Next Phase Newsletter

By Love Chung, Investor Research Analyst, LSN

Calling all actively investing in early-stage life sciences! At RESI, you will have the opportunity to connect with a diverse array of innovative entrepreneurs, promising startups, and seasoned industry leaders. This conference will provide an invaluable snapshot of the latest trends, breakthrough technologies, and investment opportunities that are reshaping the future of healthcare. Early-stage companies attending from the biotech, medtech, diagnostic and digital health sectors. Don’t miss out on this unparalleled platform to leverage your expertise and drive transformative advancements in life sciences investment.

Below are a few testimonials from investors who have attended RESI Boston this past June:

“It is our second year at RESI. In 3 days, I opened my schedule to global organizations and met efficiently online over 55 quality life sciences and medical device companies. Some are now part of our Keiretsu portfolio. I love collaborating with RESI and sourcing possible deals for our Investors’ chapters”

Daniela Tixi, Keiretsu Forum Canada

“I have been attending the RESI since 2018, and I find it very useful in that it allows me to meet with many startup companies that I would not be able to meet at partnering conferences such as BIO International. In fact, I often attend smaller partnering conferences as well as BIO International, but there are a few startup companies that we could only meet at RESI because we could not meet them at those partnering conferences, which is a true testament to the value of RESI. I also benefit from the information on cutting-edge drug discovery research and technology that we can gain from participating in RESI. In addition, it is very beneficial from a long-term perspective that RESI offers a chance for startup companies to join RESI so that they can build partnerships with pharmaceutical companies or VC firms and become our future collaboration partners. From this perspective, I hope that startup will continue to participate in RESI and deepen its collaboration with us and other pharmaceutical companies and VCs who are also participating in RESI to build the ecosystem.”

Hiroyuki Eda, EA Pharma

“We came to RESI as potential investors, and unexpectedly found many more companies representing significant early-stage opportunities for investment and partnership. The atmosphere was extremely collegial with a chance to meet multiple times within the venue. I participated as a judge on a cell and gene therapy pitch session panel, and also enjoyed giving feedback to the companies who pitched there, plus got to know some of the other judges after the panel event. This was another unexpected plus to attending the RESI meeting. I strongly recommend this meeting to others.”

Barri Blauvelt, Tamer Group

Hear from more investors and view confirmed investors at RESI!

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

Incubators, accelerators, tech transfer offices, non-profits, and regional and government organizations all play a crucial role in fostering the growth and success of early-stage companies. In 2023 so far, Life Science Nation’s Redefining Early Stage Investments (RESI) conference has received attendance from 200+ tech hub constituents across Therapeutics, Diagnostics, Digital Health, Medical Devices, and R&D Tools. Here are 2 reasons why tech hubs are important in this early-stage startup arena:

1. Startups can get access to resources and support to help them navigate the challenges of being a first time CEO and to make better decisions across product development, sales, marketing, and legal matters. This typically includes lab space, and access to a network of investors, experienced entrepreneurs, and potential partners and customers. An additional value is the networking aspect where founders can develop a community by collaborating with like-minded individuals and industry professionals.
2. We’ve found that most startup founders who attend RESI have dedicated their entire lives to perfect their craft in intense research and development, but still may lack the experience in building a successful business. Joining a tech hub allows the ability for founders to access educational courses on topics such as pitching to investors, solidifying their story, and how to leverage strategic and operational tactics to execute successful marketing and fundraising campaigns.

Tech hub, BioMed SA, attended RESI Boston in June and Member & Program Manager, Jared Stein, shared, “My experience at RESI was wonderful.  I enjoyed meeting all the other exhibitors and attendees throughout the day, thought the exhibit table was in a great location, and I gained several strong new leads from the event.”

Through RESI partnership, tech hub constituents gain access to resources beyond 1-1 partnering, such as discounted prices to the Life Science Nation (LSN)’s Investor Database and the Innovator’s Pitch Challenge (IPC).

Here’s how tech hubs and their constituents can get involved at Hybrid RESI, September 18-20th:

1. Register for a 1-1 partnering ticket at the tech hub rate. Contact Erika Wu to set up a unique discount code.
2. Apply to pitch at the onsite Innovator’s Pitch Challenge (IPC) and receive a free registration for a startup’s second attendee. Applications are due Wednesday, August 9th. Apply to Pitch Here. No special code required.
3. Tech hubs can save 50% off all RESI sponsorship levels. Offer applicable until end of 2023. See sponsorship brochure.

