Seed and Angel Financing for Life Science Companies

Raising early stage capital is a significant challenge for life sciences companies. The added hurdles are due to the complex science involved and to the rigorous proof of efficacy needed for government approval. To discover methods of raising capital from friends, family and angel sources join us on November 15th. We will hear from panelists who have successfully raised early stage funds as well as from those who have funded such investments. In addition, we will explore the legal and accounting frameworks which are used to facilitate the required investment pooling in a legally efficient fashion.

In addition to our speakers, you will network with other life sciences focused entrepreneurs. You will participate in the life sciences entrepreneurial ecosphere which is transforming the Boston business scene.

Agenda:

600 -700 PM Registration & networking 

700 -710 PM ENET Chairman’s announcements

710 -725 PM E Minute – Up to 3 Startup companies presentations

725 -815 PM – 3 or 4 expert speakers on the night’s topic

815 -830 PM – Audience / Speakers Q & A 

830 -900 PM – Final networking including meeting speakers

Panel:

Teresa Nelson, Ph.D., Founding Principal at The Impact Seat

As a researcher and professor at Simmons College in Boston, Nelson focuses on innovation, entrepreneurship and access to social and financial capital. She has a long-standing engagement with international business issues, including especially China and the European Union, including her role as a professor in the PhD program at the University of Liege, in Belgium. She serves as an appointed member of the National Women’s Business Council, an advisory panel to the White House, Congress and the SBA on issues of women and business. In this role, she  is heavily involved in research and policy on the federal government’s Small Business Innovation Research grants program that funnels 2-3 billion dollars per year to small U.S. businesses to develop and commercialize cutting-edge technology through federal agencies including the Department of Defense, Health and Human Services and the National Science Foundation. Dr. Nelson also serves on the Scientific Advisory Board for Women Equity Growth, a project of Bryan-Garnier, Europe’s leading private equity firm for entrepreneurship, among other appointments. 

Martin Omansky, Ph.D., Angel Investor

Dr. Omansky is an angel investor who performs investment due diligence for several angel investment groups. He has worked on, organized financing for, and invested in several life science deals. Previously, he was the Managing Partner of Crucible Advisors, a firm that (1) helped entrepreneurs plan, finance, and manage their enterprises; and (2) managed a technology-oriented venture fund.  He has more than 25 years-experience, and has sat on all sides of the negotiating table.  Since closing his fund, he has been active as a consultant, teacher, business plan judge, and venture forum panelist. He has been an inventor, entrepreneur, investment banker, and fund manager and has represented a wide variety of clients in the private sector, in the non-profit world, and among government agencies.

His interests include science fiction, spy thrillers, baroque and jazz music, and the Boston Red Sox. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Southern California and a Bachelors degree from Clark University.

Eric J. Evans, Mass Medical Angels &  Launchpad Ventures

Eric J. Evans is an active member of the early-stage investor community in Boston.   He sits on the Executive Committee of Mass Medical Angels and on the Screening Committee of Launchpad Ventures.  Since many early-stage deals are now syndicated, he also maintains relationships with Hub Investment Group, Boston Harbor Angels and Cherrystone, among others.  He has served as CEO for several biomedical companies, including Targeted Cell Therapies, Abazyme, Lumos Catheter Systems, Mulleris Therapeutics and Follica Biosciences.    He began his career at Procter & Gamble and at the Boston Consulting Group.  Mr. Evans holds a master’s degree in finance and public policy from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and a bachelor’s degree in nuclear physics from Brown University.

Moderator: 

Moderator: Dr. Nathalie Goletiani, MD, Founder & CEO, POWERFEM Therapeutics

Dr. Goletiani is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of POWERFEM Therapeutics, a company devoted to novel, networked treatment methods for the care of those suffering from substance abuse and mental illness. Her extensive clinical research into the hormonal effects of nicotine, opioid and cocaine use lead her to new concepts and mechanisms in understanding and treating psychiatric disorders, in particular, disorders experienced by underserved female populations. At Harvard’s McLean Hospital, she was charged with rebuilding and responsible for all the operations of Clinical Research Program, including simultaneously running multiple clinical trials. Based on her patented work, she founded POWERFEM Therapeutics, an independent company devoted to creating new treatments and healthcare solutions. POWERFEM incorporates novel disease concepts and treatments to design cost-effective, integrated mental and substance abuse care solutions across multiple provider networks.

Dr. Goletiani has received numerous national and international awards including most recently the Harvard Livingston Award for the investigation of complex underlying mechanisms in the neurobiology of women. She also received a Harvard University Zinberg Fellowship specifically to support her research on alcohol and drug use disorders. Her research provides a valuable basis for psychotherapeutic public policy decision making on issues of substance abuse and the integrated treatment of mental illness. She has extensively published the results of her research in peer reviewed journals.

Nathalie completed basic and clinic fellowships at the Harvard School of Public Health and at Harvard Medical School. In addition, she has been trained at and conducted medical research at Tbilisi State Medical University, University of Amsterdam and King’s College in London.