CONFERENCE AGENDA

New Investor Models for Medtech Venture Investing  | Gold Ballroom, 1st Floor
Getting funding for a new medical device company has become increasingly difficult. An ever-shrinking pool of investors interested in early-stage life sciences investing, more stringent capital requirements due to prolonged regulatory and reimbursement timelines, and the need for true sales traction to garner the attention of potential corporate acquirers have all become hallmarks of the current financing environment. How are investors adapting their financing strategies and business models to accommodate these realities and positioning themselves for long-term success? Join a panel of medtech investors as they discuss their approaches to investing in these changing times.

Funding Strategies for Entrepreneurs | Gold Ballroom, 1st Floor
Finding capital today is difficult regardless of the stage of the company. This panel of entrepreneurs and CEOs will share their experiences in the search for capital. Learn about the types of deals that are happening today and the requirements to be seriously considered for investment. Panelists will discuss methods and strategies used by today’s leading companies to find capital and the changing areas of investor interest.

The Women From Guidant Corporation | Sea Cliff, 2nd Floor
Guidant Corporation jumped into existence in a 1994 spin-off IPO from Eli Lilly and was acquired by BSC in a spectacular $27.2 billion deal in 2006. In its short 12-year life as a public company it transformed interventional cardiology and along the way created some great leaders, many of them who are women. We take a look back at the women who grew at Guidant to see how and where they continue to lead in the medtech industry today.

University Licensing Strategies | Pacific Heights, 2nd Floor
You are a business person and you have built a solid relationship with a doctor who works at University Hospital. You both are planning on starting a new company together but first you need to figure out the University Hospital’s IP ownership and conflict of interest rules. How do you go about extracting a valuable idea from the University and how do you navigate the conflict of interest rules? Join this panel as we explore the world of university licensing.

China Funding Strategies | Gold Ballroom, 1st Floor
During the last several years China’s investment interest in U.S. Medtech has grown significantly. These transactions take many forms—loans, preferred stock, license arrangements, and joint ventures. Join a panel of experienced CEOs as they describe transactions they have completed with Chinese investors. Learn how these transactions are structured, how companies overcome restrictions on outbound investments, and the factors that draw Chinese investors to the U.S. and U.S. entrepreneurs to China.

FDA Panel: Human Factors Considerations When Designing and Developing Medical Devices | Sea Cliff, 2nd Floor
Manufacturers of medical devices, combination products, and in vitro diagnostics cannot afford to ignore human factors and usability in the development of their devices. The FDA, MHRA, and the new EU MDR have made it clear that manufacturers must reduce the risk associated with the use of their products. Through case study examples of high risk products, including a total artificial heart (TAH) and robotic surgical tools, panelists will describe a step-by-step approach to implementing human factors within the design process during the early development process, leading to significant savings of both time and money.

AI in Healthcare (Part 1): Synchronizing Care | Pacific Heights, 2nd Floor
From hemorrhage and stroke, to wound and emergency care, systemic and preventable care delays often stand between patients and life-saving treatments. AI-enabled digital platforms, in conjunction with ubiquitous smartphones, have been increasingly adopted by hospitals to diagnose and track complex conditions, and provide real-time, EMR-integrated decision support. Join four CEOs in a discussion of how they are harnessing AI to synchronize care – from automated detection, to timely treatment.

Big Medtech’s Evolving Business Development Strategies  | Gold Ballroom, 1st Floor
The medtech consolidators have a challenge — they need to introduce important new products to grow their business, but internal innovation is both expensive and unpredictable. As a result they are increasingly looking externally to fill their pipelines. Companies that develop these products are well-positioned to be rewarded, but they need to understand what the consolidators are looking for. More than ever, they are turning to novel deal structures that can benefit both buyer and seller. Join a panel of business development executives to explore these issues.

Deerfield Funds & Its NXT Biomedical Incubator  | Sea Cliff, 2nd Floor
Deerfield Management and Stan Rowe announced the creation of a next generation therapeutic device incubator, NXT Biomedical, which expects to invest up to $25 million in cutting edge technologies over the next 5 years. Deerfield has allotted up to an additional $250 million for the formation and development of five to eight startup companies that emerge from the incubator. Join David Cassak, Co-Editor-in-Chief of MedTech Strategist, as he interviews Steve Hochberg and Stan Rowe about the future of medtech innovation and the opportunities and impediments that face investors and entrepreneurs as they develop and commercialize advanced medical technologies.

