SPEAKERS
DENNIS PURCELL
Founder, Aisling Capital
Former Director Healthcare Investment Banking, JP Morgan Chase H&Q
Mr. Purcell is the original Founder of Aisling Capital LLC. Previously, he served as the Senior Managing Partner. Prior to Aisling Capital, Mr. Purcell served as Managing Director of the Life Sciences Investment Banking Group at Chase H&Q (formerly Hambrecht & Quist, “H&Q”) for over five years. While at H&Q, he was directly involved with over two hundred completed transactions and supervised over $10 billion of financing and advisory assignments in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical products industries. During his tenure, BioWorld and other industry publications cited H&Q as the leading underwriter of life sciences securities. Prior to joining H&Q, Mr. Purcell was a Managing Director in the Healthcare Group at PaineWebber, Inc.
Mr. Purcell is a frequent commentator on the industry and has been honored in the “Biotech Hall of Fame” by Genetic Engineering News, named to the Biotechnology All-Stars list by Forbes ASAP, honored as one of the top 50 Irish-American businessmen and cited as one of the top 100 contributors to the biotechnology industry.
Mr. Purcell has served as a director of Aton Pharma (acquired by Merck), Bridge Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Pharmaron), Cengent Therapeutics, Dynova Laboratories, Paratek Pharmaceuticals, Valentis and Xanodyne Pharmaceuticals. Mr. Purcell also served as a member of the Section Governing Board at BIO (“Biotechology Innovation Organization”), the Irvington Institute and on the Board of L.E.K. Consulting. He currently sits on the Boards of Real Endpoints, Summus Global, Inc., BioScience Managers, and Ichnos Sciences. He sits on the Editorial Advisory Board at Life Science Leader Magazine; Member of the Board at NYBIO Association; Board Member at The University of Delaware Investment Visiting Committee as well as a member of the Biopharmaceutical Innovation Board at the University of Delaware.
Mr. Purcell received his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and his B.S. in Accounting from the University of Delaware.
ARIO ARABI
Executive Director Global Business Development & Licensing, Novartis
Ario Arabi currently serves as the Executive Director of Global Business Development and Licensing (BD&L) at Novartis, where he leverages his extensive expertise in investment banking and capital markets to drive strategic partnerships and innovative collaborations. With a robust background in due diligence, valuation, and financial modeling, Ario plays a pivotal role in identifying and evaluating potential business opportunities that align with Novartis’ mission to improve patient outcomes through cutting-edge therapies. His proficiency in utilizing tools like Bloomberg enhances his ability to conduct comprehensive financial analyses, ensuring that all investment decisions are data-driven and strategically sound.
At Novartis, Ario is actively involved in several key projects that focus on expanding the company’s portfolio through mergers, acquisitions, and licensing agreements. His work often intersects with venture capital and private equity, as he seeks to forge alliances with biotech firms and startups that are at the forefront of medical innovation. By applying his Series 7, 63, 86, and 87 certifications, he navigates complex regulatory environments and capital structures, ensuring that Novartis remains competitive in the rapidly evolving pharmaceutical landscape. Ario’s strategic insights and ability to synthesize market trends into actionable business strategies are invaluable assets to Novartis, positioning the company for sustained growth and leadership in the industry. Through his dedication to fostering collaborative relationships and his keen analytical skills, Ario Arabi exemplifies the intersection of finance and healthcare, driving impactful change within the organization and beyond.
DR. ALFRED SLANETZ
Chairman, National Foundation for Cancer Research
Former CEO, Bluebird Bio
Former Head of New Product Development, Genetech
Dr. Slanetz is the founder of Geneius Biotechnology and has been President, Chief Executive Officer and a director of the Company full time since its inception. Prior to co-founding the Company, he served as Chief Executive Officer and President of Bluebird Bio.
Dr. Slanetz also served as Vice President, Business Development of TRANSGENE in May 1996. From 1994 to 1996, he served as Manager, New Product Planning and Development at Genentech Inc. Prior to that, Dr. Slanetz was a Management Consultant for Arthur D. Little.
He received his Ph.D. in Molecular and Immunobiology from Yale University, as well as a Masters from Brown University.
