The Investor's Perspective
#WESTinvestor

What do investors look for in deciding about strategic investments? What strategies and communication tactics work best when presenting to potential investors? What are the most common mistakes entrepreneurs make when seeking funding? How is corporate investing for internal “new ventures” different from investing in start-ups? 

Come and learn from three industry veterans with perspectives from corporate, venture capital and angel investing. Whether you are currently seeking funding or just want to understand the process of securing capital to launch and grow new ventures… you’ll find this panel discussion on financing entrepreneurship informative and stimulating. Come for a lively discussion and networking with other entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, and supporters of innovation in science and technology.

 

Panel Discussion and Networking with the following women:

Paulina Hill, Senior Associate, Polaris Partners

Paulina joined Polaris in 2011 and focuses on investments in healthcare. Prior to joining Polaris, Paulina completed her postdoctoral fellowship in the Chemical Engineering department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In the laboratory of Bob Langer, Paulina worked on developing novel biomaterial scaffolds and drug delivery systems for neural applications. Paulina is the founding president of the MIT Postdoctoral Association, was nominated to and serves on the MIT Intellectual Property Presidential Committee, and is on the fundraising committee of the nonprofit Women Entrepreneurs in Science & Technology. Paulina completed her PhD in Molecular Medicine with a Tissue Engineering focus at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Her graduate school work resulted in over 40 published abstracts, awards and peer reviewed manuscripts. Her research contributed to numerous patents and the formation of the startup KeraNetics to commercialize the platform technology. Paulina graduated magna cum laude from East Carolina University with a quadruple major in biochemistry, neuroscience, biology and chemistry.

Jean Hammond, Partner, LearnLaunchX
 
Jean is an active angel investor, a co-founder of the Boston forum of Golden Seeds (which invests in women-managed businesses) and a member of Launchpad Venture Group and Hub Angels.  An investor with an active portfolio over 50 companies, she has served on the Board or as a Board-level advisor with over 30 early stage firms. Jean is an active mentor at TCN (The Capital Network), TechStars, and MassChallenge, and supports the MIT Trust Center.  Most recently, Jean co-founded LearnLaunch and LearnLaunchX, two Boston-based sister organizations dedicated to fostering and developing the edtech ecosystem in New England. LearnLaunch is a non-profit fostering the creation and growth of learning and education technology companies and the edtech business cluster across New England, providing classes, forums, conferences and networking opportunities for entrepreneurs. LearnLaunchX, a startup accelerator focused on enabling education technology entrepreneurs build and grow their startups into thriving companies. Jean was the co-founder of two technology startups in the Boston area, AXON Networks, which was acquired by 3Com and Quarry Technologies. She has a BS from Boston University and an MS from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Jean George, General Partner of Advanced Technology Ventures (ATV)

Jean is a General Partner of Advanced Technology Ventures (ATV) and focuses on investments in the biopharmaceutical and medical device sectors.  She is based in the firm’s Boston office, where she also serves as a General Partner for Lightstone Ventures. Jean has been featured on the Forbes Midas List and was previously a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center. She has been in the biopharmaceutical industry for over 20 years, including 10 years with Genzyme Corporation, where she held a variety of operational roles in marketing, product development, and business development, including Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing. She also was Vice President and Founder of Genzyme's Tissue Repair Division, where she was responsible for identifying new product opportunities and potential acquisition candidates. Prior to ATV, Jean led life science investments for BancBoston Ventures. Previously, Jean spent six years working in chemistry and bioresearch. Jean earned an M.B.A. from Simmons College Graduate School of Management and a B.S. from the University of Maine. 
 

Panel Discussion Moderator
Alexandra (Sandra) Glucksmann, COO of Editas Medicine and WEST Board Chair 

Alexandra is Chief Operating Officer at Editas Medicine Inc., a gene editing company whose mission is to translate its genome editing technology into a novel class of human therapeutics that enable precise and corrective molecular modification to treat the underlying cause of a broad range of genetic diseases. Alexandra was most recently Senior Vice President of Research and Development at Cerulean Pharma, which she joined at its founding. Cerulean Pharma is a clinical-stage company developing innovative nanopharmaceutical tumor-targeting products. She was brought in by founders and investors to help build Tempo (renamed Cerulean) from the ground up. She was a key contributor to all aspects of building the company including setting the strategy, analyzing product development opportunities, cultivating platform and product partnership prospects and participating in fundraising activities. Prior to joining Cerulean in 2006, she spent 13 years at Millennium Pharmaceuticals which she joined in 1993 as one of its first scientists. At Millennium, she held a series of positions with increasing responsibility, ultimately becoming Vice President of all platform technology groups before moving into a senior role in strategic program management and operations. In this role, she worked closely with the CEO and led company-wide process improvement initiatives and participated in business development and M&A efforts. During her tenure at Millennium, Alexandra was critical in helping Millennium evolve from a genomics research-focused organization to a fully integrated and commercial pharmaceuticals company.  Her division played an integral role in the numerous Millennium-large pharma collaborations, which generated over $1.8 billion in funding for the company. She serves on the Board of Directors of Taconic Farms and is the Chair of the Board of Women in the Enterprise of Science and Technology (WEST). She is also a member of the Advisory Council of the Harvard Partners Center for Personalized Genetic Medicine. Alexandra was a post-doctoral fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and holds a Ph.D. with honors from the University of Chicago.

 

Download the event invitation here.

 

Date and Time:  
March 4, 2014
6:00 - 9:00 PM

Location:  
Microsoft New England Research and Development Center, 1 Memorial Drive, Abigail Adams & Crispus Attucks rooms, Cambridge, MA

 

Map and Parking Info

We appreciate Microsoft New England Research and Development Center donating the use of their event space. 

 

Cost:   
Members: $35; Non-Members: $55, Workshop and Annual Membership: $120
 
A light dinner will be served.
 

To Register

 

WEST's Entrepreneurial Series has multiple events including The Entrepreneurial Mindset and Resiliency on March 11, 2014 and a Fireside Chat on Entrepreneurial Leadership in May 2014.

 

 

 

Thank you very much to our event sponsor:

 

If you are a student looking for financial assistance to attend this event, please visit www.stayinma.com.