Longevity, Health & Innovation – A Partnership Between LSN and MFA to Advance the Longevity Marketplace

15 Oct

Dr. Mary Furlong

An Interview with Dr. Mary Furlong, President and CEO, Mary Furlong and Associates

By Rory McCann, Marketing Manager & Conference Producer, LSN

With our inaugural Longevity, Health & Innovation conference fast approaching, I spoke to Dr. Mary Furlong, President and CEO of Mary Furlong and Associates, our partner for LHI. MFA is widely considered a leader in the longevity and aging marketplace, largely due to Mary’s experience in the space.

Listen below to find out more about how Mary got started, where she thinks the industry is going and the importance of events such as LHI in moving technologies and solutions forward.

Mary Furlong, Ed.D, MFA’s president and CEO, is a leading authority on the longevity marketplace. She has guided the business development and marketing strategies of leading corporations, emerging companies, and nonprofit organizations for more than 30 years.

Her list of clients/sponsors includes AARP, Caring.com, CareLinx, First Republic Bank, GreatCall Inc., Link•age, PetPlan, and UnitedHealthcare (UHC). Mary founded MFA in 2003 to help socially- and consumer-conscious companies understand the real needs of this growing market.

In addition, Mary is the Dean’s Executive Professor of Entrepreneurship at Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business.

Before launching MFA, Mary founded the nonprofit organization SeniorNet in 1986 and ThirdAge Media in 1996. Throughout the course of her work for both organizations, she raised $130 million in venture capital funds, corporate sponsorships, and foundation grants.

During Mary’s tenure, SeniorNet served more than 500,000 adults age 50 and older. Much of her time was spent in the field at the organization’s learning centers, observing the applications that worked and the issues related to the technology. ThirdAge Media reached more than 2 million members – most age 45 and older – when Mary served as its CEO and visionary leader of the editorial team.

Mary has appeared on CBS, PBS, NPR, and NBC’s Today show to discuss trends in aging and technology, and her expertise has been featured in The New York Times, USA Today, Business Week, Fortune, People, and Fast Company, among other publications.

In 2001, Fortune Small Business named Mary one of its “Top 25 Women Entrepreneurs,” and Time-honored her in 1999 as one of its “Digital 50.” She also served as a White House Commissioner on Libraries and Information Science during the Clinton administration, and she has conducted hearings on aging and technology for the U.S. Senate. She was named one of the 100 most influential women in Silicon Valley by the Silicon Valley Business Journal and has been a recipient of the ASA Leadership Award. Mary is an advisory member of the Ziegler Link•age Longevity Fund, L.P.

Mary is the author of Turning Silver into Gold: How to Profit in the New Boomer Marketplace, which was published in February 2007 by Financial Times Press. She also co-authored the book Grown-Up’s Guide to Computing, published by Microsoft Press in 1999.

Digital RESI November Innovator’s Pitch Challenge

15 Oct

By Gregory Mannix, Chief Conference Officer, Vice President International Business Development, LSN

Attending Digital RESI as a fundraising company is all about making connections with investors, strategic partners, service providers and other companies and entities that can help move your project to the next phase. One way for a company to maximize their visibility is the Innovator’s Pitch Challenge. Approved companies will upload a pre-recorded 4-minute pitch and take part in a livestreamed Q&A Session with a panel of expert investors. Furthermore, each participant will be featured on the Digital RESI Live Agenda with a dedicated landing page like this:

We caught up with Joe Camaratta (JC), President and CEO of Quantitative Radiology Solutions (QRS), to ask him about his own experience pitching at Digital RESI September.

How was your pitch session experience?

JC: The advice from the RESI team was invaluable in preparing our materials for our investor pitch.  In addition to advice on the pitch deck itself, the team provided examples of other collaterals useful in introducing our company to potential investors. The panel provided valuable advice on additional data to reinforce the importance of the problem that we are solving, and on our competitive differentiation.  I reached out to several members of the panel regarding further discussion of our technology. 

