Founder and CEO, Seaport Therapeutics

Daphne Zohar is the founder and chief executive officer and a member of the Board of Directors at Seaport Therapeutics. Previously, she was the founder, chief executive officer and a Board Member of PureTech Health where she also co-founded PureTech’s entities, including Karuna Therapeutics (acquired by Bristol Myers Squibb). A successful entrepreneur, Ms. Zohar created PureTech, assembling a leading team to help implement her vision for the company, and was a key driver in fundraising, business development and establishing the underlying programs and platforms that have resulted in PureTech’s productive R & D engine, which led to 28 new medicines being advanced via the company’s Wholly Owned Pipeline and Founded Entities, including two that received both U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance and European marketing authorization and a third (KarXT) that has been filed for FDA approval. PureTech’s track record of clinical success is approximately 6 times better than the industry average and 80 percent of the clinical studies run by PureTech and its Founded Entities have been successful. Ms. Zohar has been recognized as a top leader and innovator in biotechnology by a number of sources, including EY, Fierce Pharma, BioWorld, MIT Technology Review, The Boston Globe and Scientific American. She serves on the BIO (Biotechnology Innovation Organization) Board, including the Health Section Committee and is co-chair of the Strategy and Policy Committee of the board. She is also a co-founder and host of the Biotech Hangout podcast, a weekly discussion of biotech news with a group of industry leaders and experts.

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Biotech Equity Research Analyst, Cantor Fitzgerald and Co.

Josh Schimmer is a biotech equity research analyst at Cantor Fitzgerald and Co. In 2021, he was again ranked No. 1 in Institutional Investor’s All America Research Team for SMID biotech, a position he has maintained since 2018. He was runner-up in 2015 and 2016. Dr. Schimmer, who has more than 15 years of biotechnology research experience, previously worked at Evercore ISI, Piper Jaffray, Lazard Capital Markets, Leerink Partners, and Cowen & Co. In addition, he spent two years on the buy-side at Davidson Kempner. Dr. Schimmer received his M.D. and subspeciality training in internal medicine and rheumatology from the University of Toronto and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School.

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Founder, BiotechTV

Brad Loncar is a biotechnology industry investor and CEO of Loncar Investments. He is the creator of two Nasdaq-listed biotech focused exchange-traded funds. Brad previously worked in the financial services industry at Franklin Templeton Investments where he was a member of the Management Training Program, and was appointed to serve in a Senior Advisor role at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. He currently writes biotechnology commentary at www.LoncarBlog.com, Nasdaq.com, and contributes opinion pieces to Endpoints News.

Twitter: @bradloncar

Partner, Atlas Venture

Bruce Booth is a partner and focuses on the discovery and development of novel medicines and therapeutic platforms. Bruce is currently chairman of Arkuda Therapeutics, AvroBio (NASDAQ:AVRO), Hotspot Therapeutics, Kymera Therapeutics (NASDAQ:KYMR), Nimbus Therapeutics, and Vigil Neuroscience (NASDAQ: VIGL). He also serves on the board of Magenta Therapeutics (NASDAQ:MGTA), Sionna Therapeutics, and several seed stage companies. He previously served on the boards of past Atlas companies Avila (acquired by Celgene), Lysosomal Therapeutics (acquired by Bial), Padlock (acquired by BMS), Prestwick (acquired by Biovail), Rodin Therapeutics (acquired by Alkermes), Stromedix (acquired by Biogen), and a number of other ventures. Bruce serves or has served as an advisor in various capacities to Takeda, UCB, the Gates Foundation, and Dana Farber’s Binney Street Capital advisory board. He also serves on the boards of the Pennsylvania State Research Foundation, which helps with technology transfer, and New England Disabled Sports, a charity dedicated to adaptive sports. Bruce blogs about biotech and venture capital topics at LifeSciVC.com, which is syndicated on Forbes. Prior to joining Atlas in 2005, Bruce was a consultant at McKinsey & Company, as well as an investor for Caxton Health Holdings. As a British Marshall Scholar, Bruce received a D.Phil. (PhD) in molecular immunology from Oxford University. He received a BS in biochemistry, summa cum laude, from The Pennsylvania State University. Bruce enjoys running, skiing, hiking, and fly fishing. He lives in Wellesley, MA and has three wonderful kids.

