By Claire Jeong, Chief Conference Officer, Vice President of Investor Research, Asia BD, LSN

During J.P. Morgan Healthcare Week, presenting your technology in front of active capital allocators is one of the most effective ways to accelerate an early-stage fundraising campaign. For Seed, Series A, and Series B founders, a well-executed pitch can compress months of outreach into four days of high-velocity investor dialogue. 

However, the reality on the ground in San Francisco is that the quality of pitch events varies widely. 

The Reality of JPM Pitch Events: Why Quality Matters 

Every January, dozens of satellite pitch sessions, demo days, and presentation showcases compete for attention across downtown San Francisco. Unfortunately, many of these formats end up creating little tangible value for founders: 

• The “Empty Room” Syndrome: Startups are placed into peripheral side-rooms where the audience consists mostly of fellow founders waiting for their turn, rather than genuine capital allocators with active checkbooks. 

• One-Way Broadcasts: Conventional pitch sessions offer five to ten minutes of uninterrupted presentation time, after which founders simply walk off the stage. There is no dialogue, no live questioning, and no way to know whether the narrative resonated. 

• The Follow-Up Void: Once a session ends, founders are left guessing which investors in the room were genuinely interested, leading to cold post-event follow-ups that rarely convert. 

For early-stage innovators who are investing significant capital and time to be in San Francisco, pitching cannot be a vanity exercise. It must deliver qualified access, real-time feedback, and direct partnering continuity. 

Why the RESI Innovator’s Pitch Challenge (IPC) Provides a Superior Model 

The Innovator’s Pitch Challenge (IPC) at RESI JPM 2027 was engineered specifically to solve the shortcomings of typical conference showcases. Held during the in-person days at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis (January 11 and 12), the IPC integrates presentation visibility with structured due diligence:

By combining live stage presentation with the official Investor Evaluation Sheet, IPC finalists receive invaluable data on how their scientific milestones, regulatory pathways, and commercial models are perceived by active decision-makers. 

Execution: How to Pitch to Investors and Handle Live Q&A 

Being selected for an investor pitch session is only the first step. The real differentiator between a polite response and a request for a follow-up meeting is how effectively you execute on stage. 

When presenting to institutional healthcare investors, founders must navigate two fundamental challenges: 

• Translating Science into Commercial Milestones: Investors evaluate hundreds of assets during JPM Week. Your pitch must quickly articulate not just how your technology works, but how your next milestone materially de-risks the asset and creates a value inflection point. 

• Mastering the Q&A Defense: The question-and-answer period is where investors test the depth of your leadership team. Whether responding to inquiries regarding regulatory flexibility, clinical trial design, competitive moats, or valuation expectations, your answers need to be direct, transparent, and grounded in data. 

To assist founders in refining their presentations, structuring compelling pitch narratives, and preparing for live investor inquiries, our team conducted a dedicated strategy session. You can review the complete discussion as you finalize your materials: 

[Webinar Recording] Pitching Strategy & Q&A Educational Session

Pitch slots across therapeutics, medical devices, diagnostics, and digital health tracks are strictly capped to ensure high judge-to-presenter ratios and dedicated evaluation time. The application deadline for the RESI JPM 2027 Innovator’s Pitch Challenge is Wednesday, November 11, 2026. Applications are reviewed and confirmed on a rolling basis, and sessions regularly fill before the final deadline. 

If you are raising capital and want to position your company directly in front of active buy-side investors during JPM Healthcare Week, secure your application today: 

By Claire Jeong, Chief Conference Officer, Vice President of Investor Research, Asia BD, LSN

More than 100 investors and licensing partners have already confirmed for RESI JPM 2027, and we are on pace to pass the 850 who attended last year

That number deserves a second look. Most conferences report total attendance, which is mostly other companies. 850 is the buy side alone: venture capital, corporate venture, family offices, angel groups, strategic investors, and pharma business development teams. People with mandates and checkbooks, in one room, during the one week of the year when the entire industry is already in San Francisco.

