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

The Innovator’s Pitch Challenge (IPC) is an opportunity for early-stage life science and healthcare companies to apply to gain additional exposure to conference attendees and pitch directly to a panel of judges, featuring active investors and industry experts. Each finalist company also prepares a posterboard to be showcased in the exhibit hall and competes for “RESI Cash” which attendees use to “invest” in their favorite presenters for the final prizes.

Learn more about the IPC and hear from 2023 winners. The following interviews were with companies and founders who have found value in the process and connections associated with their pitch experience with RESI:

• Thrive Interview (1^st place, RESI Boston June)
• SiVEC Biotechnologies (1^st place, RESI March)

RESI JPM is the largest conference that LSN organizes, attracting 500+ investors and 500+ early-stage startups. Participating in the IPC is a great way to boost your visibility and receive valuable feedback from relevant investor judges and strategic partners. Do not miss out on the opportunity to pitch and start fundraising in the new year on the right foot, during the life science industry’s busiest week in San Francisco!

The deadline to apply is Wednesday, November 22, but slots are filled on a first come, first served basis so we highly encourage early application submissions!

Ray Briscuso

Interview with Ray Briscuso, Executive Vice President of AdvaMedBy Dennis Ford, Founder and CEO of Life Science Nation, Creator of the RESI Conference Series

Dennis Ford

Dennis Ford (DF): I’m joined today by Ray Briscuso, Executive Vice President of AdvaMed and the person responsible for AdvaMed conferences and events, including The MedTech Conference taking place October 8-11 in Anaheim, CA.  If you are a medtech or digital health investor or company, you will want to listen to this interview and perhaps take advantage of this once-a-year opportunity.

Ray, for those that don’t know AdvaMed how you would describe your organization:

Ray Briscuso (RB): Thank you Dennis, it’s always a pleasure to spend time with you and I appreciate the chance to sit and talk with you today. To answer your question, AdvaMed is short for the Advanced Medical Technology Association.  We are the world’s largest trade organization representing medical device, diagnostic and digital health companies.  In all we represent over 475 manufacturers and developers including most of the leading global strategics including J&J, Medtronic, Abbott, BD, Stryker, B. Braun, Siemens Healthineers, Boston Scientific, Edwards Lifesciences, Philips, Zimmer Biomet, Smith + Nephew, Alcon, Roche Diagnostics, Danaher, Intuitive, Integra, Teleflex, Terumo, Olympus, Cardinal Health , Baxter, Hologic, GE Healthcare, Google, Amazon and Apple plus more than two hundred early-stage entrepreneurial companies.  AdvaMed advocates for patient access to safe, effective, and innovative medical technologies that save and improve lives.  We also convene the industry, build consensus, and promote the growth of the medtech industry.

DF: Ray, you’ve been with AdvaMed for 15+ years, and you’ve spent more than 30 in the life science space, for an aspiring CEO or medtech inventor, do you have any words of wisdom on how they can take those necessary big leaps that are required to succeed in this industry?

RB: Happy to try – for starters, be a part of the community, attend industry gatherings and get to know your peers and network and build relationships throughout the entire ecosystem. Get to know investors, payers, regulators, service providers, and of course peers.  If you live in Massachusetts, join MassMEDIC, if you live in Minnesota join Medical Alley – nearly every cluster and/or state and region has an organization that gathers your peers and enablers, and you should join your local peers and consider joining AdvaMed.  Learn from your peers, network, and share.  Go to key industry events and build relationships. You and LSN do a terrific job with your RESI series, and I am very proud of The MedTech Conference and the events produced by AdvaMed. The MedTech Conference annually gathers 3000+ attendees including some 500 medtech CEOs, over 250 investors and key decision makers from every sector and all parts of the ecosystem including regulators, payers, contract designers and manufacturers.

DF: The MedTech Conference promotes itself as “the annual meeting of the medical technology industry.” With all the health care meetings and conferences taking place throughout the year, what makes this event special?

