The Power of Partnering at RESI

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By Gregory Mannix, Vice President International Business Development, LSN

The Redefining Early-Stage Investments (RESI) conference has become the point of reference in the global early-stage funding space. In fact, RESI has grown from one conference in 2013 to five conferences around North America in 2018, with a steady growth in the number of attendees. In 2019, RESI is expanding to both Europe and Asia.

Although everybody agrees that the quality of the Investor Panels and Workshops at RESI is excellent, and the Innovation and Pitch Challenges attract a fantastic turnout of some of the hottest new companies from seed to series B, the true draw of the RESI conference is the one-on-one partnering powered by RESI’s proprietary Partnering Platform.

What immediately comes to mind is the opportunity for fundraising CEOs to meet with potential investors to secure funding for the progress of their projects. And while this is the core of the conference, there are many other valuable connections going on that are equally necessary and beneficial to move the needle in the industry:  investors meeting with other investors to discuss collaboration and investment syndicates; service providers discussing novel and unique services to aid companies in their development; regional organizations, tech hubs, research institutions and others who play a key role to better the life science ecosystem. RESI is a meeting spot for all of this activity.

Breakdown of meeting types at RESI:

Most would imagine that it is always the fundraising companies who reach out in the most compelling way possible to the investors and strategic partners with whom they hope to land a meeting. So, you might be surprised to know that, in many cases, the investors and strategics take the initiative to meet with the companies developing technologies that fit with their investment mandate.

The power of partnering, in all its diversity, is what has made RESI the most efficient forum for moving the needle in early-stage funding in the life science arena. We hope to see you in Philadelphia on June 3rd!

Finding Your Voice

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By Dennis Ford, Founder & CEO, Life Science Nation; Creator of RESI Conference Series

As a writer, I have my colloquial style (informal and conversation) – it just falls out of my fingers. My voice has naturally surfaced through lots of practice communicating: through speaking and writing, which is seminal to my work in the world of business development. If you do a half-decent job at the crafts of speaking and writing, then the listening/reading public can hear your voice.  It is a combination of speaking through words, to your audience, translating and surfacing your knowledge feelings, and passion, and mostly, feeling like you have something important to share. This should be communicated in the way that you want and that feels natural.  Most importantly, the voice that you decide to develop and use has to be understood by the target reader/listener.  For me, It is very natural to communicate informally, conversationally, telling stories to make things easy to comprehend, using easily understood metaphors that help net out a point I want to make. It works for me and it can work for you. So you, dear reader, have to spend the time to see what works for you, and this is called practice, practice, practice. Practice your pitch, practice your writing, learn as you go, pivot, recalibrate and repeat the process on and on until you find your true voice or you collapse and die. C’est la vie.

When you find your authentic voice it will resonate with who you are speaking to. How will you know? You will know because you can see it and you can feel it.  When you resonate with your audience, you become engaged in dialogue. This dynamic is the holy grail of voice because it fosters relationships.

If you think about it, you will see the gravitational impact of finding your voice. Drum roll please…you voice will resonate with the subject and the audience.  Later in the series we will talk about your brand and your message, but what we will be really building on is your authentic voice.  Entrepreneurs pay big money to professionals to get help developing their brand and their message and what these consultants will do is sit in a room with you to try and listen for your voice. It ain’t easy to hear and find.

The entrepreneurial voice that you need to develop is a hybrid of your authentic voice and the potential validation of your product and market.  The entrepreneur has to first believe in him or herself, and second, but just as important, is the integrity of the product they are creating for a market.  Your entrepreneurial voice is your message to your marketplace.

 

Hot Investor Mandate: Korea Investment Firm Seeks Novel Oncology, Immunology, Rare Disease Drugs & Platform Technologies in Pre-Clinical/Early Clinical Stage

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An investment and management company headquartered in South Korea has ~$500M assets under management, and has a strong product/partnership portfolio in oncology, cardiovascular, CNS, anti-infection, among others. The firm has invested in an early-stage cell therapy company in South Korea, and is actively seeking early-stage (Seed to Series A) investment opportunities, and will also consider investments into VC funds that have aligned interest areas. The firm seeks to invest between $1-2M with capacity for up to $5M per company for initial investment, with potential for follow-on investments for promising companies that achieve milestones. The firm is actively seeking for global opportunities.

The firm is most interested in companies developing novel drugs in oncology, immunology, and rare disease indications and/or novel platform technologies for drug development. The firm will consider different types of modalities but is most interested in small molecules and biologics. In terms of stage of development, the firm is most interested in pre-clinical or early clinical stage companies.

