2026 Final Agenda
Cambridge Venture, Innovation & Partnering (VIP)'s 3rd Annual
Bio-IT World Venture, Innovation & Partnering
Connect Capital and Science to Shape the Future
May 19, 2026
Tuesday, May 19
Registration and Networking Coffee
Organizer's Welcome Remarks
Funding the Modern Pipeline: Capital Strategy across Biology, Technology, and Informatics
Rebecca Stevenson, CFO, Souffle Therapeutics
This panel explores how capital is being strategically deployed across biology, technology, and informatics. Panelists will discuss how investors are structuring and targeting funding to support drug discovery.
Leadership at the Cutting Edge: Innovation, Strategy & Biotech’s Next Frontier
This keynote interview with Mike Nally, CEO of Generate:Biomedicines, explores his leadership in advancing generative biology and programmable protein therapeutics. Since joining in 2021, Nally has driven major partnerships, financing-rounds exceeding $750 million, and clinical progress, positioning Generate:Biomedicines at the forefront of AI-driven drug discovery.
Networking Coffee Break
Innovation in Science & Business Models Advancing Drug Discovery
William T. Mayo, Founder, Wellfleet Advisors
This panel brings together leaders from pharma, biotech, AI, and venture investing to explore how innovative science and business models are transforming drug discovery. Panelists will share insights on leveraging advanced technologies, data-driven R&D, and strategic partnerships to accelerate pipeline development, scale emerging companies, and create new investment opportunities—providing actionable takeaways for investors, entrepreneurs, and CEOs driving the next wave of drug discovery innovation.
A New Edge in Pharma BD and Investing: AI Scouts
Luba Greenwood, JD, CEO, Mwyngil Therapeutics and Board Member, Bioptic AI
A new generation of deep-research AI agents is transforming how pharma and investors identify drug assets globally and give BD teams and investors a structural advantage in sourcing the next generation of deals. This talk unveils one of the first rigorous benchmarks for AI-powered drug scouting and a multilingual agent that dramatically outperforms every leading deep-research AI system. Attendees will discover how this thesis-driven search can uncover overlooked opportunities, accelerate business development, and reshape how capital finds the next winning asset.
At the Helm: Emerging and Established CEOs in Debate on Building Companies
Joanne L. Viney, PhD, Co-Founder & President & CEO, Seismic Therapeutic
This panel brings together accomplished CEOs from biotech, digital biology, and drug discovery companies for a dynamic debate on building and scaling innovative organizations. Panelists will explore leadership challenges, strategic decision-making, and balancing growth with innovation, offering investors, entrepreneurs, and executives practical insights into what it takes to lead successful companies across the life sciences and tech-enabled drug discovery landscape.
Transforming Clinical Development with an AI-Native, Patient-Derived Intelligence Platform
Molly Rosano, Senior Vice President, Global Clinical Operations, Clinical Operations, Zenas BioPharma
Billions of dollars are invested into preclinical drug discovery, yet the promise of AI falls short in clinical trials which results in a $1B dollar bottleneck and 7+ years in development. This fireside chat will address the challenge—and how one company is transforming clinical development and commercialization with a proprietary patient-driven AI model. STW is the first platform that provides access directly to the patients and their data in an organized data structure.
Roundtable Discussions are informal, moderated discussions, allowing participants to exchange ideas and experiences and develop future collaborations around a focused topic. Each discussion will be led by a facilitator who keeps the discussion on track and the group engaged. To get the most out of this format, please come prepared to share examples from your work, be a part of a collective problem-solving session, and participate in active idea sharing.
Roundtable Discussion:Constructing the Agentic Life Sciences Enterprise — Overcoming the Multimodal and Governance Bottlenecks
This theme examines the operational, architectural, and regulatory hurdles of moving beyond single-task AI models to build a fully integrated network of autonomous scientific collaborators [3]. Using the AI Co-Scientist as a cutting-edge case study of multi-agent R&D [6], it explores the realistic challenges of scaling such systems in a highly regulated vertical.
Roundtable Discussion:Transforming Clinical Development with an AI-Native, Patient-Derived Intelligence Platform
Driving Innovation Together: The New Rules of VC, Pharma & Industry Leader Collaboration
Rana Lonnen, Life Sciences and Healthcare Investor
This panel explores how venture capital, pharma, and industry leaders are reshaping collaboration to accelerate biotech innovation. Panelists will discuss new approaches to funding, partnerships, and technology adoption that drive drug discovery, scale emerging companies, and create more effective pathways from lab-to-market.
Engineering Access: Scalable Genomics, Technology & the Future of Medicine
Michael Chambers, Founding CEO, Aldevron
This keynote fireside will spotlight the leadership journey behind building and scaling one of genomic medicine’s most critical infrastructure companies. From founding a university lab start-up to leading its growth into a global platform powering cell and gene therapies and a landmark $9.6 billion exit, the conversation will unpack the decisions, discipline, and long-term strategy required to scale enduring biotech-companies in a capital-intensive market.The discussion will conclude with Morgan and Michael highlighting where they see the greatest opportunities in biotech today and providing a forward-looking perspective on the problems to be solved and areas of significant unmet clinical need.
The Future of Lab Funding: Building Stronger Pathways between Academia, Capital, and Spinouts
Michael Langer, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, T.Rx Capital
As biotech and precision medicine converge with advanced technology, the next generation of breakthrough companies is being born in academia. This executive-level discussion explores how investors, foundations, and institutions can unlock novel university science, modernize lab funding models, and build scalable pathways from discovery to venture-backed spinout, aligning capital, talent, and strategy to accelerate impact in drug discovery.
PANEL DISCUSSION:AI Agents in Life Sciences
Samantha Perrone, Area Market Leader, Startups and AI/Digital Natives, Google
This panel will explore the critical shift from traditional screening to generative design and agentic workflows, tackling the infrastructure bottlenecks that stand between code and clinic. Join the discussion on how AI is rewriting the blueprint for the next generation of life-saving therapeutics.
Healthcare in 2026: Recovery, Reset, and What Comes NextKatherine Andersen, Head, Life Science & Healthcare, HSBC Bank Plc
Healthcare investing has improved noticeably from 2023 lows, but the recovery remains selective rather than broad-based. Capital has returned, but conviction has narrowed. Investors are rewarding differentiated science, clinical validation, AI-enabled infrastructure, disciplined execution, and companies with credible paths to exits.
Networking Reception
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PLENARY KEYNOTE PROGRAM
Rare Conversations: Explorations of the Research, Funding, and Advocacy for Rare Diseases
Catherine Brownstein, PhD, Manager, Molecular Genomics Core Facility, Boston Children's Hospital; Scientific Director, Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research Gene Discovery Core; Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School
In a unique plenary series of intimate conversations, we will explore the models, drivers, and challenges facing rare disease research. By uniting leaders in precision medicine, bioinformatics, national rare-disease infrastructure, and real-world legislative advocacy, we will give attendees an expansive, cross-disciplinary view of what’s required to deliver faster, more accurate, and more equitable rare-disease cures.
Welcome Reception & 25th Anniversary Celebration in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing
The Bio-IT Kickoff Reception is a reunion, reconnect with friends, explore cutting-edge research, and celebrate innovation! This year, join us in celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Bio-IT World Conference & Expo with cake and champagne as we mark a quarter century of advancing science and technology. Enjoy poster presentations, networking, and vote for the Best of Show and Poster awards.
Close of Summit
Close of Day