Next Phase Newsletter

By Antoinette Lowre, Manager of Business Development, LSN

Digital RESI, November 15-16, 2022 is a virtual-only dedicated partnering event designed to facilitate well-fitting meetings through matching attendees based on product and stage of development. What sets Digital RESI dedicated partnering apart from the Digital RESI 3-Day events and Hybrid RESIs is the focus on virtual partnering. Digital RESI is designed to make partnering between major events simpler by connecting startups with investors and channel partners who are a fit for their product and stage of development.

Digital RESI can be optimized without travel and at a reasonable rate for busy early-stage entrepreneurs. View a tutorial of the partnering platform here! The super early bird rates end tomorrow, Friday, October 7. Early-stage startups can save $300 when they register by tomorrow!

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

Last week, we organized a very successful multi-day Redefining Early Stage Investments (RESI) event, which was our first in-person event in 2+ years! At RESI Boston, we had 61 companies participate in the Innovator’s Pitch Challenge (IPC). These finalist companies pitched to a judging panel and a full audience and exhibited a poster showcasing their technology. All attendees were provided with “RESI Cash” to vote for their favorite innovators.

RESI Boston 2022 Innovator’s Pitch Challenge Winners

1^st Place – Suma

Denice Wharton, Founder/CEO of Suma

Suma is an online management system that simplifies and streamlines the licensing and renewal process for medical professionals. Initially, our product will target workers that have an increased labor market dropout risk yet are in high demand, highly diverse and have high care impact. Certified Nurse Assistants (CNA) and Home Health Aides (HHA) provide basic direct patient care, measure vitals and help patients with activities of daily living (ADL) such as feeding, grooming, bathing, etc. They work predominantly in nursing homes, home health agencies, hospitals, and other long-term care settings caring for the elderly, sick and/or disabled. These positions are held mostly by people of color, women, immigrants, low income and at-risk populations, and are considered entry-level nursing positions. There is an overwhelming need for these healthcare workers nationwide and creating an easy way to maintain their employment will provide resources for our economy and save businesses thousands of dollars every year.

2^nd Place – Leuko Labs

Carlos Castro Gonzalez, CEO of Leuko Labs

Leuko is an MIT spinout developing PointCheckTM, the world’s first medical device that can monitor white blood cells non-invasively. By enabling more frequent at-home monitoring, Leuko aims to improve clinical outcomes for more than 2M cancer chemotherapy patients a year, reduce their chemotherapy-related hospital readmissions by 50% and save >$6B annually in healthcare cost.

3^rd Place – RudaCure

Yong Ho Kim, CEO of RUDACURE

RudaCure is a clinical stage bio-pharmaceutical start-up founded in 2018 and based in South Korea that is developing medicines for incurable diseases based on the most advanced life-science technologies to help improve human lives. By developing treatment techniques for intractable and incurable diseases, RudaCure will solve its unmet needs and treat the physical and mental pain for patients suffering from them. With creative pharmaceutical development and biomedical research, RudaCure is on the path to grow into a global pharmaceutical company.

Current main products in development include RCI001 for dry eye disease, which is in pre-IND phase and awaiting to start Phase 2 FDA clinical trials next year. RudaCure also plan to secure additional indications for RCI001 including conjunctivitis, keratitis and corneal ulcers. Second in development is RCI002, which is a non-opioid treatment for neuropathic and chronic pain currently in optimization stage. Other early stage products in development include treatments for atopic dermatitis, metastasis and CRPS.

Since April of 2021, RudaCure has successfully licensed-out RCI001 to Hanlim Pharm for domestic rights in a $12 million deal, and is currently looking for more investors and partners to license-out for international markets. Helping RudaCure along the way, are start-up accelerators MassChallenge and Shinhan Square Bridge, which are both helping RudaCure enter the US market.

By Alexander Vassallo, Manager of Business Development West Coast (US), Entrepreneurial Education Lead, LSN

With over 2,700 early-stage fundraising executives, active investors, strategic partners, and licensing collaborators having attended RESI events in 2022, Life Science Nation (LSN) is proud to announce the opening of our final partnering event for the year – Digital RESI November. Over the course of two days of dedicated virtual partnering November 15-16, Digital RESI November will serve as an exciting platform for innovative technology assets to be met with active capital and professional services.

The format for Digital RESI November will differ slightly from previous editions of the partnering conference. The two days will be purely dedicated to partnering, as the Innovator’s Pitch Challenge (IPC) and our industry-standard panels, workshops, and content will rejoin RESI in January, 2023 as RESI heads to San Francisco for JPM week. All attendees will have access to 96 30-minute slots during the two-day partnering conference with which they can continue the conversation with existing partners and establish the dialogue with new ones.

