Any biotech company that that wants to last more than a few years has been tested a time or two, and has a story to tell about a near-death experience. How did it plan to stay afloat through the inevitable stormy seas? When the company truly found itself in a bind, how did it get out?
These are the kinds of questions I plan to put in front of the great lineup of speakers at the next big Xconomy biotech event “Building Biotechs to Last” on Dec. 9 in San Francisco.
I’m still putting the finishing touches on the agenda, but you can expect a series of fast-paced interviews with executives who will share behind-the-scenes stories about how they put their company’s long-term strategy ahead of short-term considerations, even when it posed a serious risk to the company, or wasn’t the popular thing to do. At least a few of these folks are feeling heat right now from investors who don’t want to wait five years for what is promised to come at the end of the rainbow.
I plan to do some of the interviews myself on stage, but thankfully I will have some help from others who ask questions for a living. The guest interviewers are:
—Ellen Licking. Ellen is a freelance writer well known in the biotech industry for her work at Real Endpoints and as an editor at Elsevier and Windhover publications. You can find her on Twitter @EllenLicking
—Daniel Levine. Danny is a veteran biotech journalist well-known for his work at The Burrill Report and the San Francisco Business Times. He recently started his own strategic communications company, Levine Media Group. He’s on Twitter @dslevine
—Dan Bradbury. The former CEO of San Diego-based Amylin Pharmaceuticals is spending his time these days on a number of boards, and by running his own executive consulting firm, BioBrit. He will bring an insider’s perspective to his line of questioning.
As a reminder, here’s the full lineup at this big half-day event:
—Bonnie Anderson, President and CEO, Veracyte
—Dan Bradbury, Director, Illumina
—Stanley Crooke, Founder, Chariman, and CEO, Isis Pharmaceuticals
—Ashley Dombkowski, Managing Director, Bay City Capital
—Chris Garabedian, CEO, Sarepta Therapeutics
—Paul Hastings, CEO, OncoMed Pharmaceuticals
—Nina Kjellson, Managing Director, Interwest Partners
—Daniel Levine, Principal, Levine Media Group
—Ellen Licking, Freelance Writer
—Bob More, Senior Advisor, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
—Adelene Perkins, CEO, Infinity Pharmaceuticals
—Kim Popovits, Chairman and CEO, Genomic Health
—Bryan Roberts, Partner, Venrock Associates
Those who haven’t gotten their tickets yet can still take advantage of saver rates that run through Nov. 19. I look forward to seeing lots of Xconomy readers there at UCSF on Dec. 9.