For any inquires, contact Erika Wu, Business Development Manager, Global Tech Hub at Life Science Nation.

Marta New, Ph.D., MBA

Interview with Marta New, founder and CEO of Radyus Research By Caitlin Dolegowski, Marketing Manager, LSN

Caitlin Dolegowski

Caiti Dolegowski (CD): Introduce us to Radyus Research.

Marta New (MN): Radyus Research is a fully integrated, one-stop, preclinical drug-development CRO for small molecules, peptides, and antibodies. We created Radyus after seeing a need for a different approach to drug development that is more custom and personal to each client’s needs.

We work with biotech companies, academic startups, and venture capital firms developing preclinical assets ranging from drug discovery and lead candidate selection to lead optimization and IND-enabling studies.

Our business is designed to function in a way that views a holistic picture of our client’s needs, creating long-term partnerships instead of one-off projects. This kind of working design has allowed us to build an incredibly skilled and diverse team to help our clients reach their goals and even help create their next goal.

CD: Radyus Research has over 150 years of work experience in the development of therapeutics. Tell us about your team and their fields.

MN: First, I am very proud of our team and how we built it. We have taken special care to form a team of industry experts that can offer something unique to the world of drug development. Our team members come from big pharma, venture capital, CROs, and consulting. With such a diverse group, we can identify issues and opportunities that others may not. We have found that the unique combination of experience and expertise we have in place makes it easier for our clients to rely on us to help take their drug to IND because we know what buyers are looking for.

That 150 years of combined experience you mentioned comes from our team developing therapeutics in the fields of oncology, immunology, neuro/CNS, respiratory, metabolic, and infectious diseases. We provide scientific expertise, strategic guidance, and even operational implementation.

But it is not just the expertise of our team members that makes us a one-stop shop for preclinical drug development; it is also our philosophy of partnership and problem-solving. The diverse capabilities of our team allow us to work as a true extension of our clients, discovering new pathways forward they might not uncover on their own.

We’re also beginning team spotlight posts exclusively on LinkedIn that will introduce our amazing team members to the drug-development community. I encourage everyone to follow our LinkedIn page to learn more about our team.

CD: What type of client is your ideal fit?

MN: We work with smaller venture-backed biotech companies that typically have a relatively small employee count and are in the early stages of development, and mid-sized venture-backed biotech companies with a moderate employee base and strong financial resources. We also work with Venture Capital Funds doing new company formation.

CD: Radyus Research is a sponsor at RESI, and we’re excited to have you as a part of our RESI community. Radyus hosted a workshop at RESI Boston June, Maximizing Preclinical Development Success for VC-Backed Startups Through CRO Partnerships. What did RESI attendees learn during this workshop?

MN: We are certainly excited to partner with RESI and put on this workshop. In the workshop, we discussed the value of strategic planning, efficient collaboration, and effective project management in drug development and what should be expected from each.

We also discussed a few of the steps needed to maximize success, like how to define clear objectives, selecting the right CRO partner, developing a comprehensive project and management plan, how to ensure quality and compliance during the project, and the best way to evaluate project performance and learn. We talked through some ways to manage resources and how to foster a collaborative relationship to increase the chances of maximizing preclinical development success.

CD: I joined the panelist planning call for your workshop and noticed a theme of personalized service. Why is that important to Radyus Research and what does it mean for your clients?

MN: Personalized service is the game-changer. We have learned that having a truly tailored approach requires more than defined actions only. It is a mindset that must permeate the entire team. Each drug development project is unique, with specific goals, timelines, and requirements. Viewing each client as a unique relationship allows us to customize our support to fit the specific needs of the VC-backed biotech companies we work with. Here are three reasons our focus is always on developing a partnership first:

1. Ability to adapt: A tailored approach allows for unique flexibility and agility when adapting to the evolving needs of each client’s preclinical development project. We can quickly adjust to new strategies, resources, or timelines to address challenges.
2. A Higher level of support: Because we work as an extension of our client’s team, there is a direct line of communication and collaboration. This allows for more efficient knowledge transfer, timely guidance, and proactive problem-solving. We are more familiar with specific goals, approaches, and strategic priorities because, in many cases, we work with our clients to set each of these from the start.
3. Attention to Detail: The level of client integration we practice emphasizes attention to detail and a focus on quality, reducing the risk of errors or oversights that could compromise success. Our clients will always work with our “A-team,” who will be engaged and know the project from start to finish to creation of next steps.

