MATTER Workshop: Structuring Conversations with Life Sciences Partners

MATTER members and partners: use your discount code for 100% off the registration price. If you don't know your code, please email info@matter.health for assistance.

ABOUT THIS WORKSHOP

Life science startups, throughout the course of their development, are inevitably presented with multiple opportunities to engage with strategic partners, often related to R&D or commercial aspects of the company. One challenge innovators and tech transfer officers face is how best to prepare, approach and structure these conversations in a way that is engaging and will result in ongoing discussions with a corporate partner. Understanding the diverse audiences within an organization, and how best to position your story, (e.g. how to share scientific information with a business development leader), will help ensure that your message is being effectively heard and that the right connections are being made within the corporation.

Join this workshop to learn:

• How to understand the various “profiles/archetypes” that start-ups may interact with within a large organization

• How to understand some of the metrics and key pieces of information that these audiences are seeking, and the level of detail that is appropriate to share

• The types of due diligence that startups should conduct prior to meetings and how best to structure conversations to ensure an effective encounter

• How best to relay scientific information to business folks, and vice versa

Can't attend in person? Join us in our virtual classroom. To join this workshop virtually via Webex, select the "Virtual classroom" ticket type at checkout - access instructions will be included in your email receipt.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR

Heather Walsh is the Director of External Innovation and leads Baxter’s efforts to increase open innovation partnerships across universities, incubators/accelerators, medical centers, and other partners. She supports strategically-aligned transformational innovation for all the global business units and for technology platforms.  She previously led technical assessment teams for due diligence of new opportunities for mergers and acquisitions and venture investment at Baxter. She joined Baxter from the University of Chicago, where she was the Assistant Director and Head of Business Development in the Technology Commercialization and Licensing group, at the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. She spent nine years developing, protecting and licensing University-owned intellectual property. In addition to her technology portfolio, Heather supported the efforts of the commercialization team by identifying and managing high-value contacts, coordinating the university’s marketing strategy for the opportunity pipeline, representing the team at multiple partnering meetings throughout each year, and launching a program to cultivate relationships with venture capital groups. She piloted and grew a proof-of-concept fund, managed the Polsky Accelerator program and launched several internship programs in collaboration with her colleagues to leverage the talents of students and postdocs exploring alternative careers. Heather completed a Ph.D. in Neurobiology, Pharmacology & Cell Physiology from the University of Chicago.