Did you have a productive RESI conference?

JC: QRS identified over 40 potential investors where our current raise would be a good fit for their investment philosophy. We were able to establish an introduction with many of them using the RESI partnering platform.  In addition, the panel sessions provided timely advice on how investors are adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic, and their expectations of entrepreneurs. 

Do you anticipate follow-up meetings with any investors from the session or from RESI?

JC: We have already followed-up with 10 investors to provide additional information around our opportunity. In addition, we continue to target those investors that we identified as potential fits but did not have time for a discussion at RESI. 

When asked about his participation as a panelist on live pitch Q&A sessions, Gary Gershony, a member of Life Science Angels said, “The pitch sessions at RESI 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.”

We are currently accepting applications for the Innovator’s Pitch Challenge at Digital RESI November on a first come, first serve basis. Don’t miss out on this valuable opportunity to pitch and connect with investors and strategic partners who are interested in learning more about your company!

Networking in a Virtual World: Optimizing Your Digital Conference Experience

15 Oct

By Karen Deyo, Senior Investor Research Analyst, LSN

In the world of digital events, virtual partnering, and Zoom fatigue, it’s more important than ever to stay connected, especially when fundraising, sourcing technology, or expanding a portfolio. Whether you’re thriving in slippers at your home office or itching to share cocktails and small plates (that you didn’t prepare) while networking, virtual partnering events can be a powerful asset to your fundraising and deal-flow.

The Life Science Nation (LSN) conference team has designed our digital events with the user in mind, for optimum convenience and connectivity. Take advantage of these elements and keep the conversations going!

Common Goal

When logging into a partnering platform, you know that every attendee you scroll through shares a common goal. The specifics of that goal may not line up with yours, but someone at a partnering event is there to make deals. With LSN’s partnering platform, we make it easy for participants to target and connect with those who are the right fit for technology, as well as stage of development. Whether you’re a seasoned partnering pro or new to the arena, a virtual format, as well as the LSN partnering platform, takes the guesswork out.

Equal Access

Have you ever attended a conference and witnessed an incredible presentation that spoke directly to you, only to find yourself 30-attendees-deep in a line to connect with the speaker? The virtual ecosystem provides equal access to speakers and industry leaders who may otherwise be tough to get facetime with. While there’s no guarantee the reception to a meeting request, your chances increase when you’re able to review a profile that communicates what the recipient is looking for… It might be you!

Interactive Features

Be sure to take advantage of live events and interactive features within the virtual event. One of the most popular aspects of the digital model is tailoring your experience, not only around your objectives and interest, but also around your schedule. Despite that convenience, many of the best conversations begin in live panels and interactive pitch sessions. If you’re able to join a panel or pitch to a live investor audience, even better! Virtual events like LSN’s make connection convenient, however, active participation in live features will give you a competitive edge.

If you’re dreaming of the days of in-person networking, we hope you’ll take advantage of the features available in the digital format. The game is afoot, and the best deals aren’t waiting. We hope to see you at Digital RESI November 17-19, and then again at the LSN Healthtech Partnering Week, January 14-15, 2021. Check out our newest events at 4D Meets AI and Longevity, Health & Innovation!

Hot Investor Mandate: China PE/VC Firm Invests Up to $10M in Life Science Companies With China Market Potential

15 Oct

A PE/VC firm based in China makes early-growth stage investments in several sectors including Healthcare. The firm typically invests USD 5-10 million per company. The firm typically invests in companies located in China but is also interested in companies abroad that have a China angle. For example, companies that plan to set up a JV in China, etc. The firm has no set number of investments it plans to make but could potentially invest in 3-4 healthcare companies in the next 12 months. The firm is actively seeking new investment opportunities.

