Next Phase Newsletter

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

I am very excited to announce that Life Science Nation (LSN) and Life Science Incubation Council (LSIC) has signed a MoU to work together to support the life science ecosystem in Japan!

Established in 2022, Life Science Incubation Council is a Japanese organization that has created a platform on which key players in the sector such as start-ups, VCs, pharmaceutical companies, medical device companies and government organizations can work together to develop innovative technology seeds, aiming towards commercialization of these technologies. LSIC and LSN signed a MoU to work together for the development of the Japanese life science industry on a global scale.

On Wednesday, March 27, 7:00 – 8:30pm EST / Thursday, March 28, 8:00 – 9:30am JST, LSN and LSIC will be organizing a 90-minute webinar including an introduction of LSN’s platform and our value-add for the global life science ecosystem, remarks from panelists who are familiar with LSN and have leveraged our platform, and pitches from companies developing innovative therapeutics. We expect over 150 people in attendance, including startups, investors, pharmaceuticals, and more. The webinar will be held in English, and everyone is welcome to join.

Please find our program below.

By Caitlin Dolegowski, Marketing Manager, LSN

RESI South – March 25-27, 2024 – is more than an opportunity to meet one-on-one with investors and other key players in the life science space. The conference also offers quality workshops on many hot topics relevant to the early-stage space, sponsored by our many great partners. Building a successful startup requires a lot of pieces to be in place, and startup CEOs should take advantage of industry experts to avoid common pitfalls, as demonstrated by these workshops. The live format allows for interactive Q&A and makes the sessions more dynamic.

10 AM ET | Investing in YOU: Personal Wealth Planning for Founders

Integrating Science and Technology to Create Disruptive Innovations

With the recent (if not constant) ups and downs seen in the life science capital markets and banking sector, founders must begin with the entrepreneurial end in mind: a successful liquidity event for both investors and the founder. From deciding the legal structure of your company, to share structure, to tax considerations and estate planning and more, founders need to have a plan from the start. This panel includes experts from banking to wealth management, venture capital, and an entrepreneur.

Presenters:

• Maria Clarke, CFA, Executive Director and Banker, J.P. Morgan Private Bank
• Matthew Miessau, Principal, Epidarex Capital
• Marta New, Founder and CEO, Radyus Research
• Chris Sarlo, Founder & Wealth Consultant, Life Science Wealth

11 AM ET | Negotiating Term Sheets

What’s Best for the Company and What’s Best for You?

This interactive workshop, organized and led by McDermott Will & Emery, will provide wisdom to early-stage CEOs and management on the latest trends in term sheets, with a focus on founder and management equity opportunities. The workshop will cover common issues of concern to entrepreneurs (valuation/dilution, liquidation preference, board makeup, protective provisions, anti-dilution). Experts from the legal, investment and entrepreneurial community will discuss the interplay of financing milestones in the term sheet discussion.

Presenters:

• Brian M. Gordon, Partner, McDermott Will & Emery – Atlanta
• Jim Tobin, Vice President, Cardiovascular & Metabolism Scientific Innovation, Johnson & Johnson Innovation
• Sarah Sarb, Associate, McDermott Will & Emery

1 PM ET | Navigating the Startup Incubator, Laboratory, and Equipment Procurement MarketPlace

Startups that need access to incubators, laboratory space, and medical and research equipment have many options today. This workshop will map out how to determine the best opportunities for you and best practices to manage the process of evaluating lab space and procuring equipment. Topics discussed are the current laboratory and startup incubator space business models, equipment choices, and other auxiliary offerings like consulting and introduction to partners. How does a startup determine the best lab model and equipment for your current needs? Understand how to find and locate lab space and then ask the right questions to meet your current and future needs. The main topics to explore are inexperienced realtors with the cookie-cutter preconfigured lab space versus experienced customized midlevel and high-end build-out and the used versus new equipment. The workshop will explain what and where the pivot points are for shelling out the dollars for something new that will enhance and speed up product development and when to save money and go with the used, tried, and true. This workshop will empower you to navigate and make better choices and ask the right questions when choosing your laboratory and equipment providers.

Presenters:

• Barb Pearlman, Founder & President, CSP & CSL
• Andrew Lau, General Manager & Director of Operations, CSP & CSL

2 PM ET | 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.

Presenters:

• Greg Mannix, Vice President of International Business Development, Life Science Nation
• Anthony Desir, Director, Moexa
• Pepper Landson, CEO, Praetego
• William Tyler, CEO, Atara Labs, Inc.