RB: The MedTech Conference is unique in that CEOs, heads of business development, regulatory agency heads, investors are all here and all accessible and not hidden or kept behind locked doors or private rooms.  You see them in the hall, you sit and talk to them on the conference floor, everyone is here, and everyone is accessible.  The unique feature is that The MedTech Conference is organized by industry and is for industry, our board of directors attends, and we address the real and timely issues, and we get the best and most dynamic speakers. 

RB: Who should attend the MedTech conference and why?

RB: Easy – everyone that is a decision maker or will be a decision maker should attend.  This is not just CEOs, but heads of regulatory affairs, executives responsible for payment policy, compliance, legal, market access, business development, investments, etc.

DF: Why should CEOs and investors in particular attend the conference?

RB: This will be the 17^th MedTech Conference. It’s evolved and it gets better every year. Some of the newer features that excite most include two Fireside chats moderated by bank analysts.  Steve MacMillan, CEO of Hologic and Peter Arduini, CEO of GE Healthcare are each delivering one.  A keynote being moderated by Citi’s analyst feature’s Ashely McEvoy, Worldwide chairman of J&J MedTech, Kevin Lobo, Chair and CEO of Stryker and Geoff Martha, Chair and CEO of Medtronic.  I think feature that will most excite the RESI community is our Reverse Pitch series.  Companies delivering these forward-thinking pitches are among the most active in the M&A space and include:. 

• Alcon
• Blackstone Lifesciences
• Boston Scientific
• Edwards Lifesciences
• GE Healthcare
• Haemonetics
• Johnson & Johnson
• Medtronic
• Olympus
• ResMed
• Siemens
• Stryker
• Gore
• ZOLL

Business gets down all day long – from breakfast through the late night.  One event not to be missed will be a fun concert event at The House of Blues featuring Fitz and The Tantrums – this is an internationally acclaimed pop indie band.  There is something for everyone, device, digital health and diagnostic.

DF: I’ve attended nearly every year and frankly find it to be the among the best bargains and wisest uses of time. It is as you described a for-industry-by-industry event. What is the secret to the success of the conference?

RB: The secret sauce – the one time and place to see the entire ecosystem and all stakeholders… Because the AdvaMed Board of Directors, Accel, Dx, Digital Board all meet in conjunction with the conference the leaders of industry are here …

DF: As a long-time partner of LSN and RESI, is there anything special you can offer our community?

RB: Dennis, we do have a great relationship and it dates to the very first RESI conference.  If any of member your community is not already registered and wants to join us for The MedTech Conference in Anaheim this October 8-11, they may register at www.themedtechconference.com and use CODE “LSN25” to receive a discount of 25%.

By Antoinette Lowre, Manager of Business Development, LSN

The RESI Conference at the Marines Memorial Hotel on January 9, 2024 Memorial Hotel. The largest life science partnering week of the year, J.P. Morgan Week, will gather again in San Francisco. RESI anticipates 500+ early-stage investors to register for our event, along with 500+ early-stage startup companies spanning the silos of drugs, devices, diagnostics, and digital health.

Being so early-stage focused, RESI attracts many different types of attendees, and to accommodate that we have a few different registration options. Read through the graph below to figure out what registration option is best for you.

Now that you’ve found your registration type you can sign up to join RESI JPM 2024! Register before Friday, October 20 to save $600 with the Super Early Bird Rate. Only applicable to some registrations, see prices here.

For additional help in finding your registration type, reach out to the business development team at salescore@lifesciencenation.com to book a meeting so we can assist in figuring out the right registration type for you!

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

At RESI Boston September 2023, 52 life science and healthcare startups participated in the Innovator’s Pitch Challenge (IPC), a unique pitching opportunity for early-stage companies in therapeutics, medical device, diagnostics, digital health, and R&D/services sectors, all finalist companies pitched in front of a judging panel and exhibited a poster showcasing their technology in the exhibit hall. The RESI Team would like to thank every IPC company for their hard work in preparing these presentations. We hope to continue the IPC as a unique platform for innovators and investors to connect, and we look forward to meeting and highlighting other innovative companies at future conferences.

