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

At RESI Europe 2024 in Barcelona last week, 41 innovative companies participated in the highly anticipated Innovator’s Pitch Challenge (IPC). This event provided a unique platform for early-stage life science and healthcare companies to showcase their technologies and attract potential investors.

The IPC finalists had the opportunity to deliver 4-minute pitches to an engaged audience, followed by a 9-minute Q&A session with a panel of expert investor judges. Each participating company also exhibited a poster highlighting their technology in the conference’s exhibit hall.

Many of the pitch companies and the winning companies represented the cutting-edge technology emerging from the Catalonia region, with several being member companies of Biocat, RESI Europe’s co-organizer. Biocat plays a crucial role in driving the growth of Catalonia’s life sciences and health innovation ecosystem.

The competition’s unique voting system allowed registered RESI attendees, including startup executives, early-stage investors, and industry experts, to ‘invest’ in their favorite IPC companies using RESI cash provided at check-in. Attendees based their decisions on the companies’ poster presentations and pitch performances.

Life Science Nation is proud to announce the top three winners of RESI Europe 2024’s Innovator’s Pitch Challenge:

1st Place: Gate2Brain

Jaume Baró, Executive Directorate, Enterprise and Entrepeneurship, Barcelona Activa | Dennis Ford, Founder and CEO of Life Science Nation, Creator of the RESI Conference Series | Meritxell Teixidó, PhD, CEO & CSO, Gate2Brain | Robert Fabregat, CEO, Biocat

2nd Place: Ysotope Theranostics

3rd Place: DyCare

Jaume Baró, Executive Directorate, Enterprise and Entrepeneurship, Barcelona Activa | Dennis Ford, Founder and CEO of Life Science Nation, Creator of the RESI Conference Series | Ricardo Jauregui, CTO & Founder, Dycare | Robert Fabregat, CEO, Biocat

Gate2Brain, the first-place winner, will receive complimentary tickets to three RESI events of their choice, a prize valued at $12,000. The second and third-place winners will receive tickets to two and one RESI events, respectively.

For those interested in participating in the next Innovator’s Pitch Challenge, applications are now open for RESI Boston 2024. This event will take place on September 25 at the Westin Copley Place in Boston, featuring a one-day in-person conference followed by two days of virtual partnering. Early application is encouraged as spots are filled on a rolling basis.

Additionally, registration for RESI Boston is now open with super early bird rates available. Prospective attendees can save $500 by registering before Friday, July 5.

The success of RESI Europe 2024 in Barcelona, with its diverse participation and innovative format, underscores the event’s importance in connecting early-stage life science companies with potential investors and industry partners.

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

The Life Science Nation (LSN) team is gearing up for next week’s highly anticipated RESI Europe conference in Barcelona. With a curated program featuring 9 insightful panels, attendees can expect to gain the latest perspectives on early-stage life science and healthcare investment opportunities.

LSN has assembled diverse panelists representing various investment groups, including seed funds, corporate venture capitalists, early-stage therapeutics, and oncology innovation leaders. These experts will share their strategies, approaches to early-stage investment, perspectives on industry landscapes, insights into startup ecosystems, and much more. As a truly global conference, RESI Europe will also welcome numerous international investors and cross-border investment groups, fostering dynamic discussions and facilitating valuable networking opportunities.

The primary goal of the RESI panels is to facilitate constructive conversations between investors and fundraising CEOs. Attendees can expect to receive tactical advice on effective capital-raising strategies and partnership acquisition, empowering companies to navigate the fundraising journey successfully. These must-attend panels present an unparalleled opportunity for founders and CEOs to engage directly with investors, expand their networks, and gain invaluable insights to propel their businesses forward.

Join the panelists below at RESI Europe:

Click Here to See More Investor Speakers

By Momo Yamamoto, Investor Research Analyst, LSN

This week, Life Science Nation (LSN) hosted our June Investor Fireside Chat which brought together four investors from different parts of the world discussing how early-stage life science investments in the first half of 2024 have looked like so far. We were happy to welcome Farzad Abdi-Dezfuli, Partner from Sarsia, Jenna Aronson, Principal from Two Bear Capital, Tom Gibbs, Investment Director from Debiopharm Group, and Rick Jones, Partner from BioAdvance. The investors gave their thoughts on trends of 2024 and insight to startups looking to fundraise.

By Greg Mannix, Vice President International Business Development, General Manager Europe, LSN

Biocat will host a lunch keynote session at RESI Europe 2024 on June 17 at the Hotel Hilton Diagonal Mar in Barcelona. The session, titled “Catalonia’s Advanced Therapies Ecosystem: Shaping the Future of ATMPs in Europe,” will take place in the Ballroom, starting at 12 PM. Leading experts will discuss the pivotal role of Catalonia’s advanced therapies ecosystem in driving innovation and clinical advancements in Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs) across Europe. This session, organized by Biocat, will delve into the region’s innovative landscape, highlighting groundbreaking research, investment opportunities, and cutting-edge developments.

