KEYNOTE MODERATOR

Yolanda Fintschenko

Executive Director, i-GATE Innovation Hub (home of Startup Tri-Valley and Daybreak Labs)

Yolanda Fintschenko, PhD is Executive Director of the i-GATE Innovation Hub and Daybreak Labs, a hard tech incubator supporting early-stage startups in life sciences, climate tech, and AI. A scientist turned entrepreneur, she began her career at Sandia National Labs and later led marketing at Thermo Fisher Scientific and LabSmith. She co-founded Fixate.IO and FounderTraction, pioneering technical marketing for science-based ventures. Yolanda holds a PhD in Bioanalytical Chemistry and is a recognized expert in microfluidics, with 41 publications and three patents. She founded the Gordon Conference on Microfluidics and co-edited Microscale Analytical Systems. In Livermore, CA, she drives regional economic development, co-organizes the East Bay Bio Network, and serves as a Planning Commissioner. Her work bridges science, entrepreneurship, and community-building to grow the Tri-Valley innovation ecosystem.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Pam Galley

Senior Vice President and Area Manager, Kaiser Permanente

Pam Galley serves as Senior Vice President and Area Manager for the Kaiser Permanente Diablo Service Area, overseeing hospital operations and the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan for facilities in Walnut Creek, Antioch, and Dublin, California. With nearly 20 years of experience in nursing and healthcare leadership, Pam has held key roles across Kaiser Permanente’s Northern California and Mid-Atlantic regions, including Vice President of Continuum Care. She is known for championing innovation, compassionate care, and strategic growth in healthcare delivery. Pam earned her Associate Degree in Nursing from Hartnell College and both her Bachelor and Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership from Chapman University.

PANEL DISCUSSION MODERATOR

Landon Merrill

Principal at Genoa Ventures

Landon is a Principal at Genoa Ventures, where he brings world-class skills in structured, rigorous product strategy and development to deal diligence and portfolio company support. With a wide range of technical and commercial leadership experience in organizations ranging from startups to multinationals, from life science tools to pharma discovery platforms, Landon brings a diverse set of experiences and a keen ability to identify opportunities for cross-pollination. Landon also leads sales and marketing for a local product development firm servicing the life sciences, diagnostics, and medical device markets.

PANELIST

Fiona He

President and Co-Founder, OPM Biosciences

Yunfen(Fiona) He, Ph.D. is President of OPM Biosciences Inc, where she leads the company’s U.S. strategy, R&D expansion, and commercial growth. With a scientific background in biological physics and extensive experience across biopharma, bioanalytics, and CDMO operations, Fiona brings a scientist’s perspective to building and scaling life sciences businesses.

She established OPM’s U.S. presence in Pleasanton and is now leading its next phase of expansion, including broader R&D, cell line development, analytical, and cell culture media manufacturing capabilities. She is passionate about building strong local teams, connecting science with customer needs, and contributing to the growth of the Tri-Valley life sciences ecosystem.

PANEL DISCUSSION MODERATOR

Julia Schaletzky

Executive Director, Molecular Therapeutics Initiative, University of California, Berkeley

Julia Schaletzky, PhD, is Executive Director of the Molecular Therapeutics Initiative and founder of the Drug Discovery Center at UC Berkeley, where she also teaches bioentrepreneurship at the Haas School of Business. She brings extensive experience spanning biotechnology industry, academic research, and life sciences innovation, including contributions to the discovery of two FDA-approved cardiovascular drugs during her time at Cytokinetics.

At Berkeley, she focuses on translating scientific discoveries into medicines, building partnerships between academia and industry, and fostering entrepreneurial ecosystems. Her interests include the business of innovation, strategies for bringing breakthrough technologies to market, and the people and organizations that turn scientific advances into successful enterprises.

PANEL DISCUSSION PARTICIPANT

Don Masquelier

Principal Owner, Altamont Bio

Don Masquelier is currently principal at Altamont Bio. After almost 30 years as an engineer at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Don became co-founder of QuantaLife, where he helped pioneer droplet digital PCR technology that was later acquired by Bio-Rad Laboratories. Don has continued to innovate in the life sciences space through Tri-Valley lab tools ventures such as 10x Genomics, Inscripta, LabSimply, and VedaBio, and is a leader and expert in molecular diagnostics engineering.

PANELIST

Anuj Kalra

President/Head of Business, Chronic Disease Management, Zeiss Medical Technology

Anuj Kalra is a transformation leader and angel investor with 20+ years of experience driving growth, capital allocation, governance, and innovation across global healthcare and technology businesses. Over the past decade, built a portfolio of 40+ startup investments while supporting founders and emerging ventures through scaling, strategic decision-making and value creation

PANEL DISCUSSION PARTICIPANT

Austin So

Founder and CEO, Clarica Genomics

Austin So is the Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Clarica Genomics, a diagnostics startup based in Livermore, California. He previously held senior scientific roles at Purigen Biosystems, 4Catalyzer, and TOMA Biosciences, and was an early employee at QuantaLife, where he contributed to the commercialization of droplet digital PCR. Austin holds multiple patents in molecular diagnostics and is deeply engaged in advancing precision medicine and building scalable genomic technologies. He earned his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of British Columbia.

