The Global Entrepreneurial Classroom

May 19, 2022 ~ Next Phase Admin ~ Leave a comment

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

Launching and successfully growing a life science company is an extremely challenging endeavor, but if done successfully, can foster new paradigms of healthcare and lead to healthier lives for individuals around the globe. It is for this reason that Life Science Nation (LSN), the industry leader in connecting early-stage life science firms with capital investors and strategic partners, has developed a series of new educational courses, ranging from half a day to three days, for aspiring scientist-entrepreneurs and fundraising executives.

Launching and Funding Startups: Seed to Series B is a free half-day course designed to introduce early-stage life science executives to the tools and tips they will need to successfully launch a company and begin to interact with your target partners and investors. The course will cover several fundamental entrepreneurial concepts such as how to perform entrepreneurial due diligence, branding and messaging and the importance of telling a cogent company story through multiple modalities, and the 10 myths of fundraising. This course can be complemented by an optional afternoon session (bringing the course to a full day) where LSN staff will work directly with companies to help review their non-confidential materials, perform a competitive landscape analysis, and generate a global target list of investors.

Mapping the Landscape of Strategic Partners for Your Startup is a paid one-day course for fundraising executives who have launched an early-stage life science firm and will actively be seeking partners for capital (Seed to Series B), joint product collaboration, or licensing distribution deals. The course will cover a tactical to-do list for the early-stage entrepreneur and participants will be equipped with the skills and tools necessary to successfully undertake a global fundraising campaign. The course will finish with a Tales from the Road (TFTR) panel that will involve seasoned entrepreneurs in the LSN network sharing their experiences of their fundraising journeys and launching life science companies. The price of this course is $1,400 per company and includes two spots per company (one business and one science executive).

Preparing for Your Global Fundraising Roadshow is a paid two-day course that will cover an extensive dive into developing a professional set of marketing, non-confidential materials that the early-stage life science executive can bring to any investor meeting and partnering conference during their fundraising campaign: tagline, elevator pitch, executive summary, one-page data sheet, and pitch deck. Participants will also be taught how to research global investors, collaborators, and licensing partners who are a right fit for your company’s technology and stage of development and how to interact with your target partners. A third day of early-stage life science strategics can be added to the course (bringing it to a full three days) to further prepare participants for their fundraising journeys. Navigating the pitfalls that commonly catch first-time CEOs off-guard, creating a network of global alliances through social and business media, and mapping the competitive global landscape to elucidate the value of your startup are important themes that will be covered. The three-day version of the Preparing for Your Global Fundraising Roadshow course will conclude with a live Shark Tank to active investor judges. The price of the two-day course is $3,500, and the price of the three-day course is $4,500, with two spots per company for each course (one business and one science executive).

If you’re interested in learning more and participating in a course, please feel free to reach out to Alexander Vassallo at a.vassallo@lifesciencenation.com to schedule a call and explore the new range of LSN entrepreneurial education courses.

Crafting the Perfect Message

May 19, 2022 ~ Next Phase Admin ~ Leave a comment

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

You’ve registered for a partnering conference.

You’ve filled out a profile in the partnering system detailing who you are and what your company does.

You’ve researched the investors in attendance and built a list of targets to book meetings with.

You hit “Send Message” and freeze.

What do you say?

Partnering is an involved process with multiple steps that must be taken to ensure optimal results. These steps often require major time investment, and we forget that, even after the hours we’ve poured into the process, none of it matters without a compelling message to pique the interest of a potential partner.

Life Science Nation (LSN) has developed and consolidated the messaging process into easy steps:

Introduction: The first message is the one where you introduce yourself and your company, as well as request a meeting. It’s ok if your target investor does not respond immediately (hence this system). To help them understand your position, it’s important to include the following:
1. Company tagline (5-6 words explaining who you are and what you do)
2. Elevator pitch (1-3 sentences describing the company and tech)
3. Technology differentiation, product innovation, or market position
4. Raise and milestone information
Follow Up 1 (Product/Tech): Why is your product and technology unique? Is it first-in-class? Best-in-class? This is your opportunity to dive into your company’s differentiated value.
Follow Up 2 (Management/Team): Highlight your management and team. How have your people had a notable impact on the business development? What makes your people special?
Follow Up 3 (One Pager): Condense all the important messages you’ve already shared into a one-page tear sheet for quick and easy reference later. Even if the investor you’ve targeted is not a fit, this will make it easier for them to share your company with another.