Twitter: @LifeSciVC

CEO and Founder, Xontogeny

Chris Garabedian founded Xontogeny in June of 2016 to support multiple promising technologies from early development through clinical proof of concept. In 2017, Chris joined Perceptive Advisors to develop their Venture Fund strategy and is Portfolio Manager of the Perceptive Xontogeny Ventures Fund which supports early stage companies with Series A investments across biotech, medtech and healthtech. Chris has a broad base of experience and a track record of success over his decades long experience in the biopharma industry. Chris served as the President and CEO of Sarepta Therapeutics from 2011 to 2015, overseeing the turnaround of a company that is now a commercial stage leader in the genetic technology space after leading the development of the company’s Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy program. Prior to Sarepta, Chris led Corporate Strategy for Celgene from 2007 to 2010. Prior to Celgene, Chris served in a number of global commercial and corporate development leadership roles at Gilead from 1997 to 2005. Chris serves on a number of Boards of life sciences companies and speaks at industry conferences on a wide range of important issues. Chris is also on the Board of Directors of MassBio, served as a Senior Advisor for the Boston Consulting Group and is a member of the Corporate Relations Board for the Keck Graduate Institute.

Twitter: @cngarabedian

Managing Director, Stifel

Tim Opler is a Managing Director in Stifel’s Global Healthcare Group leading strategic and financing transactions across multiple healthcare sectors. Tim co-founded Torreya and became part of Stifel through the 2023 acquisition. For nearly 20 years, Tim has focused exclusively on life sciences advisory; he has completed more than 150 financing, licensing, and M&A transactions across the industry with a total value of over $100 billion. Highlights include running the largest share buyback in history for Pfizer, leading a $3.9 billion convertible bond exchange for Amgen, working on Chiron’s $5.1 billion sale to Novartis, and managing Genentech’s inaugural $2 billion bond issue. Before co-founding Torreya, Tim was Vice President of Strategy at FibroGen, where he helped raise $117 million for the company and negotiated licensing deals. Previously, Tim was a Managing Director in Healthcare Investment Banking at Credit Suisse First Boston and held senior roles at W.R. Hambrecht, Deutsche Bank, and Merrill Lynch. Prior to his career in investment banking, Tim was a professor in the finance department at Ohio State University. He earned a B.S. in Economics and Philosophy from Florida State University, and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Twitter: @TimOpler

Regional Head, Johnson & Johnson Innovation, East North America

Michal is Regional Head of Johnson & Johnson Innovation LLC, East North America. Located at the Innovation Center in Cambridge, she leads the Johnson & Johnson Innovation team to curate and cultivate the most promising, early-stage healthcare innovations in the region, spanning across pharmaceutical, consumer health and medical devices. Prior to joining Johnson & Johnson Innovation, Michal served as the Executive Director of Harvard University’s Office of Technology Development (OTD) Harvard Medical School site, where she was responsible for development and commercialization of technologies emerging from research at HMS laboratories and for the strategy and execution of all industry collaborations. She negotiated agreements with major biopharma, life sciences, food and cosmetics companies to advance the translation of discoveries into products and create a revenue-generating product pipeline and worked with scientific founders and investors to create new startup companies. Before joining Harvard University’s OTD in 2005, Michal held several senior business and technology development leadership positions in the biotech and tech industries and co-founded a biotechnology startup. Michal is a member of the Scientific Advisory board and serves on the Scientific Advisory Boards FutuRx Accelerator.

