Next Phase Newsletter

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

An entrepreneur’s attitude and ability to execute the plan enormously impact their overall success or failure. Life Science Nation (LSN) has created an ecosystem where entrepreneurs who are seeking capital or licensing deals can identify and match themselves up with partners that are precisely right for their stage of development and product.

LSN sees things break down when entrepreneurs decide to pause their partnering efforts or skip the next partnering event because they are not getting the desired results. They fail to stick with the plan that fundraising is a pure numbers game, and it takes 9-18 months and hundreds of partnering meetings to find the few compelling partners that are a great fit and can lead to transactions. You need to buy off on a process for finding and meeting potential partners and work that process knowing it is always going to be a tough road.

What entrepreneurs forget is that it only takes one good connection, one good meeting, to turn the momentum around, change the partnering campaign’s dynamic, and start picking up momentum.

Entrepreneurs with a positive attitude and a relentless willingness to stick with the process will be more motivated to take risks and push themselves to go the extra mile. They must remain focused on their goals and be open to feedback and criticism and always move forward as a global partnering campaign ebbs and flows. None of this is news but at the end of the day persistence is what will make the difference and that is why LSN has 5 RESI conferences a year, with options for in-person, hybrid, and virtual, to provide an ecosystem that will allow the buyers and sellers to meet and get matched up, create a dialogue that can lead to a relationship and eventual transaction.

LSN’s flagship RESI conference – RESI JPM, returns to the Marine’s Memorial Club & Hotel in San Francisco on January 9, 2024, followed by two days of virtual partnering. This conference will host 500+ early-stage life science investors and licensing partners, Innovator’s Pitch Challenge, Entrepreneurial Education, funding and partnering panels, and workshops.  I submit that if you are a startup looking for global partners you must keep up the effort through digital and face2face events and not let chances slip by.

By Love Chung, Investor Research Analyst, LSN

Life Science Nation‘s flagship RESI conference – RESI JPM, returns to the Marine’s Memorial Club & Hotel in San Francisco on Tuesday, January 9, 2024, followed by two days of virtual partnering, during JP Morgan Healthcare Week. Monday will feature our Investor Panels, entrepreneur workshops led by industry experts and service providers, and our popular Innovator’s Pitch Challenge (IPC) sessions. All alongside one-on-one partnering meetings.

The super early bird rates end tomorrow, Friday, October 20. Early-stage startups can save $600 when they register by tomorrow!

RESI JPM will host US domestic and international investors. We are expecting over 500 investors to join us at this upcoming conference, including big pharma, medtech, CVCs, venture capital funds, angel groups, family offices, and more. The LSN investor research team has been busy inviting investors to this event, while making sure that their investment interest fits the company profiles at RESI, and they are actively looking for investment opportunities and partnerships in the space. This unique vetting process ensures the quality of partnering at RESI, which separates RESI from the other conferences. Through RESI’s powerful partnering platform, attendees can identify those that best fit their interests with ease.  Whether you represent an early-stage company, service provider or investment firm, RESI JPM will be an opportunity to grow your network and connect with key players within the industries. Below are the confirmed investor attendees who will be at RESI JPM, January 9-11.

Confirmed RESI JPM Investors and More on the Way

By Erika Wu, Business Development Manager, Global Tech Hubs, LSN

2024 will be a big year for the Southeast life sciences community with an expected growth in innovation and access to investment dollars in the region. Last Thursday, Life Science Nation visited Georgia Tech Venture Lab’s facility to meet with their portfolio companies and educate them on topics ranging from successful fundraising and licensing to articulating your value proposition. Mark your calendar for JPM Healthcare Week at Life Science Nation’s Redefining Early Stage Investments (RESI) conference on January 9th where the SE Life Sci Investor Coalition (SE LifeSci) will be a title sponsor of the event. Shortly after, in March 2024, join LSN and SE LifeSci in Atlanta, Georgia for their first RESI South event.

RESI JPM title sponsor, SE LifeSci Investor Coalition, is proud to represent 7 states across Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia:

BIO Alabama

BIO Alabama is a statewide organization representing bio-related industries, research scientists, clinicians and business professionals – all working together to foster, develop and support life sciences in Alabama. BIO Alabama’s events, programs and member benefits offer real value, and are designed to enhance progress in our industry. For more information, visit bioalabama.com

BioFlorida

BioFlorida is the voice of Florida’s life sciences industry, representing 8,600 establishments and research organizations in the biopharmaceuticals, medical technology, digital health and health systems sectors that collectively employ 107,000 Floridians. For more information, visit http://www.bioflorida.com

Georgia Bio

Georgia Bio represents more than 250 pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device companies, universities, research institutes, government groups and other business organizations involved in the development of products that improve the health and quality of life people worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.gabio.org

