Xconomy held its first half-day life sciences forum yesterday—How to Build A Life Sciences Company—and it was a rousing success. All told, nearly 200 people attended the event, which featured, among other things, case studies on five startups with different funding strategies that illustrate the innovative approaches needed to launch and sustain life sciences companies today. The event culminated in a fascinating chat (moderated by Xconomy chief correspondent Wade Roush) with legendary MIT inventor and entrepreneur Bob Langer and his longtime business partner, Polaris Venture Partners co-founder and managing general partner Terry McGuire.
We will be giving you a full report tomorrow. But today we’d really like to thank everyone who made it possible, starting with our gracious event host Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, which really showed what leadership in a field is all about by welcoming and fostering dialog with the entire life sciences community, including some of its own competitors.
We were also generously supported by PricewaterhouseCoopers, with whom we have partnered before on the recent Super Cluster II report on the Massachusetts life sciences industry; the CPA and consulting firm MFA—Moody, Famiglietti & Andronico, LLP; Halloran Consulting Group, which specializes in clinical development services for biotech, pharmaceutical and medical device companies; and our special international partner, Aderly, the Lyon Region Economic Development Agency.
We had a group of non-profit sponsors and partners as well. These include the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, the GSAS Harvard Biotechnology Club, and the MIT Sloan BioMedical Business Club.
Our warmest thanks to these great sponsors, as well as to the baker’s dozen guest speakers who generously gave of their time and shared information about their companies—and to all our attendees, who helped make the discussion a lively and productive one. We hope to see you again soon.