BIO Announces Plenary Sessions for 10th Annual BIO Investor Forum

BIO Investor Forum will be held October 25 – 26 in San Francisco, CA

BIO Investor Forum 2011

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) today announces plenary sessions for the 10^th Annual BIO Investor Forum to be held October 25-26 in San Francisco, CA. Now in its 10^th year, this international investor conference focused on private and emerging public biotech companies celebrates a “Decade of Excellence.”

“BIO Investor Forum attendees can expect to hear the latest on financial and strategic business issues directly affecting investment in biotech,” said Alan Eisenberg, executive vice president for Emerging Companies and Business Development at BIO. “Additionally, leading analysts and investors participating in our plenary sessions will give attendees insights on major trends in financing and deal making that will have a profound impact on the future of this industry.”

Plenary Sessions include:

Opening Plenary Session - The New Drug-Centric VC Universe-Return of the ROI
Tuesday, October 25, 12:00 pm – 1:25 pm

As fewer biotechs are able to navigate successful exits, demand for new business models to bring back ROI is high. Investors are seeking faster paths to liquidity, and companies are eager to secure reliable streams of capital. A few agile VCs and entrepreneurs have radically innovated the traditional funding model to again make private biotech companies attractive investments. Whether constructing licensing deals where VCs receive cash dividends or rethinking corporate structure, these game-changing ventures focus on the drug, not on the company. This panel will explore these emerging deal and company structures, as well as innovative approaches to reengineering the biotech drug development model.

Moderator: David Strupp, Managing Director of Life Sciences and Healthcare Investment Banking Group, Rodman & Renshaw, LLC
Panelists: David Collier, MD, Managing Director, CMEA Capital and Chief Executive Officer, Velocity Pharmaceutical Development; Sanjay Shukla, MD, MS, Chief Executive Officer, RxMD

Lunch Plenary Session - Corporate Venture Funds & Traditional VCs: Can They Coexist?
Wednesday, October 26, 10:30 am – 11:25 am

A panel of corporate and traditional venture capitalists will discuss their financing strategies and areas of focus as well as the opportunities and challenges associated with bringing the next series of innovative products to market.

Moderator: Michael Fleming, Vice President, Campbell Alliance
Panelists: Brian G. Atwood, Managing Director, Versant Ventures; Janis Naeve, PhD, Director, Amgen Ventures; Brian McVeigh, VP of Worldwide Business Development Transactions, GSK; Asish K. Xavier, PhD, Vice President, J&J Development Corporation

Closing Plenary Session - Opportunity or Apocalypse? Prophecies for 2012.
Wednesday, October 26, 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm

Is 2012 the end of the world as we know it? Or is this prediction just bunk? How will the industry fare with the still volatile market conditions? Will world economies affect the ability for companies to acquire financing? This session will capture insights on what the future holds for the industry from leading analysts and experts.

Moderator: Luke Timmerman, National Biotech Editor, Xconomy
Panelists: Matthew Perry, Portfolio Manager, Biotech Value Fund; Bryan Roberts, PhD, Partner, Venrock; Ron Laufer, MD, Senior Managing Director, MedImmune Ventures

The 10th annual BIO Investor Forum will assemble a select group of public and venture-stage growth companies, as well as top public and private equity investors, to explore investment trends and opportunities in life sciences. In addition to expert-led workshops and panel discussions focusing on industry trends, the conference features presentations by more than 100 biotech companies poised to join the growth “watch list” in 2011, as well as a number of nonprofit and venture philanthropy organizations.

To learn more about the BIO Investor Forum, registration and up-to-date program information, please visit here. Advance media registration is available here. Registration is complimentary for credentialed members of the media.

BIO is pleased to recognize the leadership provided by the BIO Investor Forum Conference sponsors. The sponsors include: Supporting Bank Sponsors, BMO Capital Market; Rodman & Renshaw, LLC and Roth Capital Partners.

Upcoming BIO Events

BIO China International Conference
October 12-13, 2011
Shanghai, China

10^th Annual BIO Investor Forum
October 25-26, 2011
San Francisco, Calif.

BIO-Europe 2011
October 31-November 2, 2011
Duesseldorf, Germany

BIO IP Counsels Committee Fall Conference & Meeting
November 2-4, 2011
New York, NY

BioMalaysia 2011 Conference & Exhibition/2011 Pacific Rim Summit on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy
November 21-23, 2011
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

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, a multiblog platform and monthly newsletter that aims to create an online biotech community where the the industry can connect to discuss the latest news. Subscribe to BIOtechNOW.

For more information:
Visit http://www.bio.org
Follow us on Twitter @IAmBiotech
Join us on LinkedIn/MyBio
Become a fan at facebook.com/IAmBiotech

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