NC Life Sciences

As the trade association for North Carolina’s life sciences industry, the NC Life Sciences Organization advances the industry and ecosystem and enables its members to innovate and collaborate for success in a global marketplace. NCLifeSci delivers policy and advocacy leadership, future-focused workforce development programs, industry connections and mission-driven member services. For more information, visit http://www.ncbioscience.net

SCbio

SCbio is a statewide, not-for-profit, public/private life sciences industry association and economic development organization formed to actively promote, build, support, expand, and convene South Carolina’s life sciences industry. For more information, visit http://www.scbio.org

Life Science Tennessee

Life Science Tennessee is a statewide, non-profit, member organization of more than 100 companies whose mission is to advance and grow the life science industry in Tennessee through advocacy, partnerships and alignment with economic and workforce development. For more information, visit http://www.lifesciencetn.org

Virginia Bio

The Virginia Biotechnology Association (Virginia Bio), formed in 1992, is the premier statewide non-profit trade association representing the life sciences industry in the Commonwealth of Virginia. More than 200 member organizations have joined forces to make Virginia Bio an effective advocate for the biopharmaceutical and device industries before federal, state and local policymakers. For more information, visit http://www.vabio.org

About the SE LifeSci Coaltion

The SE LifeSci 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, NC Life Sciences, SCbio, Life Science Tennessee, and Virginia Bio.

Kari Haab Head of Operations Light Line Medical

Kevin Shifrin Vice President of Marketing Light Line Medical

Caitlin Dolegowski Marketing Manager Life Science Nation

Caitlin Dolegowski (CD): Please introduce us to Light Line Medical and the company’s technology.

Kari Haab (KH): Light Line Medical (LLM) was started by a team of University of Utah undergraduate students who participated in a bench-to-bedside competition to solve an unmet medical need. These students recognized that catheter-associated infections (CAIs) are a huge global health problem and are increasingly difficult to treat because of the growing prevalence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens (i.e., MRSA, ERSA, and CRE). To solve the problem, they investigated ultraviolet light as a possible solution but found it degrades catheter material and is unsafe for human tissue. In that research, they also found visible light has very similar pathogen-killing capabilities but was much safer. To deliver the lifesaving visible light within a catheter, the team developed an innovative fiber optic to deliver high-intensity light, successfully killing pathogens and preventing infections while doing no harm to the patient’s tissue and preserving the catheter’s structural integrity.  To protect the value of their ideas, the students also initiated a patent process that provided the initial basis for an IP portfolio that includes 30 issued patents with additional applications pending.

CD: Tell us about Light Line Medical’s team.

KH: Light Line Medical’s team has significant experience in catheter-related technology within the medical device industry. Each of the following leaders has successfully brought new products to market. Vicki is an IP attorney and the former founder/CEO of Catheter Connections (an infection control company acquired by Merit Medical). Vicki has over 40 years of pharmaceutical, MedTech, IP, and commercialization experience. Robert Hitchcock, Ph.D., is the Chief Technical Officer with over 35 years of medical device expertise (co-founder of Catheter Connections) and a professor of Bioengineering at the University of Utah. I (Kari Haab) am the Head of Operations and have over 15 years of experience in medical device operations and quality in start-ups and Becton Dickenson. Lastly, Kevin Shifrin is the Vice President of Marketing with over 25 years as a medical device executive (Hospira and C.R. Bard).

CD: Light Line Medical has been to RESI conferences before. How did you initially learn about the conference and what works for you attending RESI?

Kevin Shifrin (KS): RESI provides a dynamic and focused environment for start-up leaders to engage with investors, service providers, and suppliers. We learned about RESI from our discussions with other start-ups and our networking efforts on the east coast. The primary reason we returned in 2023 is because we saw it as a good opportunity to engage with new potential investors.

CD: What stage of fundraising is Light Line Medical in and what are your goals in 2024?

KS: We are currently in Series A with a target of $7M with only about $875k available left for additional investors, which will be followed by a $30M Series B. Series B funds will be used to drive the commercialization effort of our first product targeted for Peritoneal Dialysis and fund the product Development and Clinical trials for our urological foley catheter product.

CD: Congratulations on your first-place win in RESI Boston September Innovator’s Pitch Challenge (IPC)! What do you think was the key to your success at RESI September?

KH: Thanks for the opportunity to provide an overview of Light Line Medical (LLM).  I think that LLM’s mission of using visible light to solve the world’s greatest cause of morbidity and the largest source of avoidable medical costs today was a key factor in the win. The LLM technology addresses a substantial “unmet need”.  The positive feedback we received at RESI highlighted key points about the current reimbursement strategy, the extensive IP coverage, and our key partnerships with Mayo Clinic and Medline industries — all of these are additional positive elements of the Light Line story.

CD: What advice would you like to give to fellow entrepreneurs about RESI conferences?

KS: Our advice is to ensure you start scheduling your investor meetings early and sign up for the presentation. While the poster is a great way to provide key highlights, most of the visits to our poster were driven by the pitch I gave to the panel of judges.