NYCEDC and Xconomy: Future of New York Life Sciences Conference
Nearly 200 Attendees Packed Conference That Featured Leaders in Biotech, Life Sciences, Venture Capitalism, and Local Government
NEW YORK, NY—New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and Xconomy, the leading digital media and events services company for technology and life sciences community, cohosted The Future of New York Life Sciences conference at Company, an innovative life sciences accelerator based in Midtown. Nearly 200 attendees convened to discuss and explore New York’s progress in the life sciences sector and how to overcome barriers to the industry’s growth in the five boroughs.
Hi-resolution photos from the conference are available here.
“We’re proud to have partnered with Xconomy to host the Future of New York Life Sciences conference,” said NYCEDC President and CEO James Patchett. “The event leveraged the City’s premier academic institutions, industry leaders, innovative startups and companies to advance New York’s continued growth in the life sciences industry.”
“One thing that keeps Xconomy coming back to New York is the people”, said Xconomy Editor in Chief, Greg Huang. “There’s a great life sciences community here, and we’re excited to now be working with the EDC to continue creating these connections needed to grow the local innovation.”
The conference featured a special fireside chat between Vicki Sato, Chairwoman, Vir Biotechnology and Denali Therapeutics and James Patchett, NYCEDC President and CEO, which covered lessons learned and strategic planning from Vicki's career across biotech, pharma, and research, as well as James's perspective on NYCEDC’s LifeSci NYC initiative, which focuses on building the City’s life sciences ecosystem by building partnerships, expanding real estate possibilities and fostering talent pipelines.
The conference also included panel discussions that featured a wide variety of industry leaders on topics that ranged from c-suite leadership to fostering startups in the City and the convergence of technology and life sciences:
New York Biotech Rising
Susan Solomon from NY Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute spoke about recent progress in the NYC life sciences industry and the future of biotech.
CEO Strategy and Leadership Lessons
Michael Aberman of Quentis Therapuetics, Alan Rigby of HiberCell, andNancy Thornberry of Kallyope spoke about how and why they joined life sciences startups and what they've learned on their journeys through those transitions, as well as best practices for other startups, investors, and pharma executives.
Partnerships to Advance Healthcare
Jim Flynn with Deerfield and Jennifer Hawks Bland from NewYorkBIOparticipated in a one-on-one discussion that featured some of Jim's thoughts on investing in the ecosystem, partnering with universities and other institutions to improve health, as well as background on Deerfield's rise in the advanced healthcare industry. Jennifer shared her thoughts on progress, challenges, and takeaways for the future of the biotech industry.
New Wave of Startups & Tech Transfer
Orin Herskowitz of Columbia University, Jeanne Farrell of the Rockefeller Foundation, and Lisa Placanica of Mount Sinai dove into premier academic institutions making an outsized impact on growing the life sciences ecosystem by cultivating entrepreneurship and commercializing research at their respective institutions.
Case Study: Startup-Investor Partnership
Brett Abrahams and Jenna Foger discussed working together on Magnolia Neurosciences, which has a unique origin story on the buildout in NYC as the company partners with investors and real estate partners to develop therapies for nervous system disorders.
Incubators and the Convergence of Tech & Life Science
Our closing panel featured Ramy Farid, who shared lessons and approaches of Schrodinger in life sciences software, and Nishta Rao, who is seeing similar trends among companies in BioLabs and incubator spaces. The panel was moderated by IP lawyer Teresa Lavoie.
For more information on how you can get involved in the City’s life sciences ecosystem, visit https://www.lifesci.nyc.
About NYCEDC
New York City Economic Development Corporation creates shared prosperity across New York City’s five boroughs by strengthening neighborhoods and creating good jobs. NYCEDC works with and for communities to provide them with the resources they need to thrive, and we invest in projects that increase sustainability, support job growth, develop talent, and spark innovation to strengthen the City’s competitive advantage. To learn more about our work and initiatives, please visit us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
About Xconomy
Xconomy is dedicated to providing business and technology leaders with timely, insightful, close-to-the-scene information about the local personalities, companies, and technological trends that best exemplify today’s high-tech economy. We are the authoritative voice on the exponential economy, the realm of business and innovation characterized by exponential technological growth and responsible for an increasing share of productivity and overall economic growth. We deliver this valuable content through a unique global network of localized news sites, events, conferences, and other initiatives designed to better connect people and ideas. For more information, please visit https://xconomy.com.