PANELIST

Jay Harger

Chief Operating Officer, Themis Bios

Jay Harger is a genomics life sciences executive with 20+ years of experience in operations, product management, and organizational scaling. As COO of Themis Bios (formerly CS Genetics), he built the company’s operational infrastructure from the ground up, spanning procurement, manufacturing, QC, and fulfillment, and launched its first commercial product portfolio. Previously, he held senior leadership roles at Illumina, where he directed a $240M library prep portfolio and programs supporting continuous improvement of Illumina’s multi-billion-dollar on-market product families.

2026

Tri-Valley Life Sciences Summit

Welcome to the 2026 Tri-Valley Life Sciences Summit

Presented by California Life Sciences and Kilpatrick

October 15, 2026 | 4:30 pm – 7:30 pm | Rosewood Commons Conference Center | Pleasanton, CA

The Startup Tri-Valley 2026 Tri-Valley Life Sciences Summit presented by California Life Sciences, Kilpatrick, and FluidCloud, organized with the City of Pleasanton, highlights the The Business of Breakthroughs: Life Sciences at Scale, and will explore topics including:

Commercialization and growth
Scaling life sciences companies
Talent and workforce development
Corporate innovation and startup partnerships
Artificial intelligence in life sciences
Factors influencing where life sciences companies choose to grow and invest and the Tri-Valley’s emerging desirability

The Summit begins with a networking reception, providing attendees the opportunity to mingle, engage with peers, and foster new connections. The program includes welcoming remarks our presenting sponsors, followed by a brief introduction to the event by Yolanda Fintschenko of Startup Tri-Valley.

This year’s program features leaders from organizations including:

Moderator Julia Schaletzky, Executive Director, Molecular Therapeutics Initiative, University of California, Berkeley

Panelists:

Fiona He, President & Co-Founder, OPM Biosciences
Jay Harger, COO, Themis Bios
Anuj Kalra, President/Head of Chronic Disease Management, Zeiss Medical Technology

We will close by continuing our networking reception.

*****

Agenda

4:30 PM – Networking and Reception (light bites, drinks)
5:30 PM – Welcome
5:45 PM – Program
6:30-7:30 – Closing Remarks, Networking and Reception (drinks, dessert, coffee)

Connect with the Tri-Valley life sciences ecosystem.

About 250 local life sciences entrepreneurs and professionals attended the 2025 Tri-Valley Life Sciences Summit. View the 2025 program and sponsors here.

Event Schedule

The Summit is designed to give busy professionals concrete takeaways they can incorporate into their work immediately, as well as plenty of opportunities to connect with peers. This year we have structured the program to provide high-value content for early-stage startups as well as high-growth, later-stage companies and cornerstone companies. A snapshot of the agenda is to to the right (or below).

4:30 PM

Registration and Networking with Wine, Beer, Light Bites

5:30 PM

Welcome to the City – Mayor Jack Balch

Event Welcome – California Life Sciences, Kilpatrick, and FluidCloud

“The Business of Breakthroughs: Life Sciences at Scale” – Panel Discussion moderated by Julia Schaletzky, UC Berkeley, with Fiona He, OPM Biosciences, Jay Harger, Themis Bios, and Anuj Kalra, Zeiss Medical Technology

6:30-7:30 pm

Closing Remarks and Networking

Speakers, Panelists and Moderators

Fiona He

PANEL DISCUSSION PARTICIPANT

Julia Schaletzky

PANEL MODERATOR

Anuj Karla

PANEL DISCUSSION PARTICIPANT

Jay Harger

PANEL DISCUSSION PARTICIPANT

FAQs

Who should attend?
Scientists, technologists, investors and business professionals working in industries that include or intersect with the life sciences who are entrepreneurs or have entrepreneurial ambitions.

Why should I attend?
This event is designed to relay information, inspiration, and create networking opportunities for the speakers and attendees.

How can I contact the organizers with any questions?
Please complete our contact form.

How do I register for the summit?
Head over to our Eventbrite.

How do I become a sponsor?
Please visit our Sponsorship Page

Photos From Our Previous Summit

2026 Sponsors & Affiliates

We are honored to partner with leading firms in the Tri-Valley who have demonstrated their commitment to growing the life sciences ecosystem in the region.

Presented By:

Organized By:

Ecosystem Sponsors

Meet These Sponsors at Their Event Table

Fisher-Scientiifc-Single-Line-Endorsed (3)

Event Sponsors

Become a Sponsor

2025 TVLSS Organizers

Siegmar Pohl

Partner, Kilpatrick Townsend and Stockton, LLP

Brian Wilson

Abraham Salinas

Economic Development Manager at the City of Pleasanton

Yolanda Fintschenko, Ph.D.

Executive Director, i-GATE Innovation Hub
Director, Startup Tri-Valley and Daybreak Labs

Aracely Campa Ramirez

Senior Director, State Government Relations, California Life Sciences

Sepee Moin

Director, Business Development, California Life Sciences

Location

California Life Sciences and Kilpatrick are proud to present the Tri-Valley Life Sciences Summit at the Rosewood Commons Conference Center in the City of Pleasanton.

Connect with the Tri-Valley startup ecosystem

Let's Get Started