My name is Shikha Sharma, and I'm part of the CLS Innovation & Entrepreneurship team, where I manage our FAST advisory program. It’s a busy time for CLS, having successfully wrapped up our first Innovation Showcase, which welcomed more than 200 life sciences startups, investors, and collaboration partners from industry and academia. We are eager to see you at our next Innovation Showcase on December 12th where we’re adding a new partnering element to forge better connections to access capital.
The volume of FAST applications continues to increase, as does the quality of the technologies. This month, we concluded the rigorous application review process to select our fall cohort of 12 companies. Follow us on LinkedIn to learn about them.
In addition, the Innovation and Entrepreneurship team is busy fostering an environment of learning, collaboration, development, and opportunity. Through virtual workshops, mentor / advisor engagement, and curated opportunities at some of the industry’s most respected partnering events, we remain focused on helping you navigate the challenging economic environment and supporting you on your funding journey.
If you’re in South San Francisco bay area and would like to meet, please don’t hesitate to contact me to schedule a time.
Shikha Sharma, Ph.D. Senior Director, Innovation & Entrepreneurship California Life Sciences
We celebrated the graduation of the spring 2023 FAST cohort at the CLS Innovation Showcase this past June. Held at Bakar Labs, UC Berkeley, seven therapeutic and seven medtech companies pitched to an esteemed panel of investors. The program kicked off with remarks from FAST Alumni, SyntheX CEO & founder, Maria Soloveychik, followed by a panel discussion focused on how investors and pharma licensing stakeholders assess fundable seed and series A projects in the current macro-economic environment.
Mark your calendar: Our next showcase will be held on December 12!
CLS is supporting the Kansai Life Science Accelerator Program (KLSAP), which provides commercialization resources and advice to select international clusters seeking to establish US subsidiaries. This year’s startups will participate in a three-month advisory program, concluding with virtual pitch presentations at the CLS Innovation Showcase this December.
CLS is proud to partner with leading industry conveners to provide presentation and pitch opportunities to California founders and entrepreneurs. This is a phenomenal opportunity to foster VC engagement.
Invest In Cures | August 24 | Santa Clara Explore the rising trend of impact investing through disease foundations and innovative approaches to addressing rare disease challenges. CLS members can register for only $25 with code INVESTBIO23.
Get Non-Dilutive Funding: Join the QB3 SBIR/STTR Workshop|August 30 | Virtual Get professional guidance from grant writer Shauna Farr-Jones, as she walks you through your submission for non-dilutive funding from NIH or NSF. She will assist with the angles and answer any question you have so you can submit SBIR/STTR grants before the deadline!
100 startups from across the biotech and genomics space working on cutting edge innovative platform technologies and pioneering AI and machine learning solutions will exhibit, network, and pitch to a global audience of pharma, biotech, and investment professionals. If you’re a startup in the biotech and genomics industry, we encourage you to apply to the Start-up Zone at no fee. CLS members save 50% off registration with code CLS50.
The MedInvest MedTech, AI, and Digital Health Conference|October 3 – 4 | Mountain View Join life sciences venture capitalists, family offices, company executives, foundations, academics, government officials, and health institutes for a discussion and networking on developments within the sector. The main objective of the conference is to help early and mid-stage MedTech companies and investors partner with one another. CLS members save 10% with code CLS.
BIO Investor Forum |October 16 – 18 | San Francisco CLS is proud to sponsor one of the only independent partnering events dedicated to showcasing drug development programs that are ready for partnering or venture funding. The event kicks off on 10/16 with a Seed-Stage Spotlight on Tech Transfer, where CLS will present six FAST startups. The next day, the conference will feature candid panel discussions on policy, business, financing, and R&D along with company presentations, and BIO One-on-One Partnering™ meetings. CLS members save $200 with code BIFCLS23.
Octane’s Medical Innovation Forum| October 25 – 26 | Irvine The Forum is tailor-made for founders, offering curated opportunities, impactful thought leadership, and connections to fuel your growth. Elevate your business acumen as we delve into vital strategies, resources, and processes essential for your success in the competitive landscape. CLS members save $200 with code CLSVIP.
Informa BioMedevice Silicone ValleyNovember 15 – 16 | Santa Clara The perfect opportunity for founders and entrepreneurs to showcase their most cutting-edge products and services. Check out the Startup Stadium and Startup Pavilion to receive exclusive exposure and publicity, including pre-show and post-event promotion to industry media. CLS members receive a free expo pass and save 20% off a Master Class conference pass with code CLS23.
Berkeley and QB3 have combined forces to launch Bakar Labs, a life science-focused incubator for startups developing innovative technologies to benefit society.
