Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) Announces Plenary Sessions for 12th Annual BIO Investor Forum

Washington, D.C. (October 3, 2013) – The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) announces a slate of plenary sessions, therapeutic workshops, and business roundtables for the 12th Annual BIO Investor Forum®, an international investor conference which explores investment trends and opportunities in life sciences. The event focuses on early and mid-stage private companies, as well as emerging public companies, that are poised for growth in 2014. The event will take place October 8-9, 2013 at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, California.

“With the recent surge in investor interest in biotech stocks, we have worked hard to line up a premier group of leading investors, industry analysts, and company executives for our plenary sessions this year,” said Jim Greenwood, BIO’s President and CEO. “Attendees can expect lively discussions of the most timely and relevant issues affecting investment in our sector, including the IPO market and early stage venture financing.”

Plenary Sessions include:

Opening Plenary Session: IPO Frenzy – Are the GoGo Markets Here to Stay?

Tuesday, October 8, 12:00 p.m. – 1:25 p.m.

With 35 (and counting) life sciences companies having already placed IPOs on the market in the first 10 months of this year and others lining up for S-1 filings, biotech is buzzing about a revival of the IPO market – Is it a bubble? Will it translate to more funding? This panel will take a look at what this renewed interest will mean and won’t mean for the industry.

Moderator: Eugene Rozelman, MD, Managing Director, Biopharma Investment Banking, Canaccord Genuity

Panelists:

• Mark Charest, Vice President, New Leaf Venture Partners

• Ashley Dombkowski, PhD, Managing Director, Bay City Capital

• Evan McColloch, CFA, Portfolio Manager, Franklin Templeton Investments

• Effie Toshav, Partner, Fenwick & West LLP

Lunch Plenary Session: Facing Reality - Debating the Conclusions of BioCentury's 21st Annual Back to School Commentary

Wednesday, October 9, 12:30 p.m. – 1:25 p.m.

In its 21st Annual Back to School essay, BioCentury argues the biopharma industry has not faced up to the reality of austerity in the healthcare marketplace. The drug industry's pricing power is in retreat. And governments, commercial insurers and patients are pushing back on the industry's notions of innovation. In the real world, companies will have to engage with payers and patients to develop a new consensus on value for money. Small biotechs focused on scientific and technical innovation will not be exempt.

At this BIO Investor Forum plenary, BioCentury Editor Susan Schaeffer will lead investors and CEOs through a discussion of what emerging biotechs must do to address these existential forces.

Moderator: Susan Schaeffer, Editor, BioCentury Publications

Panelists:

• Ed Mathers, Partner, New Enterprise Associates

• James I. Healy, MD, PhD, General Partner, Sofinnova Ventures

• Paul J. Hastings, President and CEO, OncoMed Pharmaceuticals

• Thomas E. Hughes, PhD, President & CEO, Zafgen

• Erin McCallister, Senior Editor, BioCentury Publications

Closing Plenary Session: Early Stage Venture Financing – Will Current Trends Continue in 2014?

Wednesday, October 9, 3:30 p.m. – 4:25 p.m.

Any early-stage biotech companies looking for funding can readily recognize the challenge. It’s getting harder and harder to secure dollars from the 10 or so venture capital firms left to consider an investment – but these firms exist and some even have success stories to tout. This panel takes a look at the VC firms considering early-stage investments and their investment models.

Moderator: Luke Timmerman, Vice President, Life Sciences Initiatives, National Biotech Editor, Xconomy

Panelists:

• Brian Atwood, Managing Director, Versant Ventures

• Alexis Borisy, Partner, Third Rock Ventures

• David Donabedian, Vice President, Venture Investments, AbbVie Biotech Ventures

• Andrew J. Schwab, Managing Partner, 5AM Ventures

• Srini Akkaraju, MD, PhD, General Partner, Sofinnova Ventures

In addition to Plenary Sessions, the Investor Forum will feature Business Roundtables which will take a closer look at crowdfunding as a source of capital for smaller biotechs and how the JOBS Act is impacting the IPO process.

Business Roundtables include:

Crowdfunding in Healthcare & Biotech: Will It Bridge "The Valley of Death"?

Tuesday, October 8th, 3:30 p.m. – 4:25 p.m.

Smaller private companies are constantly in search of capital, but many find it difficult to navigate the step between a "friends & family" round or one with angels and an initial venture round. The JOBS Act, passed by Congress in 2012, created a new capital formation pathway for young companies: crowdfunding. Crowdfunding has been used in a limited number of examples for life science companies, but where is this pathway heading? How should a company look at opportunities for crowdfunding? The panel will look at life of a small company, as a CEO moderator asks a set of investors and others about both crowdfunding and other pathways.

Moderator: Nicholas Franano, MD, Founder, President & CEO, Novita Therapeutics

Panelists:

• 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 New Road to IPO in the Age of the JOBS Act

Wednesday, October 9th, 2:00 p.m. – 2:55 p.m.

Whereas the investors on the opening plenary tackled questions about the IPO market and the opportunities it will or will not present for the industry, 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.

Moderator: Jeffrey A. Baumel, Partner, Dentons

Panelists:

• 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

The BIO Investor Forum features public and venture-stage company presentations, expert-led business roundtables, one-on-one investor meetings and networking opportunities.

To learn more about the BIO Investor Forum, including registration and program information, please visit here. Advance media registration is available here. Registration is complimentary for credentialed members of the media and qualified investors.

BIO is pleased to recognize the leadership provided by the BIO Investor Forum Conference sponsors including our Local Co-Host BayBio and Supporting Banks: Canaccord Genuity, Piper Jaffray and Roth Capital Partners. BIO Double Helix and Helix Sponsors include AbbVie, Amgen, Baxter, Janssen, and Merck. Conference supporters include Blaise Group International, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Chubb, Dectiva, Dentons, Fenwick & West LLP, Knobbe Martens, LaVoie Group, MacDougall Biomedical Communications and SecureDocs.

About BIO

BIO represents more than 1,100 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. BIO also produces the BIO International Convention, the world’s largest gathering of the biotechnology industry, along with industry-leading investor and partnering meetings held around the world. BIO produces BIOtechNOW, an online portal and monthly newsletter chronicling “innovations transforming our world.” Subscribe to BIOtechNOW.

Upcoming BIO Events

BIO Investor Forum

October 8-9, 2013

San Francisco, CA

BIO IPCC Conference

November 6-8, 2013

Washington, DC

BIO Convention in China

November 11-13, 2013

Beijing, China

Pacific Rim Summit on Industrial Biotechnology & Bioenergy

December 8-11, 2013

San Diego, CA

BIO CEO & Investor Conference

February 10 – 11, 2014

New York, NY

BIO Asia International Conference

April 8-9, 2014

Tokyo, Japan

World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology

May 12-15, 2014

Philadelphia, PA

BIO International Convention

June 23-26, 2014

San Diego, CA

Help employers find you! Check out all the jobs and post your resume.