Tag Archives: startups

Fundraising Bootcamp Ahead of RESI Europe 2026: Preparing Founders for Investor Engagement 

10 Mar

By Greg Mannix, VP, EMEA Business Development, LSN

Life Science Nation (LSN), in collaboration with Cuatrecasas, will host an exclusive Fundraising Bootcamp in Lisbon ahead of RESI Europe 2026, offering early-stage life science and healthcare executives a focused opportunity to refine their fundraising strategy and strengthen investor engagement skills. 

Taking place the day before the conference, the bootcamp will bring together founders, investors, and industry experts for an interactive session designed to help companies better position themselves for capital and partnerships within the global life science ecosystem. 

Event Details 

Date and Time: Sunday, March 22, 2026 | 2:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Location: Cuatrecasas Law Firm
Av. Fontes Pereira de Melo 6
1050-121 Lisboa, Portugal
Cost: Free to attend (registration required) 

This workshop will focus on practical, real-world fundraising insights that early-stage companies can immediately apply when engaging with investors at RESI Europe and beyond. Participants will hear directly from experienced professionals who work with startups and investors across the life science sector. 

Agenda Highlights 

Signal, Legibility, and Risk Mitigation in Global Fundraising 
Learn how investors interpret signals when evaluating early-stage companies and how founders can structure their development plans to become more “legible to capital.” The discussion will also explore strategies for mitigating risk in global fundraising environments. 

Shark Tank Session (Company Pitch) 
Selected companies will have the opportunity to present their pitch and receive direct feedback from experienced investors and industry professionals in an interactive format designed to sharpen messaging and highlight areas for improvement. 

Networking 
The bootcamp will conclude with time for founders and participants to connect with fellow entrepreneurs, investors, and industry experts before the start of RESI Europe. 

This pre-conference session provides a valuable opportunity for innovators preparing for RESI Europe to strengthen their fundraising approach, refine their investor messaging, and begin building connections within the RESI community. 

Space is limited, and applications will be accepted in the order they are received. 

Life Science Nation looks forward to welcoming founders and investors to Lisbon for this interactive fundraising session ahead of RESI Europe 2026. 

Sign up for Bootcamp

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RESI San Diego 2026: Investor Panel Lineup Announced 

10 Mar

By Momo Yamamoto, Senior Investor Research Analyst, LSN

Life Science Nation (LSN) has announced the investor panel lineup for RESI San Diego 2026, taking place June 22 at the JULEP Venue in San Diego during Convention Week, followed by four days of virtual partnering on June 23–24 and June 29–30. The hybrid format combines in-person networking with extended virtual partnering, giving founders and investors additional opportunities to continue conversations and schedule meetings beyond the live event.

Investor panels are a cornerstone of the RESI conference series, bringing together active investors and strategic partners to share perspectives on the evolving life science funding environment. These sessions offer founders and executives the opportunity to hear directly from investors about how they evaluate opportunities across drugs, devices, diagnostics, and digital health.

This year’s discussions will explore several key themes shaping early-stage investment. Topics will include how emerging companies can successfully engage pharmaceutical partners, what strategic investors and corporate venture capital groups are prioritizing in today’s market, and how medtech innovators can position themselves to attract both financial and strategic partners. Panels will also examine investment trends in diagnostics and oncology, the growing role of artificial intelligence in healthcare innovation, and the challenges many startups face when moving from seed capital to institutional venture funding.

RESI San Diego 2026 Investor Panels

Time  Panel Title 
9AM  Inside Pharma Partnering 
How Early-Stage Companies Can Engage Pharma 
10AM  Strategic Partnerships in Medtech 
What the Next Generation of Device Companies Must Deliver 
11AM  Strategic Capital: The Role of CVCs 
Investing Where Innovation Meets Industry
1PM  New Frontiers in Diagnostics 
Investing in Technologies Enabling Earlier Disease Detection 
2PM  Emerging Approaches in Cancer Therapies 
How New Modalities Are Standing Out in a Competitive Market 
3PM  AI at the Frontlines of Healthcare Innovation 
Building Scalable Companies at the Intersection of Data and Medicine 
4PM  Crossing the Venture Gap 
Moving from Seed Funding to Venture Rounds 
Register for RESI San Diego
Apply to Speak at RESI San Diego

In addition to investor panels, RESI San Diego will feature the Innovator’s Pitch Challenge, where selected startups present their technologies directly to investor judges in an interactive pitch format. The conference also offers extensive one-on-one partnering opportunities, allowing attendees to schedule meetings with investors, strategic partners, and industry leaders through the RESI partnering system.