Life Science Nation is pleased to share the winners of IPC who received the most votes during the conference, winners will receive complimentary RESI tickets valued up to 12K for the future RESI conference. Congratulations to the winners! Check them out below and see the full list of finalists here.

1^st Place – Light Line Medical

Light Line Medical is solving one of the greatest causes of morbidity and high cost in medicine today – infection from invasive catheters (dialysis, urinary, ventilators and vascular). These infections are life-threatening and difficult to treat complications, particularly from antibiotic resistant microbes which are the third leading cause of death worldwide. Light Line Medical is the first to use visible light to disinfect catheters via a patented light delivery system that uniformly irradiates the internal and external surfaces of an indwelling catheter. This prevents infections long term, is safe for human tissue, does not degrade catheter materials, and has no antibiotic resistance issues. Light Line Medical has a robust patent portfolio to commercialize its visible light technology (30 issued, 19 pending, FTOs), has conclusive animal & in vitro data demonstrating the antimicrobial efficacy of its technology, and has won several awards (AMA, NASA, USPTO, etc.).

Claire Jeong, Chief Conference Officer, Vice President of Investor Research, Asia BD, LSN | Cameron Hurlburt, Manager of Business Development – West Coast (US), LSN| Kari Haab, Executive Director of Quality and Operations, Light Line Medical | Dennis Ford, Founder and CEO of Life Science Nation, Creator of the RESI Conference Series

2^nd Place – ABLE Labs

ABLE Labs is a pioneering biotech firm headquartered in Korea, committed to democratizing the bio-research landscape with groundbreaking automation solutions. At the heart of our mission is Notable, our flagship Liquid Handling Robot, designed to bring precision and efficiency to every bio-laboratory. Challenging the status quo, ABLE Labs seeks to make automation accessible beyond just elite institutions, ensuring even smaller laboratories can harness the power of state-of-the-art technology. Drawing parallels to the early vision of Opentrons, our approach is rooted in affordability without compromising on quality or performance. As we navigate the evolving demands of bio-research, ABLE Labs remains steadfast in its commitment to enhancing lab processes, reducing human error, and accelerating scientific discoveries. Our ambition doesn’t just stop at hardware; we’re innovating at the intersection of software and biology, ensuring seamless integration and intuitive user experience. Join us as we reshape the future of bio-laboratory operations.

Sang Shin, CEO & Co-Founder, ABLE Labs | Dennis Ford, Founder and CEO of Life Science Nation, Creator of the RESI Conference Series | Karen Deyo, VP of Product, Israel BD, LSN

3^rd Place – Gliachem

Gliachem is a pre-clinical (pre-incorporation) stage drug development company focused on small molecule therapeutics for the treatment of rare pediatric and neurodegenerative indications. Our lead program is developing a novel drug targeting a novel target, the TRPM2 calcium ion channel, associated with Rett Syndrome (a rare pediatric disease with limited treatment options) and other neurodegenerative disorders. This is a first-in-class neurology drug program, with a unique mechanism of action. We have developed three distinct chemical series encompassing novel chemical entities (NCEs) targeting TRPM2, each of which demonstrate potency, target selectivity, and drug-like characteristics. The first clinical indication for our lead program is Rett Syndrome, for which we anticipate being in clinical trials in approximately 4 years. Regulatory incentives for Rett Syndrome enable the de-risking of our lead program for other, larger market, neurological indications, such as neuropathic pain, ischemic stroke, behavioral & neurodegenerative disorders.