DR. LYNDA CHIN
Founding Chair, Department of Genomic Medicine, MD Anderson
CEO, Apricity Health
Dr. Chin is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, a renowned cancer genomic scientist and a leader in application of technologies, AI/ML and big data in medicine. A dermatologist by training, Dr. Chin conducted research in cancer genomics and cancer biology at Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, served on the executive subcommittee of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and co-led development of the Firehose pipeline at the Broad Institute.
As the founding chair of Department of Genomic Medicine at MD Anderson Cancer Center, she launched initiatives to develop technology-enabled platform capabilities to accelerate translation and democratize evidence-based care. Later, as Chief Innovation Officer of the University of Texas System, Dr. Chin created the Institute for Health Transformation to develop technology-enabled ecosystem to equalize access to care for the underserved. Throughout her career, Dr. Chin has been a champion for cross-industry collaboration. She was the scientific director at the Belfer Applied Cancer Institute of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and later at the Institute for Applied Cancer Science of MD Anderson Cancer Center, both built on a novel organizational construct designed to bridge across academia and industry to enable science-based drug discovery.
ALLAN GOBBS
Founder, ATEM Capital
Allan Gobbs is the Managing Partner at ATEM Capital, a New York-based Life Sciences venture firm. In recent years, Allan has seen five of his portfolio companies go public on NASDAQ, including notable names like Atea Pharmaceuticals, Marinus Pharmaceuticals, and Syndax Pharmaceuticals. Additionally, four of his portfolio companies have been successfully acquired, such as Tobira Therapeutics, which was bought by Allergan for up to $1.7 billion, and Amolyt Pharmaceuticals, AI-drug discovery peptide-based company acquired by AstraZeneca for up to $1.05 billion in July 2024.
Allan is also the CEO and Chairman of YCare, a digital health integrator in strategic partnership with Dell Technologies and InterSystems, and the Chairman of PGxAI, an AI-powered pharmacogenetics platform. He serves as the President of Virry Health, an AI-powered XR platform focused on tackling mental health conditions, and is a Board Member of Heos Machines, a 3D bioprinting startup. Prior to joining ATEM Capital, Allan was an investment banker at Barclays Capital and other financial institutions, where he advised on mergers, acquisitions, and capital market transactions totaling over $20 billion. He is also a member of the Forbes Business Council, the Private Directors Association, and serves on the Review Committee of the National Cancer Institute at the NIH.
RICK LIPKIN
Founder, Catalytic Impact Foundation
Partner, Easton Capital
Richard Lipkin is the Founder and Co-Chair of the Catalytic Impact Foundation (CIF). He is also a Managing Director of Easton Capital Investment Group, a NYC-based life sciences and healthcare venture capital firm; and a co-Founder and Co-Chair of Princeton Alumni Angels (PAA). Through CIF, he serves as a Board Director of Epivax Therapeutics and Ceretype Neuromedicine, and Board Observer of Deck Therapeutics. Previously, he served as a partner of Commerce Health Ventures, a life sciences and healthcare fund of NewSpring Capital; Laird & Company, a private merchant bank; and other private investment partnerships, including as a biotech analyst and consultant for a Goldman Sachs hedge fund. He also served as Executive Director, Strang Cancer Prevention Center; and Director, International Development, for IDT Corp., including the launch of Net2Phone. He has consulted for DARPA, and served as a writer and editor for Scientific American and Science News, producing more than 400 articles, chapters, and books for many organizations, including National Geographic, Natural History, The Journal of NIH Research, Journal of Neuroscience, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, The Wilson Quarterly, Smithsonian Books, WNET-13, United Press International, Grolier’s Encyclopedia, and the American Mathematical Society; reprinted by Annual Editions, Global Studies, Social Issues Resource Series, the U.S. Information Agency, and recognized in Who’s Who in Science and Engineering and Men of Achievement. He was awarded the American Chemical Society’s Grady-Stack Award, recognizing analysis of basic and applied scientific and medical research. He has studied cognitive and computational neuroscience at Columbia University and the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA, and served on Columbia University Medical Center’s Health Sciences Advisory Council, Neuroscience Council, and Medical Science and Technology Council. He is a frequent panelist, moderator, judge, mentor and advisor to many companies and impact organizations, active in many not-for-profit, educational, and social progress ventures, and served as Director, Board member, committee member, program overseer, grant reviewer, including in neuroscience and oncology research; served as member of boards, councils, and committees for the Weizmann Institute of Science, the Israel Cancer Research Fund, Rockefeller University, Marine Biological Laboratory, Columbia University, the New York Academy of Sciences, and the Montefiore Medical Center. He is an honors graduate of Princeton University, has an MBA from Columbia Business School, and served as a Senior Staff Associate in Columbia University’s Zuckerman Institute of Mind, Brain, and Behavior. He lives in New York City with his wife and two sons.
