Neschadim, CEO, ImmunoBiochem
– By Chris Cummings, Senior Marketing Manager, LSN

Chris Cummings: What is your background, and how long have you been working in the life science space?

Anton Neschadim: I am a scientist-entrepreneur. I have a very deep, multi-disciplinary science background that I ultimately combined with a business degree, all from the University of Toronto. I am a lateral thinker, and as such always strived to be a subject-matter expert across multiple areas. And so, contrary to the traditional path of specialization in academia, I wanted to become a problem solver and innovator, and sought to master additional disciplines with every degree – chemistry, physics, immunology, cancer research, regenerative medicine. I believe that being able to draw on knowledge from multiple disciplines is key to generating creative insights. I transitioned into industry eight years ago, in the final year of my PhD, and took up a drug development role in a biologics program, while continuing to work in an academic lab evenings and weekends to amass more than 25 manuscripts and patents. Three years ago, I have focused on leading ImmunoBiochem with an exciting novel biologics program.

Chris Cummings: Are you currently fundraising? What previous financing or milestones has your company achieved (that you can disclose)?

Anton Neschadim: We are always fundraising, and are targeting to close another round led by current investors and partners in March. Our first deal was with one of the RESI sponsors and helped us develop fully-human antibody molecules for our lead target, and the subsequent angel-led round allowed us to develop a lead that we showed to be both efficacious and safe in preclinical animal tumor models. This new round will take our lead molecule into large animal studies, but we are eager to get into the clinic and are looking for additional capital to get us there.

Chris Cummings: How many RESI conferences have you attended previously, and when was your first event? Was ImmunoBiochem fundraising at the time?

Anton Neschadim: I have now attended three RESI conferences with the goal of raising funds every time – two in our hometown of Toronto, and the latest RESI during the JP Morgan healthcare week in San Francisco. We have closed a deal or round subsequent to each conference, and are on track to closing another round of financing following RESI in San Francisco. RESI has been extremely helpful for connecting with smart early-stage capital and learning how to better develop and tell our story to a broad range of investors. You know you have done well when you have new investors reaching out to you to learn more.

Chris Cummings: What components of RESI do you find most valuable? Do you spend most your time in partnering, or try to attend panels as well? When you participated in the Innovation Challenge, what aspects did you find beneficial?

Anton Neschadim: I tend to spend at least half of my day in one-on-one meetings, and then network with investors free-form outside of that. Panels and different tracks can help you be more targeted with the latter. I find the half-hour partnering format to be very optimal – just the right amount of time to make a connection with the investor, tell your story, answer questions, and for you to learn more about the investor’s interests and ask for feedback. The Innovation Challenge provides great exposure and is like real fundraising. It helps to have a team and to ultimately hold as many meaningful conversations as possible.

Chris Cummings: What advice can you give to other fundraising entrepreneurs attending RESI? For example, do you have any suggestions on mastering partnering, or perhaps maximizing your visibility in the Innovation Challenge?

Anton Neschadim: Visibility and being able to highlight your novelty and differentiation are paramount. What I found to be most useful is to have a team on the ground. It is great to have at least one person to move around the event, strike up conversations and bring people to your poster, while another is taking one-on-one meetings. When it comes to one-on-one meetings: register early and start requesting meetings as soon as partnering opens or even before that – spots fill up really fast. Do your research and target the right investors, avoid generic or overly long messaging, and manage time efficiently during the one-on-one meetings. The main goal is to get a second meeting or follow up.

About ImmunoBiochem

ImmunoBiochem is addressing significant unmet needs in oncology by developing highly-selective biological therapeutics. The majority of targeted biologics, which are focused on identifying and targeting unique features on the surface of cancer cells, face the challenge of tumor heterogeneity and general lack of selective tumor antigens, particularly as more potent platforms are utilized. CAR-T therapies are very exciting, with a single CAR-T cell being able to terminate from hundreds to thousands of cancer cells, but the current generation is extremely limited by very few suitable targets, such as CD19. The second generation of CAR-T therapies in the clinic will have to find a way to derive that selectivity from other mechanisms. To circumvent these challenges of surface-targeted biologics and cell therapies, ImmunoBiochem is solving this problem by combining a highly targeted and precise therapeutics platform – antibody-drug conjugates or ADCs – and non-traditional targets in the secretome of cancer cells that are amplified in the tumor microenvironment. ImmunoBiochem has defined a novel class of targets by isolating proteins with specific properties that are necessary to achieve selective and efficacious targeting of tumors with ADCs. ImmunoBiochem was the original inventor of this technology and has tested this concept within an academic institute, and then developed a lead human antibody molecule in collaboration with the University of Toronto. Today we are supported by multiple organizations, including Johnson & Johnson Innovation (JLABS), where ImmunoBiochem is based, CCAB (the Centre for the Commercialization of Antibodies and Biologics), our key development partner and investor, OBIO, through membership and the CAAP program, and H2i at the University of Toronto.