Vanessa Williamson, CEO, Gliachem | Dennis Ford, Founder and CEO of Life Science Nation, Creator of the RESI Conference Series | Antoinette Lowre, Manager of Business Development, LSN

LSN’s flagship RESI conference returns to the Marine’s Memorial Club & Hotel in San Francisco on January 9, 2024, followed by two days of virtual partnering for the annual healthcare conference week. Want to be part of RESI JPM 2024? Register now to save $600 on super early bird rates by October 20. RESI also provides sponsorship and exhibition opportunities to help you increase your brand visibility at RESI Boston June or any future RESI conferences, contact us to learn more.

By Dennis Ford, Founder and CEO of Life Science Nation, Creator of the RESI Conference Series

Life Science Nation announces ‘RESI South’ in partnership with a newly formed coalition, SELifeSci, consisting of life science associations representing Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. RESI South is expected to draw a crowd of over 500 bioscience and medtech entrepreneurs and 500 premier investors, family offices, and key executives worldwide. 

RESI South 2024 will occur via a hybrid format, with March 25th being in-person at the Whitley Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia, and the 26th and 27th with virtual partnering only. 

Maria Thacker-Goethe, President & CEO of Georgia Bio, stated, “The southeastern region is flourishing with innovation that needs to be showcased to the global investors and licensing partners seeking technology assets for their investment portfolios and product pipelines.” Thacker-Goethe said, “While the region is still emerging in terms of density, the Southeast region is rapidly advancing in terms of startups with game-changing, impactful technology that will be translated from the laboratory and change the lives of patients in need.” 

Dennis Ford, CEO of Life Science Nation, concurred, stating, “I have seen firsthand the incredible opportunities abounding in the Southeast U.S. with a plethora of colleges, universities, and hospitals, fostering life science research and development. This is combined with an amazing array of incubators, accelerators, regional and governmental entrepreneurial programs, and world-class Bio Clusters supporting startups across all phases of development.  LSN’s global partnering network wants to tap into these seven states’ technological and innovative firepower.” 

Dennis stated, “This is the golden age of Life Science, and this collaboration by top association leaders from the south is a prime example of a region ready for the world stage. LSN will bring our global investor and licensing partner network for funding and licensing opportunities invigorating this compelling region.” 

LSN has built a sourcing and funding global ecosystem featuring elite early-stage technology assets and the investors, co-development, and channel partners who seek them. The international infrastructure consists of life science buyers and sellers, each with curated data profiles that are “matched up” based on the stage of development and product at LSN’s dedicated worldwide partnering events. The LSN partnering platform comprises a database of potential partners for healthcare startups across drugs, devices, diagnostics, and digital health. An education curriculum for preparing entrepreneurs for executing a global fundraising roadshow. The world-renowned RESI conference series that runs five times a year worldwide so that scientist entrepreneurs and fundraising CEOs can get out of their regions and go global.  LSN estimates it has helped over 400 startups raise over $5B over the years. 

Atlanta is an ideal destination for this convening. The city’s research and development labs are attracting top talent, and keeping the city on the forefront of technology and business innovation. Host to one of the largest venture conferences in the country for the tech industry, Venture Atlanta, Atlanta, is primed to welcome investors for the life sciences sector to the South. 

The Southeast Life Science Alliance agrees that RESI South will fill a critical gap in access to capital for its members and the broader ecosystem. Historically, investor conferences in the region have been limited and need to meet growing ecosystem needs. The landscape of funding for early-stage biotech and MedTech is changing, and these leaders believe now is the time to welcome RESI to the South. 

About Life Science Nation 

Life Science Nation (LSN) has built a global partnering ecosystem featuring healthcare startups and the capital investors, co-development, and licensing partners who seek them. This partnering ecosystem consists of the LSN Global Partnering Campaign Database, Focus on Cures Accelerator, and the world-renowned Redefining Early-Stage Investments (RESI) conference series, which work closely with LSN’s global tech hub network. 

About the SE Alliance 

The Southeast Life Science Alliance is a coalition of independent life science associations that work to build life sciences business in their respective states. Participating organizations include BioAlabama, BioFlorida, Georgia Bio, North Carolina Bio, SCbio, Life Science Tennessee, and Virginia Bio. 