Meet the Confirmed Investors 

RESI JPM runs in person on January 11 and 12 at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis, with three additional days of virtual partnering on January 13, 18, and 19. It is LSN’s largest conference of the year.

Why Density Is the Product

The hard part of early-stage fundraising is not the pitch. It is access.

Institutional calendars during JPM Week are locked months in advance, and an early-stage company without an existing relationship generally cannot get on them. The companies that do well that week are the ones who were already in the conversation.

RESI was built to change the math. Instead of chasing a handful of meetings around the city, you walk into a room with hundreds of active investors and licensing partners and you select who you want to meet before you arrive.

What Is Coming to RESI JPM 2027

The confirmed group spans the full early-stage ecosystem: venture capital, corporate venture arms, family offices, angel groups, strategic investors, and pharma and medtech business development. Mandates cover therapeutics, diagnostics, medical technology, digital health, and platform technologies, across preclinical through Phase 2.

How to Get the Most Out of It

• Partnering meetings. Our system lets you filter the investor audience by stage, indication, geography, and check size, then request meetings directly. You build your own schedule rather than hoping for a hallway encounter.
• The Innovator’s Pitch Challenge. Present to a live investor panel, get scored feedback in front of the room, and put your company in front of people who are evaluating in real time. Applications close on Wednesday, November 11.
• Three virtual partnering days. January 13, 18, and 19 extend your reach to investors who could not travel, including a large international contingent who partner with us remotely.

Register

Registration is open now, and the investor count is still climbing. The earlier you register, the earlier you can start requesting meetings against the confirmed list.

By Claire Jeong, Chief Conference Officer, Vice President of Investor Research, Asia BD, LSN

Life Science Nation is pleased to announce the finalized investor panel lineup for RESI JPM 2027, taking place January 11 and 12 at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis during J.P. Morgan Healthcare Week.

The two day program features 14 investor sessions across therapeutics, medtech, diagnostics, digital health, platform technologies, strategic partnerships, and alternative sources of capital.

Monday, January 11

9:00 AM | Follow the Money [2027 Outlook & Trends]

Where Life Science & Healthcare Investors See Opportunity in 2027

Every year at JPM, one question sets the tone for the week: where is the capital going? Investors from across therapeutics, medtech, diagnostics, digital health, and tools take the stage to share what they are seeing in fundraising, valuations, and exit windows. They will discuss which sectors are attracting conviction, which are being left behind, and how their own priorities have shifted since last year. Whether you are raising, investing, or building, this is the read on the market you need before the deals begin.

10:00 AM | What Is Fundable Now: Therapeutics [Early Stage Therapeutics]

What Earns a Term Sheet from Early Stage Biotech Investors

Early stage therapeutics investors must weigh scientific promise against the risks of translating it into a viable treatment. Seed through Series A investors get candid about what earns their conviction: differentiated biology, convincing translational evidence, and a credible clinical development strategy. The discussion explores how investors assess target validation, competitive positioning, safety, and the experiments needed to reduce key development risks. Expect frank talk about what makes them lean in, what makes them pass, and how founders can make a compelling scientific and investment case for a therapeutic program.

11:00 AM | Backing the Next Medical Breakthrough [Medical Devices]

How Investors Evaluate Early Stage Device Innovation

Medical device companies face distinct investment hurdles, from proving technical feasibility to establishing a path to clinical adoption. This panel brings together medtech investors to discuss how they evaluate early stage opportunities across surgical technologies, robotics, monitoring, wearables, and home care. The conversation examines clinical need, regulatory strategy, reimbursement, usability, and the evidence required to support adoption. Hear what makes a device differentiated, how investors assess development and commercial risk, and which milestones strengthen the case for investment.

1:00 PM | Strategics at the Table [Strategics]

How Corporate Partners Decide When to Invest, Partner & Acquire

Strategic partners are shaping which technologies reach patients, and they are increasingly involved long before a company is ready to sell. Business development leaders from pharma and medtech join corporate venture investors to explain when they engage, what they need to see, and how they think about partnering, investing, and acquiring. Learn how to get on a strategic partner’s radar, what makes a startup stand out in a crowded pipeline, and how to build a relationship that lasts beyond a single deal.