Twitter: @mpreminger

Founder, Omega Funds

Otello founded Omega Funds in 2004 and leads the firm’s investor relations and strategic initiatives. He is a member of the firm’s investment committee and is also heavily involved in a number of Omega’s therapeutic areas of interest, particularly in oncology, rare diseases and inflammatory disorders. Previously, Otello was in charge of life sciences direct investments and diligence for healthcare venture fund of fund investments at AlpInvest Partners, one of the largest private equity asset managers worldwide. Before AlpInvest, he was the portfolio manager of the Lombard Odier Immunology Fund, a $3 billion listed investment vehicle in Geneva, Switzerland, investing in public and private healthcare companies worldwide. Previously, Otello was a member of the HealthCare corporate finance and M&A team at Goldman Sachs (London and New York offices). Before Goldman, he helped co-found the healthcare investment activities at Index Securities (now Index Ventures). Otello has a PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of Geneva, holds a European Doctorate in Biotechnology from the EU, and obtained an MSc in Genetics from the University of Pavia.

Twitter: @OtelloVC

Vice Chair of the Emerging Companies Section of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO).

Grace is a serial entrepreneur and board member with over 25 years+ of wide-ranging experience in biopharma, genomics, diagnostics, health care systems, digital health, synthetic biology, industrial biotechnology, venture capital, management consulting and entrepreneurship. She is a frequent invited speaker, lecturer, moderator and panelist at industry conferences and in academia. She also is an advisor and mentor to entrepreneurs as well as aspiring executives and board directors, particularly women and underrepresented minorities. She serves on the boards of CareDx (NASDAQ:CDNA); Voyager Therapeutics (NASDAQ: VYGR); as chair of the boards of Bloom Science, and Emm; and on the board of the MIT Corporation. She is Vice Chair of the Emerging Companies Section of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO). Previously she served on the boards of Paradigm Dx (acquired by Exact Sciences), Cocoon Biotech and PerceptiMed. She was formerly CEO of InCarda Therapeutics, where she led the company through over $120M in financing and brought the lead cardiovascular program from pre-clinical stage to Phase 3. Prior to InCarda, she was a partner at New Science Ventures, and held executive roles at Intrexon (Industrial Products Division), Gilead, Affymetrix and the International Genomics Consortium. She was also a consultant with McKinsey. She received her Ph.D. from MIT and B.S.E. from the University of Pennsylvania, both in chemical engineering. Originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico, Grace is a mom of three and is based in Los Gatos, CA. She is a rabid fan of golden age as well as modern science fiction, and an occasionally semi-competent singer and musical theatre performer, obsessive sea glass collector, and aspiring juggler.

Twitter: @ColonGraceE

Former CEO, Kojin Therapeutics

Luba Greenwood is a distinguished executive, investor, and company builder with extensive experience in the healthcare and tech sectors. Luba has served as the Chief Executive Officer and Chair of the Board of Kojin Therapeutics. She serves as the Managing Partner of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute Venture Fund, Binney Street Capital (BSC), which she has built and launched, investing and building companies across therapeutics, diagnostics, and digital sectors. She is also a lecturer at Harvard University in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Ms. Greenwood has previously served in leadership roles at Google Life Sciences (Verily) and as Vice President of Global Business Development and Mergers & Acquisitions at Roche, where she also led diagnostics BD and established and led the East Coast Innovation Hub. Luba has led $5B+ in M&A, BD deals, and investments across multiple therapeutic areas, diagnostics, life sciences and tech sectors globally. She has also co-founded and advised biotech and digital health companies in the immunotherapy, AI/ML, women's health, and microbiome space, including Luca Biologics. Her invaluable contributions to the healthcare industry have earned her recognition as a thought leader and a trusted advisor to CEOs of leading academic centers worldwide, including the Dana Farber Institute and the Wyss Center for Bio and Neuroengineering in Geneva. She is a Thought Leader for the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) Catalyst and serves on Investor Committee for the National Cancer Institute. Ms. Greenwood has extensive board experience globally and serves on public and private boards, across multiple industries, including healthcare and tech, and has successfully contributed to the growth and profitability of numerous organizations, bringing her operational, industry, and financing expertise. She has served on boards of Abcam (ABCM), In8Bio (INAB), BenchSci, Kojin Therapeutics, MassBio, Eterna Therpaeutics (ERNA), and Stalicla. Ms. Greenwood began her career practicing law at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr. Her commitment to advocating for women in science and technology has garnered several awards and honors, including the esteemed Science Club for Girls Catalyst Award.