The firm has a preference for working with experienced management teams – significant experience in drug development or senior management in global pharma or large biotech is considered a huge plus. The firm highly prefers companies that have a strong IP portfolio.

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

Hot Investor Mandate: Family Office Firm Invests Up to $5M in Early-Stage, USA-Based Therapeutics Companies Across All Indications

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A family office investment vehicle with offices in USA and Western Europe is looking to provide equity capital to USA-based therapeutic companies. The firm usually invests in Series A or B rounds, and will consider to participate in a seed round of financing. The firm’s typical deal size is variable, generally going as high as $5M for an initial investment.

The firm is currently looking for companies developing Therapeutics. The firm is opportunistic in terms of sub-sector and indication though they do have a preference for companies with platform technologies. The firm is willing to invest in companies with a lead asset in preclinical through Phase II of clinical trials. The firm’s portfolio includes oncology, the microbiome, pain, neurological and rare diseases biotech companies.

The firm looks to invest in companies with experienced management teams. The firm is capable to act as either a lead or a co-lead investor and generally seeks board or board observer rights. As a pro-active investor, The firm will assist in the growth of a company, recruit new talents, develop preclinical, clinical and IP strategies.

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

Hot Investor Mandate: USA-Based VC Firm with China Basis Invests in All Life Science Technologies & Provides Support for China Market Entry

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A venture capital firm that is based in Western USA with its parent company based in China, currently has invested in over 39 companies across a wide variety of sectors including biotech, IoT, AI, etc. The firm’s strong connection with Chinese partners enables the firm to support companies with market entry in China. With their first fund, the firm preferred to participate in seed/pre-series A financing rounds with check sizes of no larger than $500K.

Now, the firm is currently raising a second fund with a target size of $200M, through which the firm hopes to invest more capital in later rounds (i.e. Series A to B) and provide follow on investments to portfolio companies. Through the second fund, the firm is also seeking to expand their interests in diagnostics, digital health, and novel therapeutics. The e firm is in the process of launching an accelerator program to support the growth of early-stage companies in the sectors mentioned above and provide these companies with valuable resources, especially for global market entry and tapping into their network of China-based investors and partners. The firm seeks investment opportunities globally.

The firm is opportunistic and will seek companies in all parts of the life sciences space: therapeutics, medical devices, diagnostics, digital health, etc. The firm has not invested in therapeutic products so far but is actively seeking new opportunities in the biopharma space, focusing on pre-clinical to phase I assets. The firm focuses on early-stage deals and will consider pre-FDA device products. The firm is open to companies developing products in all indications.

The firm seeks to work with privately owned companies with experienced management teams with a track record of success. The firm likes to see companies with intentions of entering the China market as the firm has a network of resources to support this, but this is not a requirement. The firm generally acts as the co-investor in financing rounds.

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

Hot Investor Mandate: Venture Capital Firm Invests in Biotech & Medtech Companies that Address Unmet Medical Need, with Focus on Companies Outside Known Biotech Hubs

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A venture capital firm based in the USA is focused on early and growth-stage biotech and medical device companies. The group’s initial investments typically are in the $3M-$5M range and are usually in the form of straight equity, but may use convertible notes in select situations. The firm look to take meaningful stake in portfolio companies and play an active role in their development. The firm is open to companies based in the U.S., with a specific interest in companies located outside of the major biotech hubs, such as Boston or San Francisco.

The firm is most interested in the biotech/therapeutics space and will consider medtech companies on a secondary basis. The firm does not invest in diagnostic or digital health companies. The firm is mostly opportunistic in terms of technology type and indication area, however the group prioritizes companies with products addressing unmet medical need and unique mechanisms of action. For early-stage companies, the firm targets companies who have at least had a pre-IND meeting with the FDA and invest in companies ranging from pre-clinical to Ph. II clinical trials.

The firm has no strict company or management team requirements, but does look to be a very active investor and always requires a board seat along with an investment.

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

Partnering Launches for RESI Philadelphia

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By Karen Deyo, Investor Research Analyst, LSN

On Monday, May 6th, partnering will launch for RESI Philadelphia, and registered attendees will have the opportunity to start requesting meetings. With 150 investors registered so far, this is a great opportunity for companies and investors to schedule meetings with partners who will be a fit for them. Previously, we have published articles on the importance of sending a lot of good, focused messages to get a full schedule of meetings at RESI, so getting a head start as soon as partnering launches is important. Take a look below and see some of the investors already registered to attend!

CONFIRMED RESI INVESTORS AND STRATEGIC PARTNERS

As of April 30th, 2019

And More…