2:00 PM | The First Believers [First Check Investors]

How the Earliest Backers Turn Life Science Ideas into Fundable Companies

Every great company has someone who said yes first. This panel gathers the earliest backers in life sciences: angels, seed funds, venture studios, foundations, and accelerators. They explain how they evaluate opportunities before substantial scientific or commercial validation, what they look for in a founding team, and what gives them the conviction to write the first check. The conversation covers company formation, initial experiments, and how early capital and hands on support help founders establish a credible development path. For founders at the very start, it is a candid map of the road from initial concept to the first funded development milestones.

3:00 PM | The Brain Trust [CNS / Neuro]

Investing Across Neuroscience & Psychiatry

Few areas of medicine combine such enormous unmet need with such complex investment challenges. This panel brings together investors in therapeutics, neuromodulation devices, digital biomarkers, and diagnostics to discuss what draws capital into neuroscience and psychiatry. Together they explore how advances in biology, technology, and clinical trial design can reopen areas once considered too difficult, and how founders across modalities can position themselves to attract investment.

4:00 PM | Patient Capital [Family Offices]

How Family Offices Are Investing Directly in Life Sciences

Family offices offer a distinct route to life science capital through direct investing, syndication with peers, and investment structures that can support longer time horizons. This session explores what draws private capital to highly technical opportunities, how family offices diligence science and technology, and what founders should know before approaching them. Panelists discuss how they structure investments, work with specialist co-investors, and assess follow-on needs. It is a practical look at how to earn the confidence of this diverse investor community.

Tuesday, January 12

9:00 AM | Investing in Longer, Healthier Lives [Longevity]

The Science and Technologies Addressing Age Related Disease

Helping people live longer, healthier lives requires addressing the diseases and functional challenges that come with aging. This panel brings together therapeutics, medtech, diagnostics, and digital health investors to explore opportunities in cardiometabolic disease, musculoskeletal health, physical function, and maintaining independence. The discussion examines how investors evaluate treatments for specific age related conditions alongside technologies that address underlying aging biology, detect risk earlier, or help people remain active. Hear what constitutes meaningful clinical evidence, how companies define a viable path to market, and what makes an opportunity compelling for early stage investment.

10:00 AM | Digital Health After the Hype [Digital Health]

What Investors Want to See in Evidence, Adoption & Economics

The digital health market has been through a reset. Investors discuss what they are backing now: clinical grade AI, new models of care delivery, and businesses with evidence, engagement, and economics that hold up to scrutiny. Hear where value is being created, what has changed in how these companies are evaluated, and what separates durable businesses from those that struggle to convert adoption into sustainable growth.

11:00 AM | Enabling the Next Generation of Medicine [Platform Technologies]

Investing in Discovery Platforms, Delivery Technologies & Research Tools

Some of the most valuable companies in life sciences make new medicines possible. This panel brings together investors backing AI enabled discovery platforms, delivery technologies, synthetic biology, and the research tools that accelerate development. The conversation centers on how to separate a durable platform from a clever technology, how investors evaluate platform companies alongside tools and infrastructure businesses, and how business models differ from those of asset driven companies. Hear what makes these technologies investable and where founders can build lasting value.

1:00 PM | Capital Across Borders [Cross Border Investors]

How International Investors Evaluate and Finance Life Science Companies

Cross border investment can expand a company’s funding options, but attracting international capital requires understanding how investors evaluate opportunities beyond their home markets. This panel brings together investors from different regions to discuss geographic mandates, due diligence, syndication, and the local presence or development plans they expect from companies abroad. Hear what makes a company attractive to overseas investors, how investors work with local co-investors, and how founders can build relationships that lead to cross border financing.