When Raising Capital, CEOs Should Understand the LSN Value Proposition

February 22, 2018July 5, 2018 ~ Next Phase Admin ~ Leave a comment

By Skylar Jacobs, Business Development Manager, LSN

As Next Phase discussed two weeks ago, the world of early stage biotech and medtech investment is far less than straightforward and CEOs often have limited resources for learning where they fit into the capital landscape. In this article, we’ll look more closely at how LSN designed the LSN Investor Platform to address this problem.

Finding and Connecting with Investors that are a Fit for Your Company

LSN has found that the biggest difficulty for fundraising executives is identifying active investors that are a fit for their stage of development and product. When raising a seed or series A financing, most executives go straight to a few brand name VCs and angel groups in their backyard, and, mistakenly, think this is going to get the job done. The reality is that fundraising is a numbers game, and there are thousands of groups across the world that are not currently known to the fundraising team, but may be a great fit for your venture. The problem is how to efficiently identify these groups, if they are a fit and, most importantly, how to reach them.

Global Matching Platform

Through this outreach, LSN has created the LSN Investor Database, giving fundraising executives the ability to generate a global target list of investors who are a fit for their company. Like all databases, there is a front end of the active players – which is approximately half of our total network– which includes profiles of firms in active dialogue with the LSN Research Team and profiles of firms that have enough publicly available information/contact details to be listed. The back-end of the database contains investors that have requested that LSN match them with fundraising companies but prefer not to be listed in the front end, investors we have identified but are not currently investing, and profiles that will be moved into the front end once we have enough data to justify value. The good news is that we think we have identified about 85% of the global early stage investors. The functionality of the LSN Investor Database allows you to easily apply filters to generate a list of firms who are a fit for your company, which usually leaves about 300-500 firms as initial targets to begin initial qualification and potential interest.

Pricing

The LSN team has conducted an analysis of hundreds of successful fundraising campaigns and has determined that, on average, a start-up company can expect to spend between $70,000 to $100,000 on their fundraising efforts. These costs include: creating and maintaining your marketing materials and web presence, business trips, conferences, partnering road trips and other miscellaneous costs.

Campaign Component	Typical Cost
Creating and maintaining your branding, messaging, marketing collateral and web presence for a year	$25,000 – $30,000
One conference per quarter, travel and expenses	$12,000 – $20,000
1-2 week road trip per quarter, two people	$10,000 – $15,000
Global target list of investors and campaign infrastructure	$10,000 – $12,000
Legal and professional fees	$10,000 – $20,000
TOTAL	$67,000 – $97,000

The LSN Investor Platform is competitively priced at $6,995 for an annual subscription to fundraising executives. This pricing is based upon making you, the fundraiser, more effective and efficient by dramatically increasing your access to global investors that are a fit for your company’s stage of development and product. Pricing justification is that the annual subscription costs:

10% of typical fundraising campaign costs
Approximately $25 per targeted investor profile

The LSN Research Team has done the work for you to collect details regarding exact investment interests, typical allocation size, fund vintage, company management team requirements, past investment history, and personal contact details for Partners, Directors, and C-Level Executives at each firm – information that is rarely found in other investor profiles. The price of the LSN Investor Database includes: initial identification of our client’s global target list of 300-500 investors, a consultation on your introductory marketing materials (intro email and deck), campaign outreach advice, and email alerts including updates of investors added to the platform who are a fit for your company. Additionally, the LSN Investor Platform includes an export function that provides startup CEOs with data that can be imported into a CRM system to manage outreach and track the progress of every investor relationship. LSN has already integrated with SalesForce.com to make this process seamless for our clients. In total, LSN offers a complete package for fundraising executives to ensure they have the strategy and investor targets necessary to conduct a successful capital raise.

The Redefining Early Stage Investments Conference Series

In addition to the LSN Investor Platform, the RESI Conference is another tool provided by LSN for fundraising CEOs. The RESI conference allows entrepreneurs to meet face-to-face with up to 16 relevant investors in one day and begin to develop a personal relationship with them. Subscribers of the LSN Investor Platform have a powerful tool that allows them dig into the investors’ profile prior to the meeting to understand the investors’ interests and preferences, greatly increasing the quality of an intro discussion and making the best use of their face-time. Using the LSN Investor Platform and RESI conference in parallel creates a tremendous value for any fundraising CEO in the early-stage life science space by not only providing the connections, but also by facilitating face-to-face interactions.

In Summary

LSN estimates that approximately 250 clients who read our CEO’s book, The Life Science Executive’s Fundraising Manifesto, purchased the database, and participated in the RESI Conference Series have raised upwards of 350 million dollars. LSN’s value add to a fundraising CEO and scientist/entrepreneur is equivalent to 5 years’ work by 6 LSN research analysts, curating your Global Target List (GTL), which is at least 50% of the effort of raising capital – finding investors that are a fit for your stage of development and product.

The personal connection between the LSN research team and an investment firm allows LSN to capture and utilize a unique flow of information and provides an unmatched tool for fundraising CEOs to understand the players in their space, their nuanced preferences/strategies and a way to begin a dialogue with them. No other service or data provider comes close to the focused, high touch, relationship-oriented nature of data collection and maintenance.