Next Phase Newsletter

By Shaoyu Chang, MD, MPH, Director of Research & Asia Business Development Liaison, LSN

LSN is gearing up for the upcoming Redefining Early Stage Investments (RESI) Conference in Toronto’s MaRS Discovery District, and we’re seeking fundraising CEOs with the most promising early stage healthcare technologies to showcase in the RESI Innovation Challenge on April 4, 2017.

LSN’s scientific team is preparing to review the RESI Innovation Challenge applications from therapeutics, medtech, diagnostics and healthcare IT companies around the globe. All applicants will be vetted based on not only the quality of the company’s scientific work, but also the strength of the management team and how well-positioned the company is to receive investment.

On April 4, 2017, each attendee will receive “RESI Cash” to allocate to the entrepreneurs whose technologies they expect will be most influential. The capital invested will be tallied up and the top three winners will receive prizes and be featured in our RESI newsletter recap that will go out to LSN’s 20,000 newsletter readership. See below for the previous RESI Innovation Challenge first place winners – a diverse group of startups from every area of the life sciences.

• Pathcore (Toronto, ON) – Healthcare IT
• BioMedomics (Durham, NC, USA) – Diagnostics
• Perimeter(Toronto, ON) – Diagnostics
• GeneSegues Therapeutics(Chaska, MN) – Therapeutics
• Clearsight(Aurora, CO) – Medical Device
• Rna Diagnostics(Toronto, ON) – Diagnostics
• Redox(Madison, WI) – Healthcare IT
• Empiriko(Newton, MA) – Therapeutics
• ORIG3N(Boston, MA) – Service Provider
• Kineta(Seattle, WA) – Therapeutics

What makes the RESI Innovation Challenge so valuable?  We’ve included a few words from previously successful participants below, but in short, being part of the Innovation Challenge provides startups with a new way to get attention and start dialogues with the investors who attend RESI. Participants can share their message all day in the exhibit hall, with their Innovation Challenge display providing a starting point for a meaningful conversation about the opportunity.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: FEB. 15, 2017

Here is what our previous winners are saying about the RESI Innovation Challenge:

“I love the RESI Innovation Challenge because it is a great way to give our pitch to practice it and try to obtain a scarce resource from these investors. Practicing with these investors is a great way to build relationships and continue that on to the real investment conversations.”

– Niko Skievaski, Co-Founder, Redox

1st Place, RESI@TMCx, June 8, 2015

“The RESI Innovation Challenge is a really good opportunity to meet investors and other companies in the space.  It’s a good showcase to reach that audience.”

– Jessica Ching, CEO, Eve Medical

2nd Place, RESI San Francisco, January 12, 2016

“The RESI Innovation Challenge is a unique way to pitch, and provides a great opportunity to see what other companies are doing in the industry, while allowing you to meet with potential investors and strategic partners outside of the partnering meetings.”

– John Connolly, VP Corporate Development, Rna Diagnostics

1st Place, RESI Boston, September 16, 2015

“RESI offers small companies like GeneSegues a direct line to potential partners and potential investors in a small setting conducive to relationship building and conversation. The Innovation Challenge was a particularly great way to introduce our company to a broader audience than I could meet with personally which allowed us to leverage the showcasing of our technology more efficiently.”

-Laura M. Brod，Chief Executive Officer，GeneSegues Therapeutics

-1st Place, RESI @TMCx, April 11, 2016

Tags: Innovator's Pitch Challenge, MaRS, RESI, technology

By Jay Doherty, Marketing Manager, LSN

LSN is gearing up for our first international RESI event in Toronto on June 23^rd, and we’re seeking the most promising early stage healthcare technologies to showcase in the MaRS HealthKick Innovation Challenge. Successful applicants will be showcased in an exhibition-style format throughout the full-day conference.

LSN’s internal scientific review board will choose the top 30 applicant companies to present their technologies. Presenters will gain exposure to investors and potential partners by showcasing their companies and products in a poster board format in the RESI Exhibition Hall. Unlike traditional 5- to 15-minute pitch presentations, which don’t provide any real one-on-one interaction or actionable feedback from investors, the MaRS HealthKick Innovation Challenge enables executives to share their pitch directly with attendees, which can generate more in-depth and frequent conversations with potential investors throughout the event.

To add some friendly competition to the mix, LSN invites all attendees to participate in the MaRS HealthKick Innovation Challenge as virtual investors. At the start of the day, each attendee will receive “RESI Cash” to allocate to the entrepreneurs whose technologies they expect will be most successful. The capital invested will be tallied up at the end of the day, and the top three winners will receive prizes and be featured in our RESI newsletter recap that will go out to LSN’s 23,000 newsletter readership.

Previous RESI Innovation Challenge winners include:

• GeneSegues Therapeutics (Chaska, MN)
• Clearsight (Aurora, CO)
• Rna Diagnostics(Toronto, ON)
• Redox(Madison, WI)
• Empiriko(Newton, MA)
• ORIG3N(Boston, MA)
• Kineta(Seattle, WA)

Please apply to the MaRS HealthKick Innovation Challenge today to put the spotlight on your company. We look forward to seeing you take part in our first RESI on MaRS!

Tags: Innovator's Pitch Challenge, MaRS, RESI, technology