Aveo’s Ha-Ngoc to Interview Third Rock’s Mark Levin at April 4 Forum

Xconomy Forum: New England's Emerging Biotech Stars

Mark Levin, co-founder of Boston’s Third Rock Ventures, is one of the nation’s premier life sciences investors. Tuan Ha-Ngoc, founder and CEO of Aveo Pharmaceuticals, is one of the country’s leading biotech executives.

Now, we are pleased to announce, the two will come together on April 4, when Ha-Ngoc will moderate a keynote chat with Levin at the Xconomy Forum: New England’s Emerging Biotech Stars. The event will take place a week from Wednesday at Biogen Idec’s headquarters in Kendall Square in Cambridge, MA.

Please find out more and get your tickets here.

The Levin chat is just one part of a star-studded afternoon designed to give you an extraordinary look into the future of New England biotech-and what is happening more generally in the field. The day will include another keynote from Biogen Idec CEO George Scangos, as well as special presentations from five of the region’s most promising biotech companies and executives:

Chip Clark, CEO, Genocea

Doug Fambrough, CEO, Dicerna

Tillman Gerngross, CEO, Adimab

Joanna Horobin, CEO, Syndax

Joseph Yanchik, CEO, Aileron

There’s a lot more besides that, including an R&D briefing from Biogen research boss Doug Williams and a panel on alternative financing for biotechs: Richard Winneker, senior VP of research for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society was recently added to the lineup and will be one of  four panelists passing on tips for winning grants from non-profits.

But getting back to the Levin chat, Ha-Ngoc reports the two know each other well, “so it will be a relaxed but substantive chat.” I, for one, am really looking forward to their conversation. The biotech industry is feeling a lot of pressure-especially when it comes to funding new startups-and Levin’s views on the field and how he approaches investing should be fascinating. We”ll set aside time for audience questions as well, so you can have your chance to ask about any issues they don’t address in the more formal chat.

Check out the full agenda and register here. We look forward to seeing you on April 4.

Author: Robert Buderi

Bob is Xconomy's founder and chairman. He is one of the country's foremost journalists covering business and technology. As a noted author and magazine editor, he is a sought-after commentator on innovation and global competitiveness. Before taking his most recent position as a research fellow in MIT's Center for International Studies, Bob served as Editor in Chief of MIT's Technology Review, then a 10-times-a-year publication with a circulation of 315,000. Bob led the magazine to numerous editorial and design awards and oversaw its expansion into three foreign editions, electronic newsletters, and highly successful conferences. As BusinessWeek's technology editor, he shared in the 1992 National Magazine Award for The Quality Imperative. Bob is the author of four books about technology and innovation. Naval Innovation for the 21st Century (2013) is a post-Cold War account of the Office of Naval Research. Guanxi (2006) focuses on Microsoft's Beijing research lab as a metaphor for global competitiveness. Engines of Tomorrow (2000) describes the evolution of corporate research. The Invention That Changed the World (1996) covered a secret lab at MIT during WWII. Bob served on the Council on Competitiveness-sponsored National Innovation Initiative and is an advisor to the Draper Prize Nominating Committee. He has been a regular guest of CNBC's Strategy Session and has spoken about innovation at many venues, including the Business Council, Amazon, eBay, Google, IBM, and Microsoft.