3 PM ET | Global Partnering Campaign – Investor Landscape, GTL and CRM/GPC

Once you are ready to embark on your fundraising campaign, how do you know whom to target? What investors are the best fit for you, how do different investors invest and partner, and how do you get in touch with them? Identifying investors, learning about the differences between investor types, accessing a database to provide you with key information to filter your best-fit investors, and finally, using a CRM to manage your fundraise are critical to an efficient and successful fundraise.

Presenters:

• Claire Jeong, VP, Investor Research & Asia Business Development, Life Science Nation
• Karen Deyo, VP of Product, Israel Business Development, Life Science Nation

4 PM ET | It All Starts with a Story

The most successful entrepreneurs are always the best storytellers. Finding a way to naturally formulate your company’s unique story and portraying this through multiple modalities whether it be a 1-minute elevator pitch, or a 12-slide pitch deck is one of the most effective ways to get potential investors and partners on board with your value proposition. This bootcamp will cover the importance of entrepreneurial agency, finding your voice, and developing a compelling narrative for the different players that will emerge along a deal chain, and language tools to refine your hook. Investors always bet on the team, not just the technology, and if every member of your startup can tell any strategic partner a consistent story about your company and technology, you are on the right track to building successful relationships.

Presenters:

• Dennis Ford, Founder & CEO, Life Science Nation; Creator of RESI Conference Series
• Greg Mannix, VP of International Business Development, Life Science Nation

Sign up to participate at RESI South and learn more about sponsoring workshops at future events!

By Joey Wong, Senior Investor Research Analyst, Hong Kong BD, LSN

RESI South is rapidly approaching, taking place in person on March 25 in Atlanta at The Whitley Buckhead Hotel, followed by two days of virtual partnering on March 26-27. For this highly anticipated conference, LSN’s Investor Research Team has curated a lineup of 7 panels covering a wide range of topics relevant to early-stage investments and innovations.

At RESI South, we have a series of panels that feature key players in the startup investment ecosystem, including Corporate Venture Capital and Seed Funds. The panelists will delve into their investment and partnership strategies, how they evaluate prospects, manage relationships with their early-stage portfolio, and their unique position in the ecosystem, among other topics.

Other panels will focus on emerging sectors that have been gaining interest and momentum, such as Digital Health, AI in Healthcare, CNS Diseases, Longevity, and Chronic Disease Management. These panels will feature investors who have been actively following and allocating in these respective verticals. They will provide insights into cutting-edge innovations, the latest investment trends, the importance of these technologies, and how these markets will evolve in the future.

We are honored to be joined by a diverse group of panelists, each bringing unique backgrounds and experiences. Through organizing these panels, our goal is to foster communications, bridge the gap between entrepreneurs and investors/strategic partners, and assist founders and CEOs in navigating their fundraising and business development journey in this highly competitive landscape. Don’t miss the opportunity to hear from and connect with seasoned investors and executives at these RESI panels.

Here are the speakers for RESI South 2024:

Peter Alff Senior Venture Partner Orange Grove Bio	Irene Blat Sr. Dir. Search & Evaluation, Oncology Servier	Natasha Bonett DeLong Portfolio Manager Rex Health Ventures
Mark Bouzyk President & CSO AllaiHealth	Justin Burns Vice President, Venture Development GRA Venture Fund, LLC	Rowan Cade Program Manager, BARDA Ventures Division of Research Innovation and Ventures (DRIVe)
Tom Callaway Founder Life Science Partner	Nicolas Cindric Partner Yahara Ventures	Drew Cutshaw Senior Associate & Medical Officer Pappas Capital
Sinclair Dunlop Managing Partner Epidarex Capital	Martin Gershon Managing Partner and CIO Endeavor Venture Funds, Senior Executive Investor-in-Residence Techstars	Deborah Hemingway Managing Partner Ecphora Capital
Ray Jang Principal Primetime Partners	Jennifer Jordan Venture Partner iGlobe Partners	Nancy Torres Kaufman CEO Beacon Capital LLC
Sarah Kleinpeter Global Vice President Alzheimer’s Disease Novo Nordisk	Jason Kuo Senior Associate & Lead Healthcare Investor Tech Square Ventures	Mankit Law Director, Worldwide Business Development GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)
Michelle (Waye) Leeuwon Program Manager for Product Development Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT)	Ron Levin Managing Partner Alumni Ventures	Andy Merken Partner, Corporate & Securities Co-Chair, Life Sciences Burns & Levinson
Ross O’Brien Founder & Managing Partner Bonaventure Equity, LLC (BVE)	Allyson Plosko Partner SpringTime Ventures	William Plumer Managing Partner Bullet Partners
Preetha Ram Managing Partner Pier 70 Ventures	Thomas Saylor Chief Executive Officer, Serial Enterpreneur NeuroAcoustics	Katerina Stroponiati Co-Founding Partner Monday Capital
Nathan Styles Executive Director of McQuade Center for Strategic R&D Otsuka Pharmaceutical	Jim Tobin VP, Cardiovascular & Metabolism Scientific Innovation Johnson & Johnson Innovation	Liz Todia Principal Mutual Capital Partners
Robert Tucci Managing Director Texas HALO Fund	Dave Vreeland Senior Managing Partner Caduceus Capital Partners