In Healthcare, the firm seeks to invest in therapeutics, diagnostics, medical equipment/devices, services, and HCIT. The firm is generally opportunistic in terms of subsectors. However, the firm is particularly interested in implantable devices, biomesh, IVD, gene sequencing, and vaccines. For indications, the firm is interested in large markets in China; stated interest includes (but not limited to) orthopedics, oncology, diabetes and obesity, viral diseases, and hepatitis B & C. In terms of stage of development, the firm will consider early-late stages for Chinese companies. For foreign companies, the firm seeks products that already have regulatory approval in their respective market. However, the firm is open to engage with companies with products that are 1-2 years from market approval.

The firm invests in companies in China as well as companies located abroad. However, companies abroad must have a China angle. For example, plans to set up a JV. The firm generally seeks board of directors representation.

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

Hot Investor Mandate: New VC Firm Interested in USA Investment Opportunities in Biotech, Digital Health, Medtech, and More

15 Oct

A newly established venture capital firm is actively seeking early-stage investment opportunities in life sciences and healthcare sectors. The firm is focused on emerging companies in pre-seed / seed rounds and will participate in Series A at the maximum. Currently, the firm is focused on USA-based companies, but can dedicate up to 20% of their fund to invest outside of the USA.

The firm invests in 4 main focus areas: (1) biotech, which includes biomarkers, liquid biopsies, cell therapy, smart packaging, drug delivery, next generation sequencing, omics; (2) digital health, which includes wearables, diagnostics, services, AI-enabled approaches, management, fitness, digital therapy; (3) medtech, which includes smart devices, smart lens, breath biopsy, 3D printing, in vitro diagnostics, surgical robotics, laser therapy; (4) health edtech, which includes personalized learning, med. professional development, immersive learnings (e.g., VR), wellness. The firm plans to expand their investment capabilities in medtech, as they have recently made great investments in this space. The firm is indication agnostic, and is open to all opportunities including oncology, cardiovascular, infectious, metabolic, neurological, and rare/orphan diseases.

The firm seeks to work with companies backed by a management team with deep domain expertise and technologies that are backed by solid IP. The firm prefers to act as a follow-on, but will seek to lead more investment rounds in the future.

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

Hot Investor Mandate: Canadian Investment Firm Seeks Opportunities in Therapeutics, Medtech, Diagnostics Sectors Across North America

15 Oct

A venture capital firm based in Canada is making seed and venture investments with its latest fund, and usually seeks to be the first institutional capital in a company. Equity investments are the preferred capital structure; however convertible notes may be employed for seed investments. Initial investments may be as small as $1M (seed-stage companies) with up to $15M allocated over the life of the investment. The firm prefers to lead financing rounds of Canadian companies and co-lead investments based in the United States.

The firm is focused on investments in therapeutics, medtech and diagnostics. The firm is agnostic in terms of subsector and indication and invests in early pre-clinical up unto Phase III therapeutic assets with the caveat being that the capital needs of the company fall within the fund’s criteria for investment size. As for devices and diagnostics stage of development, the firm invests in products in development and in clinical settings given the aforementioned capital constraints for therapeutics. For medtech, the firm has a preference for 510(k) regulatory pathways but will also evaluate devices with a PMA pathway.

The firm has no strict criteria for management teams and will work with novice entrepreneurs, however those management teams with experience are favored. The firm looks to originate 2/3 of its investments in Canada and the rest in the United States, and typically seeks a board seat along with investment.

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

Hot Investor Mandate: Europe VC With Over $1B AUM Invests in Medtech, Digital Health, Life Science Tools Across All Stages of Development

15 Oct

A firm with multiple offices in Western Europe has over €1 billion in total assets under management. The firm typically invests €1-5 million in early-stage opportunities or up to €10 million in growth-stage opportunities. The firm is currently focused on companies based in Europe.

Within the life science sector, the firm is currently focused on medical technology, diagnostics, life science tools and platforms, and digital health across Europe. The firm is open to opportunities in any indication area and at any phase of development.

The firm is open to investing in companies at early stages with a proof-of-concept, clinically relevant data and/or strong IP positions.

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

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