A venture capital firm headquartered in focuses typically on pre-seed to Series A funding, across deeptech, life sciences, and the intersection between technology and healthcare in the U.S. market. The firm is backed by companies and family offices in the U.S., Europe, and Singapore, with partners that are all entrepreneurs in the life science space. The firm will usually co-invest with typical check sizes ranging from $100k-1M. The firm also partners with LPs for acquisition opportunities, and in those cases, they will do deals up to $100M but it is acquiring the company as opposed to investing. The firm plans to invest in 20 global companies per year in addition to incubating 1-2 companies a year. The firm is also willing to help companies go into emerging areas like Africa and Asia.

The firm is opportunistic for life science and deeptech investments. Big focus areas for the firm include AI, health tech, neuroscience, life sciences tools, and therapeutics in the early-stage. The firm is also open to orphan diseases. In terms of therapeutics, the firm will invest in companies that are Pre-Clinical to Phase I.

The firm does not have management team requirements and does not require taking a board seat.

If you are interested in more information about this investor and other investors tracked by LSN, please email mandates@lifesciencenation.com.

A venture capital firm headquartered in Taiwan is focused on investing in tech-related companies such as AI, biotechnology, fintech, semiconductors, smart manufacturing, etc. The firm is stage agnostic, however, within life science and healthcare, the firm is also focusing on early-stage companies from Pre-Series A to Series B. Typical check sizes range from $1M-10M, although usually it will be $3M-5M to start. The firm participates in co-investing, but 60-70% of the time, the firm will lead. The firm is looking at companies in the U.S., Japan, Taiwan, and Europe, with the goal of creating a cross-border ecosystem that helps healthcare and biotech companies thrive. The firm is also willing to help later-stage companies with commercialization and connect with Taiwanese partners and key players in the U.S.

The firm invests in fundamental science driven companies with a technology focus. The main sectors the company focuses on are chronic disease management/treatment, AI and/or digital health, and service-based companies. Main indication areas include oncology, metabolic diseases, and autoimmune diseases, however indication areas are not limited to those listed. The firm is also open to orphan diseases, however, it has to be a platform that addresses orphan diseases to validate the technology. The firm looks at in-development and clinical stages as well as pre-approval, but they may not be interested in very early stages. For drugs, the firm requires proof of biology with an established animal model data.

The firm may invest in young teams to grow with them, however most of the time, the firm prefers companies to have an experienced team in place. The firm also requires taking a board seat, if not, at least an observer seat.

If you are interested in more information about this investor and other investors tracked by LSN, please email mandates@lifesciencenation.com.

An angel syndicate firm founded in 2022 and located in US has a tight focus on life science tools and biotech infrastructure with U.S. companies in Pre-Seed to Series A stages. The firm also has a select set of LPs where half are operators within life science tools. The firm can co-invest but prefers to lead investments with typical check sizes ranging from $160k-2M. The firm brings a fundamental understanding of life science in order to work with founders to build companies and pair them with capital. The firm is thesis-driven and can leverage their knowledgeable operator network, commercial reach, and M&A experience to accelerate company strategy.

The firm will only look into life science tools/software, SaaS serving life science, and medical device companies. The firm does not invest in therapeutics, diagnostics, or digital health. The firm is open to all stages of development and all classes of tools, software, and devices.

The firm will only work with companies whose founders and team members are 100% invested and requires that at least one academic founder works full time in the company. The firm prefers to take a board seat if (1) they lead the round and (2) it makes sense for the stage of the company.

If you are interested in more information about this investor and other investors tracked by LSN, please email mandates@lifesciencenation.com.

A family office based in the US looks to invest in medical devices and diagnostics, but will also consider therapeutics and digital health. The firm generally co-invests in a syndicate, and will invest between $100-500K, depending on the stage of development of the company. The firm is currently interested in investing in companies located in North America.
The firm is focused primarily on medical devices and diagnostics, but will consider therapeutics, if they are first in class, and digital health, with a focus on AI-related technologies. The firm has focused on technologies related to oncology, diabetes and kidney diseases, but will consider other indications as well.

The firm is interested in companies with strong management teams. As the firm will generally co-invest, board representation is not usually required after investing.
If you are interested in more information about this investor and other investors tracked by LSN, please email mandates@lifesciencenation.com.