Finding and Funding Assets in Retina, from OIS Retina@ASRS

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You’ve got a game-changing product. A potential investor wants to back innovators like you. What’s the secret to a happy marriage? More importantly, how do you get a first date?

Recorded during OIS Retina@ASRS in San Antonio, Texas, five pharma and finance leaders discuss their current areas of interest, how to secure crucial series A funding, and what’s on the verge of disruption.

Tune in to discover:

• What’s hot in retina. Fred Guerard, PharmD, CEO of Graybug Vision
believes multiple compounds can co-exist in the market. A researcher with a great science-backed idea may need only 5% to 10% of market share to build a valuable company. Think niche markets like uveitis, a delivery model for anti-VEGF therapies that lowers patient burden, and gene therapies with clear targets and strong preclinical studies.
• Advice for early-stage companies. It takes more than great technology to secure funding. Entrepreneurs must have a well-planned roadmap and a solid team, Jason Menzo, COO of Foundation Fighting Blindness, says. What should that roadmap include? Tune in.
• Advice for later-stage companies. Dr. Guerard discusses the area where most startups fall short, while Firas M. Rahhal, MD, a partner at ExSight Ventures, advises on how to move to the next inflection point.

Other topics covered include:
• How and when to go public. Should it be a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), a reverse merger, or initial public offering?
• Corporate partnerships. How do you use regional partnerships as funding vehicles and to successfully navigate complex regulatory and reimbursement environments?
• What’s the next disruptor in retina?

Moderating the panel is Emmett T. Cunningham Jr., MD, PhD, MPH, senior managing director at Blackstone Life Sciences. Other participants are Tsuyoshi (Josh) Chiwata, director of venture management for Santen Ventures; and Andrew Liu, vice president of global corporate development for Chengdu Kanghong Pharmaceutical Group.

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