2:00 PM | Runway Without the Round [Beyond Venture Capital]

Financing the Next Milestone Beyond Conventional Venture Equity

A conventional venture round is not the only way to fund a company. This panel explores non dilutive grants, foundation funding, venture debt, royalty financing, strategic agreements, and government backed programs. Capital providers explain who qualifies, what stage or evidence their funding requires, how long the process takes, and what obligations or tradeoffs founders should understand. The discussion examines which sources are suitable for early stage companies and how they can complement equity financing. Hear how to match funding to a development milestone and extend runway without relying solely on another conventional venture round.

3:00 PM | From Seed to Series A

Building the Evidence and Investor Confidence for the Next Round

Securing seed funding is only the beginning. This panel brings together seed investors and Series A investors to explore how life science companies turn initial funding into a financeable next round. The discussion covers setting achievable milestones, demonstrating progress against the original investment thesis, identifying a lead investor, and building a syndicate. Across therapeutics, medtech, and digital health, panelists discuss how founders should align development plans, capital needs, and fundraising timelines. Hear how existing investors assess follow-on support, what new investors need to see, and how to address gaps that can leave promising companies between rounds.

4:00 PM | The Investor Reverse Pitch

Meet the Investors and Discover What They Want to Fund

To close the conference, the roles flip. Investors from across therapeutics, medtech, diagnostics, digital health, and tools take the stage to pitch their mandates: what they invest in, at which stage, with what check size, and what gets their attention. Investors deliver short presentations, followed by audience Q&A. Founders leave with a clear list of who to follow up with and how to approach them. It is a practical, high energy finish to two days of conversations.

Speaker Submissions

Life Science Nation is currently seeking qualified investors, corporate business development leaders, family office representatives, and other capital providers for speaker consideration. Submit a speaker application.

By Claire Jeong, Chief Conference Officer, Vice President of Investor Research, Asia BD, LSN

Life Science Nation is pleased to announce the winners of the RESI Boston 2026 Innovator’s Pitch Challenge, held during Biotech Week Boston.

Over the two days o RESI, more than 70 early stage life science companies presented their innovations to an audience of active investors, strategic partners, and industry leaders. Following the final round of pitches, the top three companies were recognized during lunch on day two:

1st Place	2nd Place	3rd Place
Synaptic Bio	Orthonika	Ironsides Medical

Congratulations to Synaptic Bio, Orthonika, Ironsides Medical, and every company that took the stage. The caliber of innovation, preparation, and investor engagement throughout the Challenge reflected the exciting work advancing across the global life science ecosystem.

Judges’ Picks Award Winners

In addition to the overall winners, Life Science Nation is proud to recognize the companies that received the highest evaluation scores from the investor judges in each Innovator’s Pitch Challenge session:

These companies stood out to the judging panels for the quality of their presentations and the potential of their technologies to address important unmet needs.

Apply to Pitch at RESI JPM 2027

Applications are now open for the Innovator’s Pitch Challenge at RESI JPM 2027, taking place in San Francisco on January 11 to 12, with virtual partnering January 13 and 18 to 19.

The Innovator’s Pitch Challenge gives early-stage companies the opportunity to present live to active life science investors, receive structured feedback, and build meaningful connections through RESI partnering.

Apply to the Innovator’s Pitch Challenge and secure your opportunity to pitch at RESI JPM.

By Claire Jeong, Chief Conference Officer, Vice President of Investor Research, Asia BD, LSN

RESI Boston brings together early-stage life science innovators and active investors during Biotech Week Boston. Life Science Nation is pleased to announce the investor judges participating in the Innovator’s Pitch Challenge (IPC).

This year’s IPC will feature more than 70 companies presenting across 20 pitch sessions over two days, offering startups a valuable opportunity to gain visibility, present directly to investors, and receive real-time feedback from experienced decision-makers.

Each pitch session will be evaluated by a panel of investor and strategic partner judges with expertise spanning therapeutics, medical devices, diagnostics, digital health, and life science tools. Companies will deliver a six-minute presentation followed by seven minutes of live investor Q&A, giving judges the opportunity to assess scientific differentiation, commercial potential, and investment readiness.