Held during San Diego’s broader biotech Convention Week, RESI San Diego provides a focused environment for early-stage companies to connect with active healthcare investors and strategic partners. The event brings together venture capital firms, family offices, corporate venture groups, and industry leaders seeking opportunities across drugs, devices, diagnostics, and digital health.

Register today to secure your place at RESI San Diego 2026 and connect with investors shaping the future of healthcare innovation. Super Early Bird rates are available through April 17.

Apply to Pitch at RESI San Diego

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The Trap of Complacency 

10 Mar

By Karen Deyo, VP of Product, Israel BD, LSN

karen-wp

One message we consistently emphasize when speaking with early-stage companies is the importance of looking beyond your local ecosystem and building relationships with investors globally. Too often, founders assume they have plenty of time to expand their network, particularly in regions that offer strong support for launching startups. 

Paradoxically, those supportive ecosystems can create a false sense of security. Grants, incubators, and local funding programs can make it feel as though capital will always be available. In reality, many regions simply do not have enough follow-on capital to support every company that begins there. When the initial funding runs out, startups may suddenly find themselves approaching a financial cliff. At that point, companies that haven’t built relationships outside their region may be forced to accept unfavorable investment terms just to survive. 

Another common misconception is that companies should only begin speaking with investors once they are actively fundraising. In practice, this approach often backfires. Founders tend to underestimate how long fundraising actually takes—a typical fundraising process can last anywhere from 9 to 18 months. Waiting until the last moment leaves little room to build relationships or refine the company’s strategy. 

Early conversations with investors can be extremely valuable even when a company is not raising capital. Investors bring deep industry knowledge and experience, and their feedback can help companies sharpen their development plans, prioritize critical data, and better understand what will make them investable. Just as importantly, fundraising is ultimately driven by relationships. Building those relationships early can significantly accelerate the process when the time comes to raise capital. 

Rather than treating fundraising as something that switches on and off, companies should think of it more like a dial—one that adjusts the intensity of their efforts over time. Engaging with investors early should be considered just as essential as customer discovery or market research. These conversations can help gauge investor interest, identify potential weaknesses in a strategy, and prevent companies from investing significant time and resources in a direction that may not resonate with the market. 

Sometimes, this early feedback leads to a pivot that ultimately strengthens the company. Making adjustments sooner rather than later can help a startup reach the market faster—or even transform a company that might otherwise fail into one that achieves a successful exit. 

Register for RESI Europe

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RESI Europe 2026 Investor Panels Take the Stage in Lisbon 

3 Mar

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

Life Science Nation (LSN) is preparing for RESI Europe 2026, taking place March 23 in person at the EPIC SANA Lisboa Hotel, followed by four days of virtual partnering. 

The RESI Europe panel program will bring together active healthcare investors to discuss the sectors and strategies shaping early-stage capital formation across therapeutics, devices, diagnostics, digital health, and enabling technologies. As European companies increasingly look beyond domestic markets for capital, the conversations will reflect cross-border investment dynamics and milestone expectations in today’s disciplined funding environment. 

These panels are structured as constructive dialogue between investors and fundraising CEOs. Attendees will hear directly from venture, corporate, and strategic investors about how opportunities are evaluated, what readiness looks like at Seed and Series A, and how companies can engage the right partnering environments at the right time. 

Join the panelists at RESI Europe 2026 and engage directly with the investors shaping early-stage healthcare capital. 

Special Offer: Register for a RESI Europe 5-day hybrid ticket and receive a complimentary second attendee pass. This promotion applies to standard hybrid registrations and provides an opportunity to bring a colleague to maximize partnering coverage across all five days. 

Register for RESI Europe and secure meetings with active healthcare investors in Lisbon this March. 