It should go without saying that the perfect message is meaningless without a well-researched and formulated target list and marketing collateral at the ready. Think of the perfect message like how an athlete approaches the arena on game day. It’s the starting shot of a long and exciting process. It won’t replace the training and conditioning that got you to game day, but it’ll ensure you’re off with a competitive edge.

Partnering is open for Digital RESI, June 7-9 and there is still time to register! Contact us to see which investors are currently active in our partnering system who may be a fit for you.

Want to learn more? The Business Development team at Life Science Nation is available to answer questions and share additional details to help you meet your partnership goals!
International	East Coast (USA) & China	Midwest (USA) & Canada	West Coast (USA)

Greg Mannix Vice President International Business Development Book a Meeting Email Me	Candice He VP, Business Development & Global Investment Strategist Book a Meeting Email Me	Antoinette Lowre Manager of Business Development Book a Meeting Email Me	Alexander Vassallo Manager of Business Development Book a Meeting Email Me

Selling, Cold Calling, and Follow-Up Are Not Dirty Words

May 13, 2022 ~ Next Phase Admin ~ Leave a comment

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

The coaching and mentoring universe is divided between those who think that selling, cold calling, and follow-ups are dirty words. They’re likely to proselytize that if you do not have a warm referral, you are wasting your time. The other camp (where I live) supports finding partners based on the fit of product and stage of development and reaching out until you book that meeting or are told, “No.” Life Science Nation created the RESI conference to be a vehicle to make this happen, based on fit – the other “warm referral.”

Opportunity abounds in the golden age of life science with new tools and technologies adding to the dynamic, but we’re also seeing startups fail faster, and therefore pivot, restart, and draw a straighter line to viable targets and products. I hear frequently that the magic combination is being smart and lucky, but somewhere in the middle of being smart and lucky is determination, commitment to hard, tedious work, and navigating the path to a new product. This is the case for founders taking their companies from regional to global and finding investors and licensing partners that are a fit.

RESI is a conference designed for these entrepreneurs to flourish. It’s frustrating to see partnering events with little vetted investors or licensing partners, but rather services providers wanting to charge for their partnering services. These other partnering events are more of a social gathering for reconnecting business acquaintances, which makes it a challenge in choosing the right event for you. None of this is inherently wrong, but the current need is for real vetted partners who are looking to fulfil investment mandates and product pipelines.

The early-stage marketplace is heating up with growing buy-side players seeking these startups. Join us for Digital RESI, June 7-9 and mark your calendar for the first in-person RESI since 2020 – RESI Boston, September 21-22.

Book Meetings, Form Partnerships, Save the World

May 12, 2022May 12, 2022 ~ Next Phase Admin ~ Leave a comment

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

The time has come to launch the partnering platform for Digital RESI, June 7-9. Launching on Monday, May 16, the partnering platform – powered by the LSN Investor Database – enables companies to identify investors and strategic partners who are a fit for their sector, product, and stage of development, among other important criteria.

Using the partnering platform to its fullest capacity can seem like a daunting task, and it is a lot of hard work! We have compiled a lot of tips and tricks to help companies get the most out of their partnering experience. Check out the links below.

Still have questions? Our business development team is happy to aid and answer any questions!

Want to learn more? The Business Development team at Life Science Nation is available to answer questions and share additional details to help you meet your partnership goals!
International	East Coast (USA) & China	Midwest (USA) & Canada	West Coast (USA)

Greg Mannix Vice President International Business Development Book a Meeting Email Me	Candice He VP, Business Development & Global Investment Strategist Book a Meeting Email Me	Antoinette Lowre Manager of Business Development Book a Meeting Email Me	Alexander Vassallo Manager of Business Development Book a Meeting Email Me

The Story of Innovator’s Pitch Challenge

May 12, 2022 ~ Next Phase Admin ~ Leave a comment

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

Just as a good story is the backbone to any pitch, so the story behind the Innovator’s Pitch Challenge (IPC) explains why it has become a RESI mainstay and one of the event’s most popular sessions with both startups and investors alike. Prior to the Covid-19 global pandemic, pitch sessions were included in the RESI agendas, but not met with the same enthusiasm we now see. In early 2020, the entire life science industry scrambled to figure out how to best adjust and shift perspectives and workflow.

