NextGen VC Forum Boston 2024

Mid-level VC associates expanding skills and expertise and growing networks

Program

LaunchBio’s NextGen VC Forum is the premiere event for mid-level venture capital associates to expand their skills and expertise while growing their network. Attendees benefit from curated education sessions from industry leaders to supplement existing expertise. Networking is essential in sourcing deals and one of the primary roles for associates, we’ve built it into the program for participants to be able to walk away with new life science and biotech contacts. The half-day forum created with Wilson Sonsini includes a networking lunch, three one-hour sessions, and a happy hour.

Attendance at NextGen VC Forum is by invitation only; if interested, please fill out the interest form via the link above.

event

AGENDA

12:00 pm – Arrival/check-in/light lunch/networking

12:45 pm – Welcome and introduction by hosts Dan Koeppen and Mike Hostetler

1:00 pm – SESSION 1: Investment Firm / Executive Compensation: The Inside Track with Jody Thelander, CEO Thelander Consulting, Michelle Wallin, Partner Wilson Sonsini, and Jim Jensen, Partner, Wilson Sonsini

2:15 pm – SESSION 2: Navigating Antitrust Regulations, Matt McDonald, Partner, Wilson Sonsini and Michelle Yost Hale, Partner, Wilson Sonsini

3:00 pm – Break/snacks & meet the LabCentral Ignite Golden Ticket Winners*

4:00 pm – SESSION 3: Company Creation, Phil McGill, Of Counsel, Wilson Sonsini and Deborah Smith, Partner, Wilson Sonsini

5:00 – 6:00pm – Happy Hour and networking hosted by Wilson Sonsini

*LabCentral Ignite Golden Tickets provide support and access to biotech founders traditionally underrepresented in the industry. This year six Ignite Golden Tickets will be awarded, three to companies with women founders and three to companies with founders of color.

SESSION 1 • Investment Firm / Executive Compensation: The Inside Track

The session will review real-time compensation data and trends for venture capital firms across all asset classes and locations. Jody Thelander, Founder & CEO, of the namesake firm, will share exclusive insights and analysis on the various compensation levers, how to utilize them, what filters make a difference in customizing compensation data and what you need to know as you move up the ranks. Also included are the latest insights and analysis into compensation for privately held life science and tech companies. Drawing on real-time data from the Private Company Compensation Survey, we’ll hear valuable insights and analysis to prepare you to be on a portfolio company board. This session will be interactive.

SESSION 2 • Navigating Antitrust Regulations in Biotech Mergers: Safeguarding Innovation and Investment

Recent challenges and scrutiny of biotech M&A based on novel theories of harm portend that antitrust agencies are aiming to make good on their promise to scrutinize the life science space more closely. In this session, antitrust partners Michelle Yost Hale & Matt McDonald, will discuss the potential impact of these developments on biotech firms and implications for VC investors. Specifically, this session will consider:

The FTC and DOJ’s approach to merger review, including how the agencies have traditionally defined markets and assessed competitive impact in transactions in the life science space.
Recent developments in merger enforcement, including the FTC’s recent action to block a transaction involving a venture-backed biotech start-up with no FDA approved products.
How changes to merger review and enforcement could impact VC investment in the biotech industry.

SESSION 3 • Venture Capital Company Creation: Strong Foundations for Success

As biotech investors, the success of your investments hinges not only on groundbreaking science but also on thoughtful company creation. We will delve into the essential steps of how venture capital firms approach company creation, including identifying promising technologies, safeguarding core assets, assembling a talented team, structuring initial funding, and enabling future syndication. In addition, we will examine the critical role of intellectual property in evaluating new company opportunities and developing effective strategies for maximizing company value. Through this insightful discussion, we aim to equip you with the knowledge and tools necessary to navigate the complex terrain of company creation and develop the associated core competencies.

Speakers

Michael Hostetler, PhD, partner, Wilson Sonsini
Mike’s expertise includes patent strategy, patent prosecution, and patent diligence (both buy and sell side) for venture financings, public offerings, and mergers and acquisitions. He has provided patent counseling in support of pharmaceutical and biotechnology products in all stages of development, from proof of concept to regulatory approval to product launch. Mike has also counseled well over 100 venture capital firms in their investments in biotech and pharmaceutical companies.
Dan Koeppen, Partner, Wilson Sonsini
Dan is a “company-building” corporate attorney that has extensive experience representing public and private life science companies in a wide range of sectors, including biotechnology, consumer products, medical device, pharmaceutical, and therapeutics. He specializes in corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, public offerings, PIPE financings, securities matters, strategic transactions and vc financings, and guides companies through all stages of their growth.
Jody Thelander, CEO Thelander Consulting
Thelander Consulting is headed by Jody K. Thelander, a compensation executive with a track record of successful results and over two decades of professional experience. Jody has a keen understanding of business realities through a diversified background in compensation, sales and customer service. Her surveys and resulting reports have become a well-respected and highly desired tool for compensation decision-makers in the private business sector.
Michelle Wallin, Partner, Wilson Sonsini
Michelle Wallin is a partner in Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati’s employee benefits and compensation practice. Michelle represents a wide range of public and private technology and growth companies with respect to executive compensation and employee benefit arrangement matters. Her practice focuses on the design and implementation of equity compensation plans, employment and severance agreements, and cash compensation arrangements, as well as on the corresponding tax, accounting, securities law, and day-to-day operational issues that can arise in connection with such arrangements.
Jim F. Jensen, Partner, Wilson Sonsini
James (Jim) Jensen is a partner in the Palo Alto office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where his practice focuses on forming and representing investment funds, acting as outside general counsel to start-up companies, and advising on related regulatory matters. During Jim’s 20 years of practice, he has been involved in more than 500 investment fund and start-up company transactions and is known for his solutions-oriented and practical perspective.
Matt McDonald, Partner, Wilson Sonsini
Matt McDonald is an antitrust partner in Wilson Sonsini’s Washington, D.C., office. His practice focuses on representing companies in government antitrust investigations, including mergers and acquisitions and other civil antitrust investigations. He regularly appears before the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the U.S. Department of Justice, representing companies across a range of industries. He has also managed transactions through regulatory agencies around the world.
Michelle Yost Hale, Partner, Wilson Sonsini
Michelle Yost Hale is a partner in the Washington, D.C., office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. Her practice focuses on representing companies in government antitrust investigations, including mergers and acquisitions and other civil antitrust investigations. She regularly appears before the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the U.S. Department of Justice, representing companies across a range of industries. Michelle also provides antitrust counseling on a wide variety of business conduct, including joint ventures, collaborations, and pricing and distribution, among others.
Phil McGill, Of Counsel, Wilson Sonsini
Phil McGill is Of Counsel in the San Diego office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where he represents clients on corporate and securities law matters in the life sciences and technology sectors. His practice is focused on being a strategic partner to companies throughout each phase of the corporate life cycle, with an emphasis on guiding companies through late-stage financings and exits, as well as post-IPO public company representation. He has particular expertise collaborating with venture capital firms and universities as counsel to companies formed through their discovery engine and incubator programs.
Deborah Smith, PhD, Partner, Wilson Sonsini
Deborah Smith is a partner in the San Diego office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. She assists with the preparation and prosecution of patent applications in the fields of chemistry, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology. Prior to joining the firm, Deborah was a medicinal chemist at Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development in San Diego. In this role, she focused on the design and synthesis of organic compounds that modulate the inflammatory and immune response. Deborah received her PhD from the University of California, Irvine, where she developed new synthetic methodologies.