All IPC companies will also have a dedicated space in the RESI Exhibition Hall, creating additional opportunities for follow-up conversations and deeper engagement with investors and conference attendees.

RESI Boston attendees will be invited to vote with their RESI Cash for their favorite presenting companies. The Top 3 companies will be announced, with winners receiving prizes and additional exposure through the LSN Newsletter.

See the investors serving as judges for this year’s RESI Boston Innovator’s Pitch Challenge:

Featured RESI Boston IPC Judge
René Bastón Covenant Venture Capital	Caleb Bell Beyond Next Ventures	Randy Berholtz Mesa Verde Venture Partners
Shailesh Chavan Ingenious Global Venture Partners	Bruce Cohen Xeraya Capital	Yvette Ferreira Xcellerant Ventures
Navin Govind Evidence Ventures	Ole Henrik Bang Andreasen Avant Bio	Christopher Hupp Ipsen S.A.
Deepak Jha Autobahn Labs	James Lee Unistone Ventures	Claire Leurent AbbVie Ventures
Heather Loring AstraZeneca	James Massaquoi Glasswing Ventures	Mahesh Narayanan Neuvation Ventures
John Pennett Mid Atlantic Bio Angels	Garrett Peterson Yahara Ventures	Andrew Rae Woodgreen Ventures
Raza Shaikh Launchpad Venture Group	Justin Siemann Sontag Foundation	Sarah Tao CSL Behring
Martin Taylor F-Prime Capital	Lily Ting Lundbeck	Sally Wang Liang Xpanse Venture

By Claire Jeong, Chief Conference Officer, Vice President of Investor Research, Asia BD, LSN

RESI Boston brings together active early-stage investors and life science innovators for two days of investor-led programming focused on capital, partnering, and market dynamics shaping healthcare innovation.

The agenda will feature leading biotech VCs, family offices, corporate scouts, health system investors, and impact-focused investors sharing how they evaluate opportunities, where they see momentum, and what founders need to understand as they prepare to raise capital and build strategic partnerships.

From Boston’s biotech ecosystem and early-stage therapeutic investing to pharma partnering, health systems, strategic capital, chronic disease, women’s health, family offices, and impact investing, the panel program offers practical insight across the full life science financing landscape.

These conversations are designed to help entrepreneurs better understand investor priorities, refine their fundraising strategy, and build relationships with the people actively shaping the future of healthcare innovation.

RESI Boston takes place in person September 22–23 at the Westin Copley Place, with virtual partnering September 25 and September 28–29. Whether attending in Boston or virtually, participants can connect with investors, gain perspective from the panel stage, and advance their next conversations through targeted partnering.

Featured RESI Boston Investor Speakers
John Abeles Northlea Partners	Marc Appel Pacific Bridge NY	Farnaz Bakhshi ACS BrightEdge
Caleb Bell Beyond Next Ventures	Alan Chiu Breakthrough T1D	Scott Davis Sontag Foundation
Ronald Dorenbos BioFrontline Ltd.	Shane Duffy Avanos Medical, Inc.	Tao Fang MRL Ventures Fund (MRLV)
David Fogel Mass Medical Angels	Navin Govind Evidence Ventures	Nimisha Gupta Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc
William Hsu, PhD NuFund Venture Group	Austin Hwang Analog Garage	Jonathan Ilicki Industrifonden
Renaud Jacquemart Omnium Global	Rohit Jain HBS Alumni Angels of Northern California	Satoshi Konagai Astellas Venture Management (AVM)
Jason Kraus Boston Harbor Angels	Kathy Ku Sazze Partners	Sally Wang Liang Xpanse Venture
Nate Macht ACS BrightEdge	Nune Martiros Paladin Capital Group	Andrew Merken Polsinelli PC
Nikhil Mutyal AstraZeneca	Rohit Nuwal TELUS Ventures	Maggie O'Toole LabCentral
Soyoung Park 1004 Venture Partners	Dushyant Pathak Autobahn Labs	Garrett Peterson Yahara Ventures
Andrew Rae Woodgreen Ventures	Parthiban Rajasekaran Sanofi	Armin Rump Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
Mo Soleja Golden Seeds	Yvanka de Soysa Foreground Capital	Daniel Teper YADAY Health
Andrew Thomson Ipsen S.A.	John Tremblay Launchpad Venture Group	Le Zhan Yunion Healthcare Ventures

