As part of the 12th Annual BIO Investor Forum several sessions are being scheduled to discuss the impact of crowdfunding on the biotech industry. Taking place next week, October 8-9 in San Francisco, two of their roundtables are addressing crowdfunding and the JOBS Act.
The first specific session is entitled, “Crowdfunding in Healthcare & Biotech: Will It Bridge “The Valley of Death”?” This discussion notes that smaller private companies are constantly searching for capital. Crowdfunding has already been used to fill this gap for a number of life science companies.
The moderator for this segment is: Nicholas Franano, MD, Founder, President & CEO, Novita Therapeutics with panelists including:
Gregory C. Simon, CEO, Poliwogg- Hemai Parthasarathy, PhD, Scientific Director, Breakout Labs/Thiel Foundation
- Deepa Pakianthan, PhD, General Partner Delphi Ventures
- Andrew Merickel, PhD, Knobbe Martens
The next topic revolving around crowdfunding is a session titled, The New Road to IPO in the Age of the JOBS Act
The biotech CEOs and industry experts on this panel will provide an in-depth look into the key elements for a successful offering. Topics will include how to engage with the board, investors and the JOBS Act.
The moderator for this panel is: Jeffrey A. Baumel, Partner, Dentons. Panelists include:
- Paul J. Hastings, President and CEO, OncoMed Pharmaceuticals
- Michael Dybbs, PhD, Principal, New Leaf Venture Partners
- Michael Margolis, RPh, Managing Director, ROTH Capital Partners
- Steven J. Mento, PhD, President and CEO, Conatus Pharmaceuticals