Register for RESI Europe
RESI Europe Investor Panel Speakers
Raj-Airey
Raj Airey
Convergence Partners AG		 Rosie-Barnett
Rosie Barnett
Delin Ventures		 Amine-Benmoussa
Amine Benmoussa
Karista
Marcos-Casado
Marcos Casado
Invivo Partners		 Bettina-Ernst
Bettina Ernst
BERNINA BioInvest		 Navin-Govind-
Navin Govind
Evidence Ventures

William Hsu
Life Science Angels		 Mohammad-Khobreh
Mohammad Khobreh
NG Bio		 Carsten-Laue
Carsten Laue
M2Care
Chloe-Lepretre
Chloé Lepretre
Servier		 Mukul-Mohanty
Mukul Mohanty
Truffle Capital		 Luka-Nicin
Luka Nicin
Pace Ventures
Joseph-Oliver
Joseph Oliver
Stanford Angels of the UK		 Soyoung-Park
Soyoung Park
1004 Venture Partners		 Francisco-Pinto
Francisco Pinto
Bynd Venture Capital
Bibi-Sattar-Marques
Bibi Sattar Marques
Buenavista Equity Partners		 Jeff-Stinson
Jeff Stinson
HTA		 Mercedes-Tuin
Mercedes Tuin
Heran Partners
Carmel-van-den-Berk
Carmel van den Berk
Brightlands Venture Partners		 Mariette-van-der-Velden
Mariette van der Velden
Curie Capital		 Giulia-Vestri
Giulia Vestri
Claris Ventures
Yu-Zhang
Yu Zhang
FaaS Capital

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EU Webinar Series: From Discovery to Decision Making Early-Stage Life Science Legible to Capital 

3 Mar

By Greg Mannix, VP, EMEA Business Development, LSN

Life Science Nation’s EU-focused webinar series, From Discovery to Decision: Making Early-Stage Life Science Legible to Capital, continues this week with Session III. Recordings of the first two sessions are available for those who would like to revisit the insights shared by active investors shaping early-stage healthcare financing.

This series examines a central question for early-stage companies: why strong science alone is not enough to secure capital, and how founders can structure development to become legible to investors.

Session I

Why Solid Science Fails to Translate Before Capital Even Considers It

Hosted by Richard Berenson, Managing Partner, Venzyme Catalyst

Watch the recording:
https://youtu.be/ODbukG6cjNM?si=9lj-BGKRhv2wJISW

In Session I, Richard Berenson offered a candid investor perspective on why many early-stage assets stall before diligence begins. He emphasized that the issue is often not a shortage of capital, but a failure of translation.

Scientific merit alone does not make an opportunity investable. Investors must see clarity around risk reduction, defined milestones, regulatory trajectory, and capital deployment strategy. Companies that struggle to articulate this framework may be filtered out long before meaningful evaluation takes place.

The discussion reframed from fundraising challenges as structural alignment issues rather than capital scarcity.

Session II

Legibility, Signal, and the Real Work Between Seed and Series B

Hosted by Karim Galzhar, Partner, OKG Capital

Watch the recording:
https://youtu.be/Dak112sslq4?si=9MpLvecop5Jxw4_E

Session II built on this foundation with a deeper examination of how investors form conviction between Seed and Series B.

Karim Galzhar outlined what global investors require to underwrite early-stage risk. Signals are formed across scientific validation, regulatory planning, commercial strategy, and disciplined capital use. Data alone does not create signals. Structured progress and stage-appropriate positioning.

The session highlighted how companies can unintentionally dilute signals by engaging the wrong forums too early or by misaligning fundraising expectations with development readiness.

Session III — This Wednesday

Partnering Is Not Exposure. It Is Filtration

Wednesday, March 4 | 10:00 AM ET / 4:00 PM CET

Session III will feature Dennis Ford, Founder & CEO of Life Science Nation and creator of the RESI Conference Series, alongside Gregory Mannix, VP, International Business Development, Life Science Nation.

This session confronts a simple truth: great science does not raise capital, signal does. We will examine how investors actually price risk, why fundraising must be run as a disciplined global campaign, and how legibility turns complex science into an investable story.

We will also address a costly mistake: engaging the wrong partnering events and the wrong investors too early. Not every conference, forum, or investor fits every stage of development. Success requires selecting the right venues, building a stage-appropriate global target list, and engaging partners who are structurally aligned with your product. The goal is to replace activity with real transaction momentum.

Registration for Session III is open: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_oe499TEOQGmrSnoAzNr1yw#/registration

Register for RESI Europe

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RESI Europe Partnering Opens March 2: Secure Investor Meetings Early and Bring a Complimentary Second Attendee

24 Feb

By Greg Mannix, VP, EMEA Business Development, LSN

As RESI Europe 2026 approaches, one of the most important milestones is just ahead. On March 2, the partnering platform officially opens, giving registered attendees the opportunity to begin requesting and scheduling meetings with investors, strategic partners, and fellow innovators across the global life science ecosystem.

