JLABS Brings Companies and Investors Together for Third Annual Partnering Day Event
By Alex Keown | March 15, 2024
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Dozens of life sciences startups and early-stage company companies are honing their pitch decks and looking to head to New York, the center of the financial world, for a one-day investor and partnering event in hopes of securing financial partnerships.
In May, Johnson & Johnson – JLABS will hold its third annual Investor & Partnering Day in New York City at the New York Genome Center, a non-profit hub for collaborative genomic research and the home of JLABS @ NYC. The partnering day offers participating companies multiple meetings with investor organizations to highlight their science & technology, expand their investor network, and potentially securing funding to support ongoing and future operations.
“Raising capital is typically a challenge for early life science biotechs, and connecting with strategically aligned investors at the right time is essential,” said Sally Allain, Head of JLABS @ Washington, DC. “These events take some of the stress off of the companies, as we’re able to make introductions, curate a day of meetings with investors who are within our network, and support companies in shaping their pitch deck and story, all which can lead to valuable feedback or even funding.”
Past participating investors include Johnson & Johnson – JJDC, JP Morgan, Silicon Valley Bank, 5AM Ventures, Sands Capital, Anzu Partners, Epidarex Capital, Noblis Ventures, and others. Additionally, participants will benefit from experts, such as those from J&J JJDC, Inc., the investment arm of the life sciences giant. By moving it to New York City, the event will raise the profile for JLABS portfolio companies and expand its reach to new life science investors.
For some companies, this will be a first-time event where the leadership will share their company vision and data with potential partners. Other companies will look to make a return trip to the event. Previous participating companies include LifeBridge Innovations and Polaris Genomics plan to attend the JLABS event in New York City this year, each hoping to gain support for a Series financial raise.
Peter Travers, Founder and CEO of LifeBridge Innovations, said the investor event supports the company’s long-term financial goals. So far, the medical device company, which is developing a product for metastatic cancer patients with Tumor Treating Fields, has raised $4 million. The company is hoping to secure investors who will back a Series B round, which will support a pivotal trial for the company’s LB10000 TTF disc system. If they are successful, Travers said the company will not likely have a delay between the pilot study, expected to begin later this year, and the pivotal trial.
Polaris Genomics Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Charles Cathlin is also looking forward to returning to the investor event. In 2023, the company successfully secured funding to support the development of its precision products for mental health solutions and is hoping to repeat the process this year.
“There is a broad range of different groups or organizations you can interact with who can help you find the resources you need to keep moving forward,” Cathlin said of the JLABS investor event.
Polaris Genomics, which created a test for known biomarkers associated with PTSD, is preparing to raise funds for its Series A round. Cathlin said the JLABS Investor & Partner Day event will serve as the launch of that process. Polaris Genomics aims to secure $10 million.
“We want to walk out of the event with some great feedback so we can get a temperature check for the coming months for fundraising. If we walk out with an investor who’s interested, that would be ideal,” Cathlin said. “We’re trying to map out the biological mechanisms to develop better drugs and molecular diagnostics for these conditions.”
The event was first held in 2022 at JLABS @ Washington, DC. In 2023, the JLABS Investor & Partnering Day returned to the nation’s capital, where more than 30 life sciences companies paired up with dozens of investor organizations. In one day, close to 200 meetings were held between participating groups.
The application deadline for the JLABS Investor & Partnering Day 2024 is next Friday, March 22. Participation is limited. Apply now. Questions in the meantime, reach out to Miriam Huber.
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Alex Keown is a freelance journalist who writes about a variety of subjects including the pharma, biotech, and life science industries. Prior to freelancing, Alex has served as a staff writer and editor for several publications.
