FOR MEDIA INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Yolanda Fintschenko
(925)784-3597
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2024 Tri-Valley Life Sciences Summit Features Candid and Personal Conversations from Life Sciences Startup Founders, Innovation Partners, and Investors
PLEASANTON, CA – October 31, 2024 – On Wednesday, October 23, the 2024 Tri-Valley Life Sciences Summit offered over 200 attendees a behind-the-scenes look at what went into Suncoast Ventures leading the expanded Series A investment into Tri-Valley medical technology company Raydiant Oximetry in a candid conversation between lead investor, Genevieve LeMarchal, managing partner of Suncoast Ventures, and Raydiant Oximetry Founder and CEO, Dr. Neil Ray, MD.
Hosted and presented by title sponsor, Kaiser Permanente at the Rosewood Commons Conference Center in Pleasanton, attendees were treated to a hosted reception, a warm welcome from Pleasanton Mayor Karla Brown and opening remarks from Physician-in-Chief, Ken Grullon, highlighting the important symbiotic relationship between delivering health care and life sciences innovation.
Event emcee, Yolanda Fintschenko, PhD, executive director of i-GATE Innovation Hub, the economic development nonprofit running the Startup Tri-Valley initiative, explained, “The 2024 Tri-Valley Life Sciences Summit celebrates the connection between human health care and the Tri-Valley life sciences leaders by bringing founders, funders, and ecosystem members into the same room, creating the opportunity for connection, innovation, by building this community.”
The keynote event, a fireside chat between Genevieve LeMarchal and Dr. Neil Ray, revealed that investors are startups, too. While critical elements of Raydiant Oximetry’s fundability were revealed, the most engaging conversation was about the desire for meeting the critical unmet needs in women’s health driving both founder and investor.
The life sciences industry resilience panel discussion, moderated by Genoa Ventures venture partner and General Inception VP of Commercial Development, Paco Cifuentes, PhD, featured panelists Yash Vaishnav, PhD, business development executive for Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; Reem Mahrat, serial entrepreneur, Daybreak Labs advisor, founder and CEO of EGE, a Pleasanton diagnostics company, and Nan Su, founder and chief executive officer of Pleasanton life sciences tools company, Aopia Biosciences. Panelists discussed a variety of topics, including their personal reasons linked to unmet human health needs driving their entrepreneurial endeavors, their approach to surviving and thriving in a difficult moment for the industry, and how the region’s talent pool and quality of life were the strongest draws to locating in the region.
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Host and Presenting Sponsor
Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit health plans, dedicated to providing high-quality, affordable healthcare. Startup Tri-Valley is a regional initiative designed to help entrepreneurs build and scale their companies. The City of Pleasanton is proud to support economic growth in life sciences and tech innovation. Visit https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/northern-california/front-door to learn more.
Organizers
About Startup Tri-Valley
Startup Tri-Valley is an initiative to grow and strengthen our region by helping more startups succeed. We do this by connecting founders and innovators to a tightly networked ecosystem of resources built specifically for science-based startups. The initiative is sponsored by the Tri-Valley cities of Dublin, Livermore, Pleasanton, and the Town of Danville and i-GATE Innovation Hub partners Lawrence Livermore and Sandia National Laboratories. To learn more, visit https://startuptrivalley.org.
About i-GATE Innovation Hub
i-GATE Innovation Hub is a non-profit organization focused on increasing economic prosperity through entrepreneurship in the Tri-Valley. i-GATE provides startup incubation resources through Daybreaks Labs and connects the regional innovation ecosystem through the Startup Tri-Valley initiative. To learn more, visit https://igatehub.org.
About the City of Pleasanton
The City of Pleasanton is a vibrant community located in the Tri-Valley region of the San Francisco Bay Area and home to over 79,800 residents. Among Pleasanton’s many assets are an excellent school system, a highly educated workforce, and a diverse, innovation-driven business community of over 3,600 companies. The City of Pleasanton is proud to support economic growth in life sciences and tech innovation. To learn more, visit https://www.cityofpleasantonca.gov.
For a complete list of the organizing committee, event partners, affiliates, and sponsors, visit https://startuptrivalley.org/2024-tri-valley-life-sciences-summit/.
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IMAGE CAPTION: Pleasanton Mayor Karla Brown welcomes participants to the 2024 Tri-Valley Life Sciences Summit to the City of Pleasanton.
IMAGE CAPTION: Left, lead investor, Genevieve LeMarchal, managing partner of Suncoast Ventures addressing the summit audience in conversation with Raydiant Oximetry Founder and CEO, Dr. Neil Ray, MD (right).
High-resolution images are available upon request.