The esteemed panel will be moderated by Robert Fabregat, CEO of BIOCAT, and features prominent figures in the field:

• Fina Lladós, Vice President General Manager Iberia at Amgen
• Silvia Martín-Lluesma, Clinical Senior Manager of Advanced Therapies at Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO)
• Antoni Matilla, Cofounder and Director of Biointaxis
• Lluís Pareras, Founder and Managing Partner at Invivo Ventures
• Esteve Trias, Executive Medical Director at Leitat Technological Center

Attendees will gain invaluable insights into how Catalonia’s collaborative efforts and strategic initiatives propel Europe to the forefront of advanced therapies. This session is a must-attend for investors, researchers, and industry professionals committed to advancing the field of ATMPs and shaping the future of healthcare. Don’t miss this opportunity to engage with key players and learn about the future of advanced therapies in Europe! If you haven’t registered for RESI Europe yet, you can register now to secure your spot.

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

ApexBrasil and Abiquifi, government and pharma organizations in Brazil, worked together to hand-pick 10 startups to represent the amazing Brazilian innovation ecosystem in the life sciences at BIO this week. Brazil is making an effort to bring their technologies abroad, and each of the companies attending have either established or are establishing a US presence in an effort to expand.

Life Science Nation (LSN) partnered with this group to help the companies get ready for BIO, with 5 virtual sessions outlining how to position themselves with their story and their marketing collateral and how to maximize their partnering experience. This was followed by two in person days, with a day of pitch practice followed by a ‘Shark Tank’ session of the companies pitching to a live audience. Check out the participating companies below!

Aptah Biosciences: We are developing the first and only compound that corrects multiple faulty RNAs (coding and noncoding) and resulting toxic proteins at the same time.

Bioptamers: Development of ADC (antibody drug conjugates)-like target cancer therapies using aptamers instead of antibodies.

Gen-t: Genomics data platform that leverages genetic diversity of the Brazilian population to accelerate biomedical research and development of life-science companies.

miRscience Therapeutics: RNA therapies focused on age-related diseases. The first indication is sarcopenia.

Naiad: AI/ML based small molecule therapeutics design and development focused on GPCRs (oncology and psychiatry).

Peptidus Biotech: AI/ML based development of bioactive peptides for animal and human applications.

Science Biotech: Biotech specialized in the development of cardiovascular disease focused assets

Vyro Biotherapeutics: The first oncolytic therapy based on genetically modified zika vírus. Glioblastoma is the first indication.

Wecare: Develops and commercializes innovative functional skin products to oncologic patients.

XenoBR: Development of genetically engineered pigs that their organs are suitable for human transplantation.

By Cameron Hurlburt, Director of Business Development, LSN

Life Science Nation (LSN) staff hear daily from the early-stage companies that cash is king and that they do not have the funds to travel across the globe to attend partnering events… a very bleak picture. On the other hand, LSN sees that many countries and regions with life science innovation ecosystems are funding and subsidizing costs for select cohorts of startups.

Cash for startups surfaces when government, academia and industry collaborate to create funded programs. Thus, we have The Tales of Two Cities. The money goes to the lucky few considered the best of the best, and the majority are left fending for themselves. Welcome to the golden age of life science; thousands of amazing startups with game-changing technologies are forced to figure it out or perish, accounting for a 90%+ failure rate.

The world of the startup CEO, devoid of the elite status moniker, is a constant battle for funds. They resort to every possible means: seeking help from friends and family, applying for more credit cards and even getting a second mortgage. They rely on spouses or partners to pay the bills, work two jobs, write grants, hustle consulting gigs, and spend each day in a 24/7 scramble to survive. The harsh reality is that a small percentage of early-stage companies are being selected for funding, a small percentage are dancing as fast as they can to make ends meet, and the rest are half in and half out of the game because of the cash commitment dynamic.

Investors typically consider 800 startups over a year but only invest in a few. Conversely, startups need to target 800 partners to get a lead investor and a few LPs…thus the 800:3 rule.

LSN has the lowest-cost partnering platform that assists startups in reaching the crucial 800 targets; LSN RESI partnering conferences like RESI Europe. June 17-19, allow more early-stage companies into the game. RESI Boston, September25-27 and RESI JPM, in January round out the RESI conference series. These events offer opportunities for startups to connect with potential investors and partners globally, increasing their chances of securing funding.