Tag Archives: business

Introducing Haystack Corner – Insights from Juan Carlos López and Andrew Marshall of Haystack Science

29 Apr

By Dennis Ford, Founder & CEO, Life Science Nation (LSN)

DF-News-09142022Life Science Nation is excited to introduce a new feature in the Next Phase newsletter: Haystack Corner, highlighting insights from The Needle, the weekly publication by Juan Carlos López and Andrew Marshall at Haystack Science.

The Needle delivers sharp, actionable updates focused on the earliest stages of biotech commercialization. From translational breakthroughs to the business strategies shaping tomorrow’s therapeutics, The Needle offers a unique perspective for entrepreneurs, researchers, and investors working to move discoveries from the lab to the market.

About the Contributors

  • Juan Carlos López, Ph.D. — Former Chief Editor of Nature Medicine, with deep expertise in neuroscience, academic collaborations, venture philanthropy, rare diseases, and translational research.
  • Andrew Marshall, Ph.D. — Former Chief Editor of Nature Biotechnology, a recognized leader in biotech venture creation and scientific commercialization.
Juan-Carlos-Lopez
Juan Carlos Lopez
Andy-Marshall
Andy Marshall

LSN is proud to bring Haystack Corner to Next Phase readers, starting with this issue. LSN encourages you to explore and share these curated insights with colleagues and peers who are passionate about advancing life science innovation.

The Needle. Issue #1

Why Do 90% of Life Science Startups Fail? Because the Science Never Gets Out of the Way 

22 Apr

By Dennis Ford, Founder & CEO, Life Science Nation (LSN)

DF-News-09142022The Core Challenge: Science Without Commercialization Fails

Despite strong science, most life science startups struggle to scale because their founders lack the commercial expertise and support to navigate the investor landscape. Traditional accelerators often fall short, offering generic mentorship rather than hands-on, market-facing guidance.

Life Science Nation (LSN) addresses this gap by preparing startups to succeed on the global stage. From seed to Series B, LSN equips companies with the narrative, materials, and investor access needed to execute targeted global roadshows. Startups don’t just get introductions—they get a playbook for matching with the right partners, at the right stage, for the right reasons.

A Two-Way Innovation Bridge

LSN’s platform operates in both directions. It helps startups leave their region to reach global capital and commercial partners and connects international investors and licensing firms with often overlooked emerging markets. LSN is the connective tissue linking regional science to global dealmaking from LATAM to China to Europe and North America.

Regions that succeed in commercialization align government, academia, and industry. LSN brings the final piece: a global engine that sources, vets, and connects startups with the right capital and channels to commercialize.

Most Regions Have Science. Few Have a Commercialization Engine.

Virtually every country boasts scientific talent and academic excellence, but most lack the infrastructure, regulatory flexibility, and partner networks to commercialize innovations globally. LSN fills that gap by preparing startups for the global market and helping international players tap into new regional pipelines. The result: cross-border dealmaking, accelerated product development, and a more connected global life sciences sector.

RESI & LSN Labs: Global Success Starts Here

LSN’s commercialization platform is anchored by RESI (Redefining Early Stage Investments), a global conference series that connects startups and investors through curated, stage-specific matchmaking. With over $5 billion raised by RESI alumni, the event has become a trusted launchpad for early-stage fundraising.

Startups also gain access to the Global Partnering Campaign (GPC) and LSN Labs—a standardized, education-driven accelerator that teaches narrative development, market fit mapping, and investor targeting. It’s a proven system that replaces chance with structure.

The Missing Capital Layer: Early-Stage Therapeutics Fund

To close the early-stage funding gap, LSN is co-launching a $50 million venture fund in partnership with a few strategic stakeholders (unannounced). The fund provides micro-investments, fractional executive support, milestone-based coaching, and access to a global CRO network, offering a de-risked, high-support runway from discovery to Series B. Fully integrated with LSN’s ecosystem, the fund provides capital, coaching, and commercialization support in one unified package, creating a new template for therapeutics’ sourcing, shaping, and scaling.

A Blueprint for the Future of Biotech Commercialization

LSN is rewriting the life science commercialization playbook. By integrating structured education, curated global networks, and early-stage capital, LSN is helping science finally get out of its own way. In doing so, it’s reducing the failure rate of life science startups and ensuring more breakthroughs reach patients worldwide. This is the new commercialization model—where science and business move forward, together.