Below are two key updates to plan around.

Partnering Opens March 2: Secure Meetings Early

Partnering is the foundation of every RESI conference. From the moment the platform opens, companies can review attendee profiles, identify aligned investors and strategic partners, and begin building a focused meeting schedule.

The earlier you register and enter the platform, the more time you can:

  • Refine your profile and messaging
  • Target investors who match your stage and sector
  • Send thoughtful, customized meeting requests
  • Fill your calendar with high-value conversations

RESI Europe is structured to help early-stage companies connect efficiently with active investors. Through curated matchmaking and detailed attendee profiles, startups can prioritize fit over volume. Beyond pre-scheduled 1-to-1 meetings, the conference also creates opportunities for ad hoc introductions and follow-up discussions that often extend well beyond the event itself.

To help attendees prepare, Life Science Nation will host a dedicated RESI Europe Partnering Tutorial on Tuesday, March 3 at 10:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada). Understanding the RESI partnering system and using it to its maximum capabilities can make a significant difference in a company’s success at RESI Europe 2026. During this session, LSN staff will walk participants through how to navigate the platform, identify investors and strategic partners who are the best fit, manage outreach effectively, implement a strong follow-up strategy, and leverage the full range of conference content to strengthen their overall partnering experience. You can register for the webinar here.

Complimentary Second Attendee with 5-Day Registration

To help companies maximize their partnering coverage, RESI Europe 2026 is offering a complimentary second attendee pass with a standard 5-day registration.

Bringing a colleague allows your team to:

  • Cover more investor meetings
  • Attend concurrent sessions
  • Expand networking reach across the event
  • Ensure no key conversation is missed

This offer is not valid for Virtual or Audience Access passes. Attendees who registered for a 5-day ticket on or before February 22 may contact salescore@lifesciencenation.com to add a second attendee.

With partnering opening March 2 and expanded registration value now available, now is the time to secure your place. Enter the partnering system early, prepare strategically, and position your company to make the most of RESI Europe 2026.

Register for RESI Europe

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RESI Europe and European VC Coalition Seek to Boost EU Biotech Investment 

24 Feb

By Sougato Das, President and COO, LSN

Sougato-Das

RESI Europe is one of the major pieces in the puzzle of how to stimulate biotech and life science investing in Europe. In addition to the largest investor partnering conference coming to Lisbon on March 23, the European Life Sciences Coalition (ELSC), a new alliance of major venture capital firms advocating for increased funding and policy support for Europe’s biotech sector, has launched. The coalition includes leading investors such as Novo Holdings, Sofinnova Partners, Forbion, and Omega Funds, representing a combined €24 billion in life sciences assets and involvement in more than 1,400 companies. It launched in association with Invest Europe, whose 650+ members manage 60% of European private equity and venture capital, totaling €1.25 trillion in assets. Alongside major initiatives like the European Innovation Council, whose funded companies enjoy 50% reimbursement for attending RESI Europe, the ELSC hopes to bring new energy to the entrepreneurial sector of life sciences. 

Despite Europe’s strong pharmaceutical presence—five of the world’s top 10 pharma companies by revenue are European—and the industry supporting 29 million EU jobs, the region struggles to scale and retain biotech and life science innovation. The coalition highlights several challenges: 

  • Fragmented capital markets 
  • Declining numbers of specialized VC firms 
  • Regulatory hurdles 
  • Limited access to growth capital 

Europe accounts for only 7% of global venture capital, compared to 63% for the U.S. and 14% for China. Fortunately, events like RESI Europe create a forum where nearly all of the firms representing the 7% are available for partnering, acting as a facilitator to stimulate European life science investment. The dire need for this is underscored by the fact that nearly all EU-based biotechs that went public last year chose to list outside the EU, highlighting concerns about capital flight. 

ELSC members joined the coalition to help reverse these trends, emphasizing the need for sustained funding from both public and private sources across all stages of life sciences development. Industry leaders argue that Europe must increase investment in innovative medicines and treatments, and create supportive policy frameworks and forums, like RESI Europe, or risk losing access to cutting-edge therapies. The ELSC aims to work with policymakers and leverage Invest Europe’s network to strengthen Europe’s ability to fund and scale biotech innovation domestically.

Register for RESI Europe

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