DR. RALPH PARCHMENT
Co-Founder, SciTech Development
Dr. Ralph E. Parchment is a seasoned cancer researcher and biomarker specialist with decades of experience in pharmacodynamics and oncology drug development. He is one of the founders of SciTech Development, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative drug delivery technologies, including the lead compound ST-001 nanoFenretinide. In addition to his entrepreneurial work, Dr. Parchment serves as Senior Managing Director of the Clinical Pharmacodynamics-Biomarkers Program at the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research. His expertise lies in assessing drug mechanisms and therapeutic responses through biomarker analysis, with a deep commitment to advancing personalized cancer treatments.
DR. THEMASAP KHAN
Co-Founder and Partner of Luma Group
Themasap was previously VP at Civilization Ventures, a life sciences and health-tech venture firm. He joined the fund shortly after its inception and helped grow the firm into an early-stage biotech powerhouse, backing companies from Series Seed to IPO. Civilization was often the first-money and the lead investor in early-stage biotech companies. Themasap was involved in helping run the firm’s functions across scientific strategy, operations, and business development, and he co-ran the firm’s pioneering Fellowship program. Themasap has been an author on multiple scientific publications in Nature, Cell and other scientific journals. His research was focused on cancer biology, neuroscience and genomics – with a combined 10+ years spent in life science research labs. Themasap received his Ph.D. from Stanford University where he was an NSF Graduate Research Fellow and Stanford Graduate Fellow. Themasap earned his BS in Neuroscience from New York University.
ALEX KRUSZEWSKI
Chief Investment Officer, Goldfinch Family Office
Alex was Goldfinch’s first employee, joining as Chief Investment Officer and head of the public equity, IPO, options and derivatives fund “Mamba Equities”, the private equity and venture capital fund “Mustang Investments” and the direct investment platform “The Sand Tiger Companies”.
Alex is a trained investment banker and private equity professional, having spent time advising and investing in industrials, healthcare, consumer, financial services, technology, and defense at Evercore Partners, Madison Dearborn Partners and BDT&MSD. In these roles he has been involved in managing investments in Weber Grill, Panera Bread, Einstein Bagels, Caribou Coffee, Pret-a-Manger, Espresso House, SIRVA BGRS, Kaufman Hall & Associates and Benefytt Technologies. Alex most recently stepped into operations at Nexus Pharmaceuticals as Executive Vice President of Operations, assisting in competitor litigation settlements, government relations and leading several divisions including sales and forecasting, project management and analytics.
He currently Chairs the investment committee of Goldfinch, Chairs the LPAC of a technology venture capital fund, serves on three corporate company boards directly and one non-profit Catholic board. Alex is a proud alumnus of the University of Notre Dame.
SERGEI PETUKHOV
Founder, Ludicrous Ventures (Family Office)
Sergei is a seasoned venture capital biotech investor with 15+ years of experience. C-level executive, board member/board observer for private and public biotech companies. Led Series A/B/C investments in early-stage startups with an exemplary track record of successful IPOs and M&A exits valued at over $3B.
JOSH SEIDENFELD
Partner, Cooley
Josh is the global chair of Cooley’s digital health group and serves on the firm’s Life Sciences Advisory Board. He represents life sciences, healthcare and technology clients through the full company life cycle, from seed stage through private financings, M&A and initial public offerings. He also regularly advises clients on general corporate issues, securities matters and implications of proposed business transactions.
Since 2020, Josh has handled 300+ venture capital financings with an aggregate deal value of more than $8.1 billion. Josh counsels clients across industries, including companies operating in the biotechnology, therapeutics, pharma, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, climate tech and energy, digital health, open source, medical technology and software sectors.
Josh previously worked in the healthcare industry at Practice Fusion, a web-based electronic health records company, where he was corporate counsel and director of business development. In this role, he was responsible for generating revenue, leading the company through complex regulations governing digital healthcare and records, negotiating contracts and more.
Josh is a contributing editor for Cooley GO, the firm’s online resource containing tools, documents, guidance and data for entrepreneurs and emerging companies.