Bakar Labs helps founders and early-stage teams focus on the science as efficiently as possible, reducing barriers to commercializing their discoveries. We nucleate a community of founders and partners who can help you succeed, pursuing a double bottom line of profit and social good. Here are a couple of upcoming opportunities:
How Does a Company Manage Its Intellectual Property Estate?: Perspectives From In-House Counsels Virtual | August 28 |12:10-1:00 PM Even in the earliest stages, generating and securing intellectual property is a critical component of a company’s business plan. What should be done (or not done) internally with respect to IP and what can a company do to help maximize its relationship with outside counsel, while keeping a realistic budget, or when to build an internal IP team? Register here.
Nucleate @ Bakar, Bio Bay Area Info-Session Bakar Labs Auditorium, UC Berkeley | September 7 | 6:00-9:00 PM
Are you an academic leader or trainee (Professor / Post-doc / PhD / MBA / Masters / MD / JD / Undergrad) interested in life sciences company creation? Passionate about therapeutics, diagnostics, medtech, synthetic biology, and/or life science environmental solutions? Register for the first in-person info session this year to recruit 2023 Nucleate Bay Area Activator cohort members.
UCSF Global Life Sciences/Healthcare Entrepreneurship Course| October 4 | Silicon Valley UCSF lecturers and group leaders deliver useful knowledge for your startup roadmap. Faculty includes serial entrepreneurs, investors, attorneys, regulators, and other experts devoted to life sciences and healthcare.
MTC's 6th Annual Networking BreakfastOctober 9 | Anaheim MedTech Color's 6th Annual Networking Breakfast will help you build a strong, diverse network of mentors and sponsors who champion thought leadership and innovative clinical advancement.
The Medtech Conference | October 9 – 11 | Anaheim As the medtech industry’s premier event, our early stage companies should not miss the well curated panel discussions, plenary sessions, exhibit hall programming and investor forum, connecting you to qualified members of the investment community. CLS Members receive a 10% registration discount using code: SPO23
Meeting on the Mesa| October 10 - 12 | Carlsbad This meeting covers a wide range of topics from clinical trial design to alternative payment models to scale-up and supply chain platforms for advanced therapies. The program will feature expert-led panels, extensive partnering capabilities, exclusive networking opportunities, and 100+ dedicated presentations by the leading publicly traded and privately held companies in the space. CLS members save 10% off registration with code CLS.
Tri-Valley Life Sciences Summit 2023| October 18 | Pleasanton Hosted by Unchained Labs, and presented by Tri-Valley Ventures, Mirador Capital Partners and Startup Tri-Valley will feature remarks by Tim Harkness, founder and CEO of Unchained Labs, Apton Biosystems CEO John Hanna and include a panel discussions with life sciences entrepreneurs and synthetic biology and therapeutic leaders from emerging life sciences hot spots in the Tri-Valley.
On Demand | Investor-Ready Pro Forma: How to translate the milestone plan into a financial story or investor-ready pro forma | Instructor: James Graham, CPA, CEO & Founder, Richtr Financial Studio.
The 2023 California Life Sciences Sector Report highlights the latest industry trends, including economic impact, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and the effects of the Inflation Reduction Act. New data shows California’s life sciences sector produced $472 billion, supported more than a million jobs, and increased its lead as a center for the nation’s research activities.
The Founders Channel was created to foster a peer-to-peer community of life sciences founders seeking resources, programs, thought leadership, discounts and access to networking events, and curated opportunities to support you in your fundraising quest. Here are a few ways to get connected:
Connect with Shikha Sharma and Sibylle Hauser on LinkedIn to learn about about relevant entrepreneurship programs and opportunities.
If you are an industry expert with domain expertise to help start-ups and would like to join our advisor community, apply here.
Join our Founders Channel LinkedIn group to meet like-minded founders who are in different stages of their start-up journey. Request your invite by contacting Shikha Sharma or Sibylle Hauser.
Become a CLS member. For a nominal fee, entrepreneurs can benefit from discounts at industry leading conferences, attend regional happy hours, and save on lab and scientific equipment, HR, and other business solutions including insurance, waste removal, shipping, moving and storage.
Show off your successes and be part of our community spotlight! Fill out this form to get featured in our Founders Channel newsletter.
Stay focused on your science with Agilent Subscriptions for Startups. For a limited time, new companies that acquire their next lab instrument through an Agilent Instrument Subscription are eligible for a two-year CLS membership for the price of one. This promotion applies to CA-based pre-commercial companies with 12 or fewer employees that have raised less than $5M in funding.
California Life Sciences, 685 Gateway Blvd., Suite 100, South San Francisco, California, 94080
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