By Claire Jeong, Chief Conference Officer, Vice President of Investor Research, Asia BD, LSN

Life Science Nation (LSN) is excited to welcome Bayer Co.Lab as a Title Sponsor of RESI Boston 2026, taking place September 22-23 at the Westin Copley Place in Boston, with virtual partnering continuing September 25 and 28-29.

Bayer Co.Lab is Bayer’s global network of life science incubators supporting early-stage entrepreneurs developing breakthrough technologies. By connecting emerging companies with scientific expertise, mentorship, infrastructure, and Bayer’s broader global network, Co.Lab provides an environment designed to help innovators advance promising science and build the relationships needed for future growth.

Bayer Co.Lab’s mission is closely aligned with RESI’s focus on connecting early-stage life science and healthcare companies with investors, strategic partners, and industry leaders who can accelerate breakthrough therapies.

Bayer Co.Lab’s will be sponsoring a 2-hour session at RESI Boston 2026:

Connecting Asian Biotech Innovation with Global Partners: A Bayer Co.Lab Showcase

Tuesday, September 22, 2:00 – 4:00pm EST

The showcase will bring seven emerging biotechnology companies from Korea and Japan to the RESI stage, highlighting innovative approaches across various therapeutic modalities.

artiCure | Korea

Tumor-selective replicating gene therapy targeting solid tumors

Crafton Biotechnology | Japan

mRNA therapeutics supported by advanced computational approaches

Curigin | Korea

RNA-based therapeutic technologies across multiple disease areas

Elisigen | Korea

Next-generation gene therapy with programs in ophthalmology

Genome & Company | Korea

Microbiome-driven therapeutic discovery and development

ILIAS Biologics | Korea

Exosome-based therapeutics for inflammatory and fibrotic diseases

Kanjin Therapeutics | Japan

RNA therapeutics, including siRNA and antisense approaches, for areas of unmet medical need

The program reflects a growing opportunity to connect promising innovation emerging from Asian biotech ecosystems with global pharmaceutical partners, investors, and other strategic collaborators. By bringing Korean and Japanese companies directly into the RESI community, the showcase will create a forum for companies to present their science, build international relationships, and explore pathways for global development and partnership.

Meet Bayer at RESI Boston

Bayer will have a strong presence at RESI Boston, with senior representatives spanning Co.Lab and BD & Licensing departments.

Alberto Nobili Sr. Director, Strategy and Portfolio at Co.Lab	Nobuhiro Kazama Head of Collaborate to Cure Japan Hub	Ilona Gutcher Senior Director, BD&L Oncology
Carla Klattenhoff Senior Director / Scientific US Lead for Research and Early Development in CV, Renal and Immunology	Shivaranjani Sridharan Executive Director, Business Development & Licensing

Their participation gives RESI attendees an opportunity to engage with Bayer leaders representing multiple areas of scientific and strategic interest and to gain greater insight into how a global pharmaceutical company approaches external innovation and collaboration.

Bringing Global Innovators Together in Boston

RESI has always been built around a simple idea: great science can come from anywhere, but moving it forward requires the right connections.

Bayer Co.Lab’s participation as Title Sponsor of RESI Boston 2026 reinforces that mission. From supporting emerging entrepreneurs to creating new connections between Asian biotech innovators and the global life science ecosystem, the collaboration will bring another important dimension to this year’s RESI Boston.

Join Bayer Co.Lab and the global early-stage life science community at RESI Boston 2026!