Contact Erika Wu e.wu@lifesciencenation.com for startup tickets and sponsorship opportunities.

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

RESI Boston September is now just 4 days away!

In this conference cycle, we will be showcasing over 50 Innovator’s Pitch Challenge (IPC) Finalists across therapeutics, medical devices, diagnostics, digital health, R&D / life science tools, and more. These companies will be pitching in a live session with a panel of investor and industry expert judges and engage in Q&A. We are thankful for all of the judges who will be participating and providing valuable feedback and questions to the IPC finalist companies. The judges collectively represent over 40 unique firms, including some of the most active investors in the life science industry.

Whether you are an actively fundraising early-stage company, or an active investor/strategic partner looking for targeted dealflow, it is still not too late to register and engage with over 700 attendees in-person or virtually, as well as listen in on our robust program of panels, pitch sessions, and workshops throughout the whole day on Monday, September 18, at the Boston Park Plaza.

Below are the participating judges. See you all next week!

Yoola Adeniji Associate LRVHealth	Christopher Aleong Managing Director, North America BioEngine Capital	Paula Andrea Lengerke Diaz Advisor Desert Angels
Jenna Aronson Principal Two Bear Capital	Jay Batchu Entrepreneur in Residence Xontogeny	Rick Berenson Director – Executive Board Mass Medical Angels
Tara Bishop Founder Black Opal Ventures	Eric Boutin Venture Chair Redesign Health	Gennady Bratslavsky Co-Founder Avicella Ventures
James Carroll Managing Director for Life Science Investments Wharton Alumni Angels	Asmi Chakraborty Fellow Breakout Ventures	Benjamin Chen Venture Partner Panacea Ventures
Bruce Cohen Venture Partner Xeraya Capital	Lise Courtney D’Amico Senior Associate LRVHealth	Travis D’Cruz Associate Director, Early Innovation Partnering Johnson & Johnson Innovation
Ronald Dorenbos Principal BioFrontline Ltd.	David Fogel Member of Screening & Due Diligence Committees Mass Medical Angels	Gabriella Garcia Investor Two Sigma Ventures
Martin Gershon Managing Partner Endeavor Venture Fund & Venture Studio	Joe Graham Vice President Danaher Corporation	Jasmine Gruia-Gray CEO JGG Consulting
Michael Hansen Innovation Scouting Director – North America Eppendorf	Z Haroon Chairman and General Partner Julz Co LLC	Travis Hughes Research Analyst Digitalis Ventures
Daniyal Hussain Executive Director, Technology Business Development GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)	Kristin King Member Boston Harbor Angels	Merom Klein Entrepreneur Mentor Keiretsu Forum
Adam Kundzewicz Executive Director Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund	Nicola La Monica Sr. Director, Infectious Diseases and Vaccines Scientific Innovation, Janssen Johnson & Johnson Innovation	Seo Lee Director SV Investment
Mark Legare Senior Associate Innospark Ventures	Alan Lucas Founder NE Healthcare Executive Network	Greg McKee Managing Partner Bonaventure Equity, LLC (BVE)
Peter Mintun Associate ARCH Venture Partners	Paul Papi Corporate Communications DiaMedica Therapeutics	John Pennett Angel Investor Mid Atlantic Bio Angels
Jack Resnick Inception Program Specialist NVIDIA VC Alliance	Colin Sheehan Associate Director, Ventures Orange Grove Bio	Prithviraj Singha Roy Senior Associate RA Capital
Mariola Szenk Senior Associate BlueYard Capital	Wei Tao Board Director & Chair, Bio/Genomics Life Science Angels	Justin Williams Senior Associate Seae Ventures
Rosanna Zhang Partner Coho Deeptech	Yuan Zhang Senior Director, Scientific Operations & Strategy Portal Innovations	Tingting Zhang-Kharas Head, Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS US Northeast Johnson & Johnson Innovation