Twitter: @luba_greenwood

Director of Research at Bloomberg Intelligence, EMEA

Sam Fazeli is a senior analyst and the EMEA head of Bloomberg Intelligence, a dynamic platform for in-depth research available on the Bloomberg Professional service at BI. Dr. Fazeli specializes in European pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. Prior to joining Bloomberg in 2010, Dr. Fazeli worked at Piper Jaffray, Ltd. as a pharmaceutical analyst and head of European research. Before transitioning to investment banking, Dr. Fazeli was a research scientist for seven years. Dr. Fazeli has been ranked a top analyst by both the U.K. and Pan-European Extel surveys. He received a bachelor’s of science from Cardiff University, and a Ph.D. in pharmacology from the University of London.

Twitter: @SamFazeli8

Dr. John Maraganore served as the founding CEO and a Director of Alnylam from 2002 to 2021, where he built and led the company from early platform research on RNA interference through global approval and commercialization of the first four RNAi therapeutic medicines, ONPATTRO®, GIVLAARI®, OXLUMO®, and Leqvio®. At Alnylam, he also led the company’s value creation strategy, building $25B in market capitalization, and also forming over 20 major pharmaceutical alliances. He continues to serve on the Alnylam Scientific Advisory Board. Prior to Alnylam, he served as an officer and a member of the management team for Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc., where he was responsible for the company’s product franchises in oncology, and cardiovascular, inflammatory and metabolic diseases, in addition to leadership of M&A, strategy, and biotherapeutics functions. Before Millennium, he served as Director of Molecular Biology and Director of Market and Business Development at Biogen, Inc. where he invented and led the discovery and development of ANGIOMAX® (bivalirudin) for injection. Previously, he was a scientist at ZymoGenetics, Inc. and the Upjohn Company. Dr. Maraganore received his M.S. and Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Chicago. He is currently a Venture Partner at ARCH Venture Partners, a Venture Advisor at Atlas Ventures, and an Executive Partner at RTW Investments. He is also Chair of the Board of Directors of Hemab Therapeutics and a member of the Board of Directors of Agios Pharmaceuticals, Beam Therapeutics, Kymera Therapeutics, and the Biotechnology Industry Organization, where he was Chair from 2017-2019. In addition, he serves on the Board of the Termeer Foundation, as Chair of the n-Lorem Foundation Advisory Council, on the Advisory Board of Ariadne Labs, and as a strategic advisor to a number of innovative companies.

Twitter: @JMaraganore

Global Development Head, Strategic Partnerships, Novartis

Dawn Bell, Pharm.D. is a global biopharma executive and board director with 20+ years of proven success starting and scaling life-sciences businesses from academic spinouts to Top 5 Pharma. She’s led development and launch of a dozen medicines including Entresto ($3.5B) for heart failure, obtaining Fast Track and Break Through status from the FDA. Her diverse experience across the value chain includes buy and sell-side BD&L, portfolio strategy, clinical development, and commercialization. At Novartis, Dawn has held leadership roles across strategy, medical affairs, business development, and global drug development. She is a start-up thought leader, board director and advisor for privately held life-science companies, research institutes, CEOs, founders, and innovation accelerators in the US and Europe. She was selected by founders as Mentor of the Year for the Creative Destruction Lab in Toronto. As Executive Council Member at EIT Health’s Gold Track, she helped ventures raise €500M, secure 24 partnerships and achieve three exits totaling over €1B in four years.