AI in Healthcare (Part 2): Transforming Radiology | Pacific Heights, 2nd Floor
Advances in deep learning have led many to anticipate that AI will play a dominant (if not unilateral) role in the future of radiology, in spite of its current limitations. Specific applications range from finding novel imaging biomarkers and enhancing image quality, to enabling advanced diagnosis and identifying medical errors before they affect the patient. This panel of CEOs will discuss how these and other innovations are overcoming technological and adoption barriers to usher in a new era of AI-enabled radiologic care.

Building a Solid IP Portfolio | Marina, 2nd Floor
Developing the world’s best medical technology should be enough, but you’re also expected to both patent and defend it within a shrinking budget. Join a panel of medical technology experts, including a successful serial entrepreneur and experienced in-house and outside patent counsel as they discuss how to build value into an IP portfolio while managing costs in today’s challenging medtech environment. The panel will discuss successful strategies for preparing and prosecuting patent applications inside and outside the U.S. as well as facing the patents of competitors in the most cost-effective ways possible.

Finding SmartMoney Investors | Gold Ballroom, 1st Floor
If you are raising money at any stage of development, you already know how time consuming and challenging it is. Join this panel to learn a methodical, step-by-step process that will accelerate your fundraising and attract investors that bring more than just cash to your deal. Learn how to build a pitch deck that will tell the right story and learn how to target investors who will appreciate the importance of your innovation.

The Rise of the Robot in Modern Medicine | Sea Cliff, 2nd Floor
This has been a big year in medtech for the robot. In September 2018, Medtronic announced it would acquire Mazor for $1.7 billion and in February 2019, JNJ announced it would acquire Auris. In the case of Auris the purchase price was $3.4 billion in cash plus milestone payments. It seems that robotic surgery is ever more important to the healthcare system. We have invited a group of CEOs to talk about the importance of robotics in modern healthcare and to discuss the next generation of products now in development.

Foreign Investments: How CFIUS Will Affect Medtech  | Pacific Heights, 2nd Floor
New powers of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) call for a wide-ranging discussion on how medtech companies will be affected. We will summarize CFIUS’s new statutory authorities, the newly effective pilot program implementing certain selected new CFIUS powers, and the development of the new regulations over the next year and beyond. Also to be provided is an overview of “critical technologies”—those of interest as designated by CFIUS. Join us as we discuss when and how startups and venture funds are electing to take practical steps to limit or allocate CFIUS risk, and when and how those investors and companies are electing to file with CFIUS.

IPOs and Mergers | Gold Ballroom, 1st Floor
M&A activity in the medtech sector continues at a solid pace. Medtech consolidators have been busy exercising buyout options they put in place from prior years, while a growing number of medtech companies have completed mergers on the eve of regulatory approval or soon after launching their products in the U.S. On the IPO front, a substantial number of companies have filed for IPOs and an impressive number of companies have completed IPOs during the last few years. For medtech companies with growing sales, it seems as though the window for IPOs is still wide open. Against this backdrop, our panel will explore recent M&A and IPO transactions with the goal of understanding the requirements to successfully complete these transactions.

Big Medtech Spinouts | Sea Cliff, 2nd Floor
It is harder than ever for the large medtech consolidators to internally develop next-generation technologies. Wall Street profit pressures, difficulty in predicting the next big innovation, and FDA and Reimbursement hurdles make internal new product development a difficult task for big medtech. As a result, many of the large medtech consolidators are creating build-to-buy enterprises. These companies find a new product of interest, create an independent company, and then fund a development program with a right to buy the resulting product. Join a panel of CEOs as they describe these programs and the implications for the future of the medtech industry.

Building a Reimbursement Plan | Pacific Heights, 2nd Floor
Previously, a generation of companies found huge success by bringing less invasive solutions to address each of the major markets in healthcare. Today, less invasive solutions are just not enough. CEOs must understand that product adoption requires that companies develop products that drive quality up at the right cost. Accelerating that adoption of important, new, yet unreimbursed medical devices requires a company to test their devices, define and measure outcomes, clarify the concept of value and explore paths to reimbursement. Join this panel to understand the puzzle of reimbursement and what it takes to get providers to adopt your product solutions.