By Lucy Parkinson, Director of Research, LSN
Nono Hu, Director of Marketing, LSN
We’ve covered many topics in life science fundraising over the last year, and here’s a roundup of the articles that won the most reader appeal. The list includes some retrospectives and look-aheads, some deep dives on working with a pharma company or with a philanthropic fund, and some tactical tips on how to meet an investor and build a productive relationship. We hope you’ll enjoy taking a second look at these 2015 highlights.
Year-End Roundup: Pharma Licensing Deals
By Lucy Parkinson, Senior Research Manager, LSN
In recent years, big pharmaceutical companies have filled their pipelines by turning to smaller partners to find innovative products, and 2014 has been no exception. This year has produced so much dealmaking news that you may have lost track of all the new partnerships. But we’ve dug into the LSN Licensing Deals Platform to examine the key data points from the year’s pharmaceutical licensing activity.
11 Tips for Creating a Successful Pitch Deck
By Shaoyu Chang, Research Analyst, LSN
Coming from a scientific background, I thought I knew well enough about using slides and making presentations, whether in laboratory journal clubs or at hundred-attendee conferences. However, as I start to help fellow scientists on their fundraising campaigns, it has become apparent to me that academia and business speak very different languages.
Formulating the Introductory Email to Potential Investors
By Michael Quigley, Research Manager, LSN
Having personally scheduled and held several hundred interviews with Life Science investors over the past year, I have developed and refined a formula for getting “in the door” with an introductory email. As anyone who has embarked on a fundraising campaign knows, initiating the dialogue is often the hardest part of the process. Few introductory emails ever get opened, and even fewer earn a reply at all. However, there are a few concepts and tactics that can increase your efficacy substantially when it comes to initiating a dialogue and locking in that first meeting. This article will share some insights from my personal experience that may be helpful in your email outreach.
CRO Trends in 2015
By Alejandro Zamorano, VP of Business Development, LSN
LSN maintains regular dialogue with a broad spectrum of contract research organizations (CROs) – from top-tier full service organizations, to small niche-specialized research companies; some are customers of the LSN Company Platform, and others are friends. Every year we talk to hundreds of business executives in the field. Based on our market insight, here are the top trends we see in 2015.
How to Write a Compelling Partnering Message
By Alejandro Zamorano, VP of Business Development, LSN
Life Science Nation attends many partnering conferences, in addition to hosting our own quarterly Redefining Early Stage Investments (RESI) Conference series. After taking the time to study the most successful partnering requests and interviewing investors about what they look for in an introductory note, we have created a template email, which should increase your response rate when soliciting investment:
The Life Science Venture Philanthropy Landscape
By Michael Quigley, Director of Research, LSN
LSN researchers recently decided to take a deep dive into interviews we have held with venture philanthropy groups from around the world to see what the future likely has in store. After analyzing data gathered over the past three years from more than 150 investors, we uncovered a few notable trends.
Getting the Most from a 30-Minute Investor Meeting
By Michael Quigley, Director of Research, LSN
As a fundraising entrepreneur, you will likely find yourself engaging in initial face-to-face meetings with investors, whether at a conference, coffee shop, or in an office. Given the time constraints inherent in these kinds of meetings, it is crucial that you have a plan in place in order to get as much as possible out of them. What follows are suggestions for how best to manage one of these conversations.
How Do Investors Assess a Management Team?
By Lucy Parkinson, Senior Research Manager, LSN
LSN Research often hears from investors that when choosing a company to invest in, a sound management team is just as important a factor as the quality of that company’s technology. Developing an innovative biotech or medtech product is a lengthy process fraught with risks, and it takes a strong management team to successfully guide a scientific discovery through all the challenging steps. So what are the qualities of the ideal management team, and how will investors judge whether yours has what it takes? Investors have reported the following important attributes:
Family Offices: The New VCs
By Dennis Ford, CEO, Life Science Nation
There is not enough capital to fund all of the good ideas from life science companies, which is a major challenge for life science CEOs today. To identify the next not-so-obvious investors, fundraising executives should look to the capital-raising practices of start-ups in other industries. If they do, they will learn that the basic premises include thinking outside the box and being flexible and more creative.
Pitching to a Foundation? Be Prepared for These Issues
By Lucy Parkinson, Director of Research, LSN
Earlier this year, we offered an in-depth exploration of foundations that provide funding to startup companies. Many foundations and patient groups are now interested in working with startup companies to fund projects that further their mission, and while many life science companies could benefit from approaching foundations for funding, there are certain criteria that foundations typically have to follow in order to bring their support for startup companies in line with their broader mission.
