NextTech Speaker Series
Join us for our NextTech events
The NextTech Speaker Series connects Bay Area founders, investors, executives and technology developers with the life sciences community in the Tri-Valley and greater East Bay. Join our mailing list to
Join our mailing list for announcements of future events and other Startup Tri-Valley news.
Upcoming Events
Past Events
OCT
02
2019
NextTech Presents:
The Second Annual Tri-Valley Life Sciences Summit
The second annual Tri-Valley Life Sciences Summit, hosted by event partner Veeva Systems, showcased the large and growing life sciences sector in the Tri-Valley.
Where: Veeva Systems, Pleasanton CA
JUN
12
2019
NextTech Presents:
Developing a Strategic Roadmap for Building Customer Partnerships
The second annual Tri-Valley Life Sciences Summit, hosted by event partner Veeva Systems, showcased the large and growing life sciences sector in the Tri-Valley.
Where: Dublin Civic Center, Dublin CA
APR
16
2019
NextTech Presents:
The One Thing Med Device Startups Share – Uniqueness
Our next installment of the NextTech Speaker series features Mitch Levinson, Founder and CTO of Cerebrotech Medical Systems.
Mitch has been on the ground floor of 6 medical device startups over the past 20 years, twice as the first technical executive to lead R&D, twice as the Founder/CEO, and twice as the first board member prior to first-round funding or hiring the CEO. One thing that has become clear to him is that all of these start-ups are unique. They require a different approach to every strategic aspect of the company: product development, financing, regulatory, staffing, commercialization.
A common mistake for an entrepreneur is to think that they can do the same thing they did at their last successful startup (or someone else’s successful startup), and it will work again for their new project. Or, that they know what NOT to do because it didn’t work in the past at another company. Mitch sees this routinely with VCs and other board members who think they know what needs to be done because they have had to make a similar decision at another company. Often these past experience biases get in the way of seeing what needs to be done in THIS company at THIS time in THIS environment.
Consistent with our NextTech format, an entrepreneur interviewer will elicit more details from Mitch about how to make uniqueness a strength and take questions from the audience.
Where: Zoho Corp., Pleasanton CA
DEC
05
2018
NextTech Presents:
From Scientist to CEO, Building a Biotech Compamy from the Ground Up
This installment of the NextTech Speaker series featured Rachel Haurwitz, Ph.D., co-founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Caribou Biosciences, a leading genome editing company.
Tri-Valley native and Maxygen Co-founder, Janelle Muranaka, was our interviewer for the evening.
Where: DaybreakLabs, Livermore CA
OCT
25
2018
NextTech Presents:
The First Annual Tri-Valley Life Sciences Summit
The first annual Tri-Valley Life Sciences Summit, hosted by event partner Veeva Systems, showcased the large and growing life sciences sector in the Tri-Valley.
Where: Veeva Systems, Pleasanton CA
SEP
26
2018
NextTech Presents:
A CEO’s View, Building a Business in the Life Sciences
Our next installment of the NextTech Speaker series features Barney Saunders, CEO of Purigen, sharing his perspective as CEO about how to build a company in the life sciences industry.
Using our typical informal interview format, Tri-Valley entrepreneur, Don Arnold, will engage the audience in revealing how Barney’s leadership has built new biotech tools and companies that truly accelerate science.
Where: Dublin Civic Center, Dublin CA
NOV
08
2017
NextTech Presents:
Serge Saxonov: Founder and CEO 10x Genomics
This installment of the NextTech Speaker series features Serge Saxonov, co-founder of 10x Genomics, sharing the keys to building a big company in the life science tool space. Serge is a serial entrepreneur whose previous roles include VP of Applications at QuantaLife (acquired by Bio-Rad), and Founding Architect and Director of R&D at 23andMe.
Where: Innovate Pleasanton, Pleasanton CA
SEP
20
2017
NextTech Presents:
From Market to Scale
This NextTech installment features Greg Sommer and Ulrich Schaff, cofounders of Sandstone Diagnostics, makers of the Trak in-home male fertility testing system. Greg and Ulrich started Sandstone after spinning out from Sandia National Laboratories, where the original technology for their Trak product was developed. The pair have experienced first hand the challenges of going from bench scale to market, including writing SBIR grants, customer development vs. reserach & development, raising capital, navigating FDA clearance, building a team, and a positive experince bringing in “professional management”. Come ready with questions, because these two have answers!
Greg and Ulrich will be joined in this conversation by Eksigent founder Don Arnold, who will interview Greg and Ulrich and facilitate discussion with the audience.
Where: Inklings, Pleasanton CA
MAY
09
2017
NextTech Presents:
Tim Harkness: Founder and CEO Unchained Labs
Tim Harkness, a serial life sciences entrepreneur, gives his perspective on what you need to know to get money and build a real company in the life sciences technology space. There are a lot of myths and misconceptions about what it takes to build something from nothing, and Tim shares his first-hand perspective on what it takes to build a valuable life science technology company.
Where: Innovate Pleasanton, Pleasanton CA
MAR
15
2017
NextTech Presents:
Dr. Hemai Parthasarthy: Scientific Director Breakout Labs
Working across industries as varied as life sciences, energy, materials, and computing, Breakout Labs is a leading investor in technologies that are changing the landscape of what’s possible. As scientific director of Breakout Labs, Dr. Hemai Parthasarathy works directly with technologists-turned-entrepreneurs to bring bench scale innovations out of the lab and into the economy.
Where: Innovate Pleasanton, Pleasanton CA