Invest in Cures Forum November 1 Offers Insights, Connections into Impact Investing in Healthcare
Representatives from 8 Nonprofit Disease Foundations to Discuss Investment Strategy at NC Biotechnology Center
DURHAM, N.C., Oct. 9, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- LaunchBio, Inc., a nonprofit organization that identifies, counsels, and supports high-growth, high-impact life science and biotechnology companies, announced today that it will host a forum with investment professionals representing 8 national nonprofit disease foundations to discuss their investment philosophies, explain their fund and deal structures, and describe how they are using deep scientific knowledge to validate early stage technologies and syndicate with other investors.
The program, called Invest in Cures, is scheduled for November 1 from 4-7 p.m. at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, one of the presenting partners for the forum. North Carolina Biosciences Organization (NCBIO), BioLabs North Carolina, and the Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED) also are joining LaunchBio as presenting partners for this event.
Nonprofit foundations increasingly are making investments in life science companies to accelerate the pace of commercialization of technologies that may provide new therapies and cures for patients. No longer solely focused on making grants to researchers, disease foundations are creating a range of investment vehicles to achieve their missions.
"We are interested in new sources of capital for early stage life science companies, and see non-traditional investors, such as these foundations, as an important addition to the network," says Joan Siefert Rose, CEO of LaunchBio. "As disease foundations start venture arms and add investment professionals to their teams, the organizations hosting this forum want to make sure they are meeting other investors and learning about promising companies in North Carolina. Our expectation is that they will find good opportunities here, and return frequently," she says.
The confirmed speakers for the forum are:
Mark Allegretta, PhD
VP, Commercial Research
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
Jonathan Behr, PhD
Managing Director
T1D Fund, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
Bob Crutchfield
Managing Director
BrightEdge Ventures Fund, American Cancer Society
Gerard Honig, PhD
Manager, Translational Research
IBD Ventures, Crohn's and Colitis Foundation
Debra Miller
President & CEO
CureDuchenne Ventures
Chris Penland, PhD
Vice President, Biopharma Programs
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Barbara Tate, PhD
Venture Partner
Dementia Discovery Fund
Ben Yerxa, PhD
CEO
Retinal Degeneration Fund, Foundation Fighting Blindness
The Invest in Cures forum is part of LaunchBio's monthly gathering for the biotech community, Larger Than Life Science. Information and registration are available at https://www.launchbio.org/event/invest-in-cures.
About LaunchBio: LaunchBio is a nonprofit organization that identifies, counsels, and supports high-growth, high-impact life science and biotechnology companies. Its mission is to build an ecosystem of innovation for the benefit of human health and well-being.
LaunchBio's impact is measured by its success in connecting entrepreneurs with knowledge, capital and talent – including each other – not only within geographic regions, but across the nation's leading life science hubs. LaunchBio offers programs in Durham, NC; San Diego, CA; Boston, MA; and soon will expand to New York City.
SOURCE LaunchBio
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