Bringing University Research to Market
Entrepreneurs’ Network
Universities are excellent sources of cutting-edge science and technology – the kinds of innovations that can form the basis for important, novel commercial products. One of the ways to commercialize academic assets is through a licensing deal with an established company. However, this is ENET – we’re all about entrepreneurs.
While academic research often is the source or inspiration for innovative projects and products for start-ups in life sciences and tech fields, the transition from ivory tower to successful product launch comes with a laundry list of challenges.
Tonight’s panel will offer insights that help to identify and to surmount the challenges, from determining the commercial viability of an idea, to understanding the essential steps on the path to success.
Agenda:
7:00 – 7:10 PM – ENET Chairperson’s announcements
7:10 – 7:20 PM – eMinute – Up to 3 Startup companies’ presentations
7:20 – 8:20 PM – 3 expert speakers on the night’s topic
A question and answer session will follow the panel discussion, and panelists will be available afterward for responses to individual questions. As with every ENET meeting, you will also get the chance to network with the panelists and other meeting attendees, both before the start of the meeting and afterward.
Panel
Roy Wallen, CEO TendoNova Corporation
Roy Wallen leads TendoNova Corporation, a development-stage medical technology company that is addressing shortcomings in treating chronic tendon pain. He has over 30 years of experience in bringing new medical technologies to market and expanding clinical applications for existing markets. Roy’s broad experience includes work in large, global companies and start-ups, including one IPO, in domestic and international markets.
J. Peter Fasse, Principal at Fish & Richardson P.C.
Peter Fasse is a Principal in the Boston office of Fish & Richardson, and has been working at Fish since 1987. Peter has two B.S. degrees from MIT, in Life Sciences and Bioelectrical Engineering. His practice emphasizes client counseling, opinion work, and patent prosecution in a wide variety of technologies, with an emphasis on healthcare, medical devices, and other biomedical fields plus various “green” technologies. Peter helps clients from start-ups to multinationals to develop competitive worldwide patent strategies and to establish solid and defensible patent portfolios. He performs competitive patent analyses, identifies third-party patent risks, and provides patentability and freedom-to-operate opinions. Peter also has experience in opposing and defending patents before the European Patent Office and in U.S. litigation and post-grant proceedings. Peter has experience in various fields including medical therapeutics, diagnostics, devices, imaging, microfluidic systems, RNAi and CRISPR therapeutics, dendritic cell- and DNA- based vaccines, liquid biopsy, engineered AAV systems, next generation sequence analysis, cell culturing and bioprocessing, nanoparticle and vector-based delivery, wind and solar power, optics, and lasers.
Sofia Braag-Ankeny, Principal, Office of Business Development and Innovation, University of Massachusetts Medical School
Sofia is responsible for search and evaluation of new technologies at the university, working with inventors to evaluate, market and partner academic inventions via direct out- licensing opportunities or through company creation. A Swedish native, Sofia joined UMass Medical School in 2007 from University of Florida, into the lab of Dr. Terence Flotte, a pioneer in the field of Gene Therapy, where she co-authored several papers around immunomodulatory gene therapy for Cystic fibrosis and other pulmonary disorders. Sofia also served as the Managing Editor for the Journal Human Gene therapy and Human Gene Therapy Methods for 4 years.
In 2010 Sofia earned an MBA in management from Assumption College, with a full scholarship from the Marcus Wallenberg Foundation. She then transitioned from the bench into a role helping to establish a new BD office at the Medical school. Sofia holds a M.S. in Medical Biology and a B.S. in Clinical laboratory Medicine, from. Linkoping University, Sweden
In addition to her role at UMass Medical School she sits on the board of the Swedish American Chamber of Commerce, working to help introduce Swedish businesses into the US market, validate product/market fit and make meaningful business introductions.
Moderator, Lucie Rochard, Liaison for Scientific & Entrepreneurial Initiatives, Innovation Services, MassBio
Lucie joined MassBio in June 2017 as Liaison for Scientific & Entrepreneurial Initiatives, Innovation Services, to strengthen partnership and collaboration with academic institutions and organizations. Prior to joining MassBio, Lucie did her postdoctoral research at MGH, studying craniofacial development, identifying critical molecular pathways for embryonic patterning. Lucie holds a Ph.D. from the University of Rennes, France. Lucie is committed to giving as quickly as possible patients’ access to new medicine by connecting scientists – innovators, from both inside and outside of academia.
Meeting Organizer
Roger Frechette, Life Science Business Executive / Entrepreneur / Mentor – NEPAssociates, LLC
My daily purpose is to exercise an innate drive to transform ideas and projects into life-changing commercial assets. In the life science business, this is the long game, requiring boundless energy and creativity, coupled with knowledge, experience, and patience.
In my consulting work, I help clients as a business adviser or on-demand, fractional executive. I leverage an extensive global network and insights derived from >20 years of experience in business development, calibrated with an extensive science background. My career has encompassed success as a business executive, project and strategic alliance manager, entrepreneur, and also as a scientist, including leadership of discovery/preclinical development teams resulting in successful drug candidates NUZYRA (omadacycline) and SEYSARA (sarecycline), FDA approved Oct 2018.
eMinute PITCH Presentations will be given at the start of each meeting. These 90-second elevator-style presentations enable early-stage startup entrepreneurs to gain experience in presenting a summary of their business plans to expert panels and audiences.