As LSN once again welcomes life science startups (across the domains of therapeutics, medical devices, diagnostics, and digital health) looking for capital and partners, active investors looking for novel technology assets, and strategic partners looking for exciting companies to add to their portfolio to the RESI platform this November, we would also like to take the time to thank the 2,700+ attendees who have previously attended RESI this year. We are proud to have facilitated the growth of the global early-stage life science sector and look forward to seeing you all virtually for the final partnering event of 2022.

SAVE $300 on Super Early Bird Rates by Friday, October 7.

By Karen Deyo, Director of Investor Research, Israel BD, LSN

It’s hard to believe that, after more than two years, RESI Boston is now in the rearview for Life Science Nation (LSN). After a great deal of hard work, including a two-day NIA sponsored bootcamp and our first hybrid conference with 900 registered attendees, new and returning sponsors, 14 investor panels, educational workshops and over 50 pitching companies, we can say that face-to-face events are back with a vengeance.

Last week’s RESI was a perfect example of the global ecosystem that LSN fosters. With attendees representing over 30 countries from 6 continents, companies and investors were able to take advantage of RESI’s unique partnering platform to expand their outreach beyond their region. With 2000 meetings taking place, both virtually and in person, RESI was a hive of activity and energy. Whether scheduled ahead of time or ad hoc, the feedback we received from attendees showed that a lot of valuable connections were made.

RESI Boston may be in the rearview but partnering and early-stage deal-making are always ahead of the curve. Keep an eye out for our upcoming conferences, with a virtual-only event in November, and hybrid in San Francisco in January during JP Morgan Healthcare Week, we hope to keep moving the needle forward for the life sciences, one handshake at a time.

By Rory McCann, Director of Marketing & Conference Producer, LSN

RESI Boston is merely days away and the return to in-person events (not to mention RESI’s hometown) elicits a buzz that must be seen to be believed! Hosted in-person September 21-22 at the Westin Copley Place Hotel and virtually September 23, the hybrid format is designed to meet the unique needs of the global RESI community with the high-quality panels, pitching, and partnering experience expected from a decade of success. There is still time to register for a hybrid or virtual experience to book meetings with 800+ investors, strategic partners, service providers, tech hubs, and innovators across drugs, devices, diagnostics, and digital health. RESI is the premier partnering experience exclusively serving early-stage life science and healthcare. Be a part of history and join us for our first in-person event in more than two years.  Check out the RESI Boston 2022 Program Guide to learn more about next week’s lineup of events, speakers, pitching companies, and more!

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

Next week’s RESI Boston will showcase 50+ Innovator’s Pitch Challenge (IPC) finalists across therapeutics, medical devices, diagnostics, digital health, and more. These companies will pitch in a live session with a panel of investor and industry expert judges and engage in Q&A. We are thankful for all the judges who will be participating and providing valuable feedback and questions to the IPC finalist companies.

Whether you are an actively fundraising early-stage company, or an active investor/strategic partner looking for targeted deal-flow, it is still not too late to register, engage in partnering meetings with attendees of interest, and join our robust program of investor panels, workshops, and pitch sessions. Below is a splash of participating judges. See you all next week!

Featured IPC Judges

Christopher Aleong Managing Director, North America BioEngine Capital	Paula Andrea Lengerke Diaz Advisor Desert Angels	Sujuan Ba President and COO NFCR Oncology Impact Partners
Joshua Barney Member Barrington Angels	Jay Batchu Analyst Xontogeny	Irene Blat Sr. Dir. Search & Evaluation, Oncology Servier
Katie Bodner Spielberg Associate 5AM Ventures	Bruce Cohen Venture Partner Xeraya Capital	Ronald Dorenbos Executive Director, Business Development, Logica Charles River Laboratories
Aleks Engel Partner, Novo Holdings and Director, REPAIR Impact Fund Novo Holdings A/S	Poorya Hosseini Partner Camford Capital	Tomoko Ishikura Partner Kicker Ventures
Hanuman Jampani Founder & President Samrus International	Rick Jones Partner BioAdvance	Deb Kemper Managing Director Golden Seeds
Kristin King Member Boston Harbor Angels	James Lee Investment Director Photon Fund	Seo Lee Director SV Investment
Nancy Levy Founder and Managing Partner BioHealth Management, LLC	Elliot Levy Senior Associate – Healthtech DreamIt Health	Bo Liang Founding Partner Alpha Bioventure
Yuwen Liu Founding Partner Bohe Angel Fund	Alyssa Reisner Director & Principal CVS Health Ventures	Ronak Savla Director, Strategic Ventures Catalent Strategic Ventures
Siyu Shi Associate F-Prime Capital	Christopher Tan Director, Search & Evaluation, Neuroscience and Infectious Diseases & Vaccines Merck & Co., Inc.	Jingjing Wang Senior Associate Lightstone Ventures
Sally Wang Venture Partner Viva BioInnovator	Tad Weems Managing Director Agilent Technologies	Matt Weinberg Partner Max Ventures
Ryan Witt Member Tech Coast Angels	Jacqueline Young Investor 500 Global	Z Haroon Chairman & General Partner Julz Co