Twitter: @TheDawnBell

Managing Director & Sr. Director Biotechnology Analyst, Jefferies

Michael Yee is a Managing Director and Senior Biotechnology Analyst at Jefferies LLC. He has been working in Healthcare Equity Research on Wall Street for 22 years including over 18 years covering the Biotechnology sector. He was previously a Managing Director covering Biotechnology at RBC Capital Markets. He is a top-ranked analyst in the Institutional Investor annual poll having consistently ranked in the Top 3 for Large-Cap Biotechnology and “Runner Up” in the Small/Mid Cap biotechnology categories. Michael Yee is also a frequent TV guest on top rated financial news and media outlets including CNBC, WSJ, FT, and Reuters. Prior to RBC, Michael worked in equity research at Deutsche Bank in the Life Sciences sector. Michael received a BA in Molecular Cell Biology from the University of California, Berkeley, and an MBA from UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business

Twitter: @Seals310

Ethan is the founder and CEO of Perlara PBC, the first biotech Public Benefit Corporation, and cofounder and CEO of Maggie's Pearl, a clinical-stage joint venture of Perlara and a rare disease family that is currently sponsoring a Phase 3 drug repurposing study at Mayo Clinic.

Twitter: @eperlste

Managing Director and senior research analyst, Cowen

Dr. Yaron Werber is a Managing Director and senior research analyst on Cowen’s biotechnology team responsible for providing analysis on large-, mid-, and small-cap biotechnology stocks. Dr. Werber has 20+ years of experience as a research analyst in the financial services industry and has served as an executive in a public biotechnology company. Prior to rejoining Cowen, Dr. Werber was a founding team member, chief business and financial officer, treasurer and secretary of Ovid Therapeutics. He oversaw all financing activities and led a $75 million Series B round in 2015 and Ovid’s $75 million IPO in 2017 for which he was selected as an “Emerging Pharma Leader” by Pharmaceutical Executive magazine in 2017. Prior to joining Ovid, Dr. Werber worked at Citi from 2004 to 2015, where he most recently served as a managing director and head of U.S. healthcare and biotech equity research. Previously, Dr. Werber was a senior biotech analyst and vice president at SG Cowen Securities Corporation from 2001-04. Dr. Werber has been awarded several accolades for performance and stock picking, he has been highly ranked by Institutional Investor magazine, has received awards from Starmine and was voted among the top five analysts in biotech in the Wall Street Journal’s “Best on the Street” Greenwich survey. He has frequently been featured as a guest on CNBC, Fox News, Bloomberg News and has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Fortune, Forbes, Bloomberg thestreet.com and BioCentury. Dr. Werber earned his B.S. in Biology from Tufts University, cum laude, and a combined M.D./MBA degree from Tufts University School of Medicine where he was a Terner Scholar.

Twitter: @YaronWerber

Managing Director, Head of Therapeutics Research - Biotechnology, Stifel

Paul Matteis is Head of the Therapeutics Research Team. He joined Stifel in 2018 as a Managing Director and Senior Analyst. From 2019 to 2023, Paul was repeatedly named a “Runner Up” in Small/Mid Cap Biotechnology, and a "Rising Star" in both 2015 and 2016 by Institutional Investor as part of the publication's All-America Research Team rankings.

Prior to joining Stifel, Paul was a Senior Biotechnology Analyst covering small-cap and mid-cap companies at Leerink, with a focus on neuroscience, central nervous system, and rare disease. He received a B.A. in Psychology from Skidmore College in New York, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa, after which he worked in a sleep research laboratory at Harvard Medical School.

Twitter: @MatteisPaul

Senior Research Analyst - Biotechnology, Baird

Brian Skorney is a Managing Director and Senior Research Analyst covering Biotechnology at Baird. He has previously covered Biotech as a Senior Research Analyst at Brean Murray Carrett & Co, ThinkEquity, LLC and Susquehanna International Group, LLC. He also worked as a coordinator and lab manager at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Columbia University Medical Center. Brian received a BS in Biological Sciences from the University of Notre Dame and an MBA in Finance from New York University.

Twitter: @BrianSkorney