By Cameron Hurlburt, Director of Business Development, LSN

The RESI South Conference is a hybrid event, with an in-person day on March 25th at the Whitley Atlanta Buckhead Hotel in Atlanta, GA, followed by two virtual days on March 26th and 27th. Life Science Nation expects 300+ life sciences startups, investors, and strategic partners to mingle for dynamic networking opportunities. The RESI South Partnering Platform opened on March 4th, connecting CEOs with 150+ early-stage investors. Tailored matchmaking in sectors like therapeutics, medical devices, diagnostics, and digital health awaits.

To learn more, please watch the RESI Overview Webinar hosted by our Chief Conference Officer and VP of Investor Research, Claire Jeong. In this 10-minute video, Claire provides an overview of the RESI conference series, explains what makes RESI South unique, and, most importantly, how the RESI conferences stand out from other partnering events.

Click the video to watch:

By Caitlin Dolegowski, Marketing Manager, LSN

Partnering conferences are an important part of an early-stage company’s journey to raising capital and achieving your fundraising goals. Life Science Nation (LSN) hosts the RESI conference series to provide partnering opportunities with investors and strategic partners. Additionally, LSN provides support to Founders and CEOs to get prepared for meetings by putting their best foot forward and prepping them with the tools necessary to get there. A key tool for making the most of our next conference, RESI South, is the RESI Survival Guide.

The RESI Survival Guide covers the 5 major steps to finding success at RESI:

• Build a Comprehensive Partnering Profile
• Develop your Executive Summary
• Refine your Pitch Deck
• Craft your Meeting Request Message
• Outline a Follow-up Strategy

Read detailed explanations of each step and examples of executive summaries and meeting requests in the RESI Survival Guide.

Partnering for RESI South is LIVE as of Monday, March 4th. Make sure to set your schedules up and make time slots available and accept and send meeting requests to secure some meetings on your calendar.

LSN provides Partnering Tutorial webinars, you can signup to join the live webinar and participate in the Q&A on March 14, register here. The Partnering Tutorial is a terrific way to figure out how to navigate LSN’s RESI partnering system and learn insights on outreach strategy to secure investor and strategic partner meetings that are the right fit for you.

If you have any questions about getting prepared for RESI South or wish to have a consultation on your marketing materials, reach out to RESI@lifesciencenation.com and your Business Development representative will schedule some time with you to review. Registration is still open to attend RESI South, with options to attend both in-person and virtually. Happy Partnering!

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

Crafting a compelling tagline is more challenging than you would expect – many startups approach it based on what they think sounds good and come out with a slogan that does not give much information on the company. A tagline should give investors a noticeably clear idea of what your company is doing in just 5-7 words. This forms the foundation of a company’s marketing collateral, something we emphasize in our educational content and webinars. It is where we start with the companies we work with, helping them refine their message into a concise, compelling snapshot of the company. It often takes at least 20 versions and edits to land on a good tagline. Gauge your success by sharing it with people unfamiliar with your company – can they accurately describe what your technology is, and what problem/disease you are addressing? If not, go back to the drawing board, or ask for our help!

Ahead of our next RESI event, RESI South, in person in Atlanta March 25, virtual March 26-27, we held a competition for the most compelling tagline, and received quite a few submissions! Below are the six winners – congratulations, and we look forward to seeing you in Atlanta!

Tagline Competition Contest Winners
	Convergence Medical
	Building the world’s first arthroscopic surgical robot.
	Sentrimed
	Creating safer, oral oncology therapies by targeting podoplanin
	BrainStorm Therapeutics
	AI-powered human brain organoid drug discovery engine
	Nanoxort
	Smarter, safer medical imaging – powered by nanotechnology.
	Curanostics
	Revolutionizing infectious disease diagnosis with rapid, precise ML-driven genomic analysis for healthcare.
Light Switch Bio	Light Switch Bio
	Delivering Safety, Maximizing Value: Laser-Guided Drugs Transforming Pharma’s Approach