By Candice He, Vice President of Business Development, Global Investment Strategist, LSN

The RESI community is built up of powerful players and innovators in the early-stage life science and healthcare arena, and Life Science Nation (LSN) welcomes them back to an in-person RESI next week at the Westin Copley Place Hotel in Boston, MA. We are pleased to highlight our sponsors, not only for their impact on the quality of meetings and partnering but also for their insights and opportunities presented through their panels and workshops. Check out who will be presenting at RESI Boston next week and learn how you can get involved.

Wednesday, September 21, 11 AM EDT

Negotiating Term Sheets Workshop: What’s Best for the Company and What’s Best for You?

Matthias Breugelmans, CEO, Elastrin Therapeutics Inc.
Nancy Briefs, President & CEO, AltrixBio, Inc.
David Hendren, Managing Director, Augmentum Ventures
Mark Mihanovic, Partner, McDermott Will & Emery
Richard Smith, Counsel, McDermott Will & Emery

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.

Wednesday, September 21, 1 PM EDT

Shinhan Square (S2) Bridge: Showcasing Innovative Technologies from South Korea
With the motto of “One Place, One Platform”, Shinhan Square Bridge (S2 Bridge) Incheon is a platform that supports the growth of startups in cooperation with government agencies and the private sector. S2 Bridge was established as the first public-private Startup Acceleration Platform in South Korea, with the dream of becoming a global startup innovation growth hub. S2 Bridge Incheon is a proud Gold Sponsor of RESI Boston 2022, and we are excited to showcase 7 promising early-stage companies representing a wide variety of life science & healthcare technologies.

Wednesday, September 21, 3 PM EDT

Leveraging IP for Growing an Investable MedTech Company
Bryan Stewart Partner, Husch Blackwell (Moderator)
Cambre Kelly, PhD, Co-Founder & CEO, Reselute; Co-Founder & Vice President, Research & Technology restor3d
Adam T.C. Steege, Founder & President, Trio Labs
Timothy J. Skapek, CTO & Co-Founder, Protect3d
This panel for industry leaders, entrepreneurs, general counsel, and investors explores how investable healthcare entities leverage intellectual property (IP) to drive growth. Hear from medtech entrepreneurs about their experiences with IP strategy, protection, licensing, and marketing, and how these and other factors have impacted success.

In addition to these events, LSN is also pleased to offer a series of entrepreneurial workshops to tackle the nuts and bolts of building a brand and message, learning to tell your company story through these modalities, and sourcing a global target list.

Thursday, September 22, 11 AM EDT

Branding & Messaging
Claire (Chae-Kyeong) Jeong, Vice President, Investor Research & Asia Business Development, Life Science Nation
Candice He, Vice President, Business Development & Global Investment Strategist, Life Science Nation

The Branding & Messaging workshop discusses how to brand you and your firm and how to provide potential investors with high-quality, professional collateral—materials that engage them, communicate your message clearly and concisely, and present the information they want to see in a way that helps them to decide quickly and easily if you are a potential fit for their needs.

Thursday, September 22, 1 PM EDT

It All Starts with Your Story
Dennis Ford, Founder & CEO, Life Science Nation
Alex Vassallo, Business Development Manager West Coast, Entrepreneurial Education Lead, Life Science Nation

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 of your company and technology, you are on the right track to building successful relationships.

Thursday, September 22, 13 PM EDT

Identifying Your Global Target List
Gregory Mannix, Vice President, International Business Development, Life Science Nation
Karen Deyo, Director of Research, Israel Business Development, Life Science Nation

The Fundraising Boot Camp provides a top-to-bottom master class on outbound global fundraising. Topics to be covered include the changing investor landscape, new categories of life science investors, and how to organize and execute a successful roadshow. It will bring you step-by-step through the processes of positioning, marketing collateral, website creation, branding & messaging, and how to reach out to a list of global investors