As the world came to a halt, RESI had to pivot, and we reassessed how to best add value to the growing need for early-stage technology assets in life science and healthcare. Pitching is necessary for startups to share their story and increase their exposure to investors and other relevant industry experts. However, there is often a noticeable lack of engagement. At other conferences, we saw companies that had dedicated hours and days to practicing and perfecting their pitch got little value-add beyond the single encounter. Adding this value to a virtual format became our singular goal.

The IPC is unique in that all companies have a dedicated landing page where they can share any relevant company materials, viewable by all conference attendees. All IPC finalists are assigned to a live Q&A session with investor and industry expert judges who actively work with companies in their sector and stage of development and receive early access to each company’s marketing materials, which allows for more targeted, detailed questions. These judges often self-select, so they participate with genuine interest in the participating companies. See what judges have had to say about their participation:

“The Pitch Sessions were a great opportunity to engage with the CEO/Founders of very innovative Life Science startups. Despite the COVID-related transition from in-person to virtual meetings, the RESI team did an outstanding job organizing these sessions, ensuring that the live Q&A was very productive, and facilitating follow-up with these exciting companies.”

Gary Gershony, Life Science Angels / BayMed Venture Partners

“The Pitch Sessions are a great opportunity to connect with startup CEOs and learn more about their work…It really has been an effective and efficient way to make connections, create deal flow and help startups raise money for their upcoming raises.”

Mayank Taneja, OSF Healthcare

“It was a very economical use of time; the investors got to ask their important questions and the Innovators got a good idea of the most pressing questions from the investors point of view.”

William Kuziel, MedPro Investors

To date, 700+ companies applied to present and 300+ unique investors and industry expert judges have participated in the live pitch sessions. Join the companies featured below and apply to pitch at Digital RESI, June 7-9 by Friday, May 13!

400 Reasons to Not Miss Out

May 5, 2022 ~ Next Phase Admin ~ Leave a comment

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

Are you looking for early-stage investors? Digital RESI, June 7-9 is the (virtual) place to be! Don’t take my word for it, though. Check out the investors and strategic partners who are already registered for Digital RESI June and decide for yourself how you want to connect with 400+ top early-stage investors and strategics. You can book meaningful meetings with the right players on the powerful RESI Partnering Platform, and you still have a chance to compete in the Innovator’s Pitch Challenge. Be sure to register by this Friday, May 6 to save $200 on registration.

Confirmed Investors and Strategic Partners*

*As of May 4, 2022

Building the Perfect Pitch

May 5, 2022May 5, 2022 ~ Next Phase Admin ~ Leave a comment

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

A perfectly honed pitch is an important part of a startup’s bag of tricks. Many think that having a good pitch is easy because no one knows their company better than they do, and telling people about it is simple enough, right? Wrong! Building a concise pitch with the right amount of information to tell enough of the story to catch an investor’s attention can be a long and arduous process. When working with some of our branding and messaging clients, the elevator pitch can go through dozens of drafts before finding the right balance.

A good pitch should give investors a snapshot of your technology, your stage of development, what makes your technology unique, what you are looking to raise and what milestones you are looking to achieve. Some companies may also choose to highlight any relevant experience with the management team, the involvement of a KOL, or maybe a key partnership that they have developed. Each elevator pitch is unique, depending on the company and what part of their story is crucial to highlight. The one thing that all pitches have in common is that they take a lot of practice to perfect. However, you cannot practice in a vacuum – getting solid feedback is a critical part of developing a solid pitch.

This is where pitch sessions, like RESI’s Innovator’s Pitch Challenge (IPC) come in. The IPC provides a chance to hone your pitch, practice pitches in different lengths, from the 4-minute prerecorded pitch to the 1-minute live pitch during the Q&A session and get a glimpse of what questions an investor may ask for clarification. Participating in pitch sessions like the IPC gives you a glimpse into what questions investors are frequently asking you. This may indicate an area of your pitch that needs more work, or a part of your company strategy that you should develop more fully to appeal to more investors. Joining the IPC is a wonderful tool to help you make a great first impression.

Join Life Science Nation for a FREE Bootcamp in preparation for the Innovator’s Pitch Challenge.

Tuesday, May 10, 11AM EDT	Click Here to Register
Preparing to Pitch at RESI
Greg Mannix, Vice President International Business Development, General Manager Europe, Life Science Nation The Innovator’s Pitch Challenge (IPC) is an opportunity for early-stage companies to gain additional exposure to conference attendees, pitch directly to a panel of relevant investors, and participate in a live Q&A session. This bootcamp will walk through the process of preparing your pitch materials and what to expect in a live pitch session, including frequently asked questions from investor judges.