Capstone Event
Congratulations EmGenisys!
Cara Wells, CEO of EmGenisys was crowned the 2024 BioTools Innovator Grand Prize Winner at the Capstone Event in Boston on September 26th!
The BioTools Innovator Capstone brings together life science tools industry leaders, investors, and decision-makers in an inspiring and collaborative environment. Experts will discuss the latest trends and breakthroughs in innovation, offer insights into the current fundraising landscape, and uncover the key factors driving decision-making in the pharma and biotech industries. Twenty best-in-class startups will showcase their unique solutions. The event will culminate with a live pitch showdown where the audience will vote for the winner of the $250,000 grand prize.
Date
September 26, 2024
9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Location
Hynes Convention Center
Room 2-210
900 Boylston St.
Boston, MA 02115
Agenda At-A-Glance
Pre-Event Programming
– Start-Up Stage featuring 2024 Cohort Companies (3-minute pitches, view companies here)
– Explore the BioProcess International Exhibit Hall
11:30 AM — 11:50AM
Opening Remarks
11:50 AM – 12:30 PM
Panel – “Advancing Pharma and Biotech: Trends, Technologies, and Strategies in Life Science Tools”
Moderator
- Vince Stoyanov, Advancion Corporation
Panelists
- Cynthia Hong, Novartis
- David Sheehan, Nucleus Bio / Stoic Bio
- Hong Chen, Novo Nordisk
- Katarzyna Glanowska, Lonza
- Sarah Tao, Sanofi
12:30 PM – 12:50 PM
Program Expansion Announcement
12:50 PM — 1:40 PM
Lunch
1:45 PM — 2:30 PM
Rapid Fire Panel – “Venture Investment Landscape, Trends, & Future Outlook in the Life Science Tools Space”
Moderator
- Kelly Kaihara, Blueward Ventures
Panelists
- Carl Schoelhammer, DeciBio
- Charles Purtell, Danaher
- Courtney Matson, BroadBranch Advisors
- Jessica Davis, AVANT Bio
- Paxton Major, Northpond Ventures
- Rowan Cade, BARDA
2:30 PM — 4:00 PM
BioTools Innovator Finals Competition
*This event is free to attend but seats are limited. Registration is mandatory.
Steering Committee
Bryan Poltilove
Mr. Poltilove serves as an advisor, consultant, and independent Board Director, helping companies with fund-raising, commercialization, and inorganic growth strategies. Previously, as Operating Partner with BroadOak Capital Partners, Mr. Poltilove led the firm’s investment strategy in Cell and Gene Therapy, Bioproduction, and Cell Biology. Mr. Poltilove joined BroadOak after 12 years with Thermo Fisher Scientific where he served as Vice President and General Manager. Mr. Poltilove started up and led long-range strategy and day-to-day operations for the company’s cell and gene therapy business. He built a team that delivered 50%+ annual growth and championed the acquisition of Brammer Bio. Prior to Thermo Fisher, Mr. Poltilove served as Director of Revenue Strategy & Operations at the Corporate Executive Board and also held several commercial strategy roles with Johnson & Johnson. He holds Bachelor’s degrees in Chemical Engineering and Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as well as an MBA from the J.L. Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Charles Purtell
30yr + Biotech industry veteran with commercial experience across industrial enzymes, informatics, biopharma discovery & development (Vaccines, gene therapy, small molecules), life sciences tools and Dx platforms. Corporate venture group founder, lead more than a dozen investments, board member of 8 companies. Investor, mentor, and business executive helping entrepreneurs achieve their goals from concept to exit.
Jose Haresco
Jose Haresco, Ph.D is a Director of Business Development for the Biosciences Division of Thermofisher Scientific. Prior to joining Thermofisher, Jose was at Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices, where he led BD activities for several businesses in the interventional group companies. Jose has over a decade of experience in healthcare corporate finance and equity research. Jose obtained his B.S. from the University of California, Davis in genetics, and his doctorate from the University of California, San Francisco in Biological and Medical Informatics.
Kelly Kaihara
Kelly completed a PhD at The University of Chicago in Biomedical Sciences and a postdoc at University of California – San Francisco. She joined Bio-Rad and supported the entire life sciences portfolio. In addition, she ran the early access program for ddSEQ, a single-cell RNA-Seq platform co-developed by Bio-Rad and Illumina, and single-cell ATAC-Seq, as well as supported the global launch and go-to-market strategy for those products. More recently, she worked at Mission Bio heading the applications and collaborations group for their single-cell multi-omics platform. She has co authored 16 publications over the span of her research and industry career. Kelly now leads investments for the Life Science Tools and Molecular Diagnostics vertical for General Inception and is excited to work with founders to execute on their aspirations for company and product creation and innovation.
Tad Weems
Tad leads the Agilent team that sources, negotiates and manages the partnership relationships of over 30 early stage biotech companies and licenses. He has been in the life science industry for 20 years, serving in a variety of research, business development, financial and management roles. Prior to joining Agilent, Tad co-founded two companies as well as worked in the venture capital and petrochemical industries. He serves on multiple Boards; is a Professional Engineer; holds multiple patents and degrees from Wharton, UT Austin and UC Berkeley.
Registration is now closed
We look forward to seeing you next year!
Need to Book a Hotel?
- BTI has room blocks available at
- Hotel AKA Back Bay (check availability)
- Hilton Boston Back Bay (check availability)
- The Colonnade Hotel (check availability)
- Hotel rooms may also be available through BioProcess International.
Interested in Sponsoring the Capstone Event?
Founding Partners
Acceleration Partners
Biotools Innovator is a proud innovation partner of
