California Life Sciences Innovation Showcase & Partnering Forum

Held twice a year, the CLS Innovation Showcase brings approximately 200+ life science stakeholders, including biopharma representatives, investors, key advisors, expert service providers, together to foster connections and vital partnering conversations while spotlighting California’s robust innovation.

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Agenda

10:00-12:00 | Investor Partnering Forum
CLS accepted pitch applications from California-based life sciences startups to meet with select investors, including AbbVie Ventures, Abingworth, Alexandria Ventures Investments, Civilization Ventures, Danaher Ventures, Life Science Angels, LongeVC, OrbiMed Advisors, Pfizer Ignite, Phase Two Ventures, Remiges Ventures, SR One, and Xontogeny. Each participating investor will select up to six (6) companies for 20-minute in-person conversations.

12:00-1:00 pm | Boxed lunch for partnering forum participants

12:30-1:00 pm| Check-in/Registration

1:00-1:10 pm | Welcome from CLS and SmartLabs

1:10-1:30 pm | Keynote by Christian R. Schubert, Head of AbbVie Ventures

1:40-3:00 pm | Company Presentations + Investor Q&A 

Presentation Format: 1 min intro by advisor/sponsor
10-minute presentation by company, 5 min Q&A with investors

Track A – Therapeutic Pitch Session #1
QA Investor Panelist: Alexandria Venture Investments, David Peng PhD, Principal
Abbvie Ventures, Danjuma Quarless PhD, MBA, Associate Director
Astellas Venture Management, Satoshi Konagai MBA, MS, Senior Investment Manager
Boehringer-Ingelheim Venture Fund, Stefan Pflanz PhD, Executive Director
Codon Capital, Karl Handelsman MBA, MS, Managing Partner
General Inception, Chris Hoppe MBA, VP Engineered Biology
Life Science Angels, Paola Torre PhD, Investment Member
Remiges Ventures, Stuart Hwang PhD, Venture Partner
Servier, Irene Blat PhD, Senior Director, Search & Evaluation, Oncology
Xontogeny, Gianna Hoffman-Luca PhD, Principal

1. Origami Therapeutics (CNS / Huntington’s disease)
2. EV Therapeutics (cancer immunotherapy)
3. Palm Therapeutics (drug discovery / NRAS)
4. Jacaranda Biosciences (hearing loss)
5. Aluda Pharmaceuticals (Crohn’s disease)

Track B – Diagnostic / Precision Medicine Pitch Session
QA Investor Panelist: Civilization Ventures, Sonia Maryam Setayesh MS, PhD, Investment Partner
Danaher Ventures, David Cruikshank MBA, MS, VP Business Development, New Ventures, Mergers, Acquisitions & Alliances
Genoa Ventures, Bill Hyun PhD, Venture Partner
Global Genes, Charlene Son Rigby MBA, CEO
LDV Partners, Quing Zhang MD, MBA, Partner
LongeVC, Artem Trotsyuk PhD, Venture Partner

1. Senseer (smart sensor CNS shunts)
2. Immunowork (early kidney failure)
3. TIGAR Health (type 2 diabetes)
4. Panazee (troponin-T / high sensitivity POC test)
5. Pandora Biosciences (genomic testing diversity focus)

3:00 – 3:40 pm | Panel Discussion:  De-risking and funding strategies for startups through early collaboration with pharma partners

• Shaan Gandhi, Vice President and Head of Strategic Partnerships, Pfizer Ignite
• Susan Lacy, Senior Director, Integrative Sciences Oncology, Bristol Myers Squibb
• Jeff Landau, Chief Business Officer, CytomX Therapeutics
• Adam Mendelsohn, CEO, Vivani Medical (Moderator)
• Lesley Stolz, Vice President, Early Innovation Partnering, Johnson & Johnson Innovation

3:40- 3:55 pm | Break

3:55- 5 pm | Company Presentations + Investor Q&A (2 parallel tracks)

Presentation Format: 1 min intro by advisor/sponsor
10-minute presentation by company, 5 min Q&A with investors

Track A- Therapeutic Pitch Session #2
QA Investor Panelist: Astellas Venture Management, Satoshi Konagai MBA, MS, Senior Investment Manager
Boehringer-Ingelheim Venture Fund USA, Stefan Pflanz PhD, Executive Director
Civilization Ventures, Sonia Maryam Setayesh MS, PhD, Investment Partner
Codon Capital, Karl Handelsman MBA, MS, Managing Partner
Foundery Innovations, Michel Streuli PhD, CEO
General Inception, Chris Hoppe MBA, VP Engineered Biology
LDV Partners, Quing Zhang MD, MBA, Partner
Servier, Irene Blat PhD, Senior Director – Search & Evaluation – Oncology
Xontogeny, Gianna Hoffman-Luca PhD, Principal

1. Bio Superior (pediatric/lung)
2. BIOMED (3D drug printing)
3. BioDrive (protein manufacturing/plants / obesity)
4. Endure Bio (microbiome)

Track B – FAST Kansai Pitch Session

Presentation Format: pre-recorded virtual 10-min pitches, 5 min Q&A

Introduction by Kazu Matsuda, CEO, KORTUC

QA Investor Panelist: Life Science Angels, Paola Torre PhD, Investment Member
Remiges Ventures, Stuart Hwang PhD, Venture Partner

1. RegCell (cell therapy)
2. FerroptoCure (triple-negative breast cancer)
3. ImmuniT Research (cell therapy)

5:00-6:30 pm | Networking Reception

Sponsorship opportunities are still available. Please contact Emily Morgan, [email protected], to learn more.