BIA Start-Up Festival 2023
The BIA are delighted to announce the return of the Start-up Festival in 2023, which will take place for the first time in person in May.
The event will bring together the best of rising talent in the sector for a day of informative sessions designed to build on your existing knowledge and allow you to learn from peers and established industry experts alike.
Attendees will be able to meet with both peers and potential advisors during the day.
This event is now SOLD OUT. If you would like to be added to the waiting list please submit your details via the form on the 'waiting list' tab.
Please note: The Start-up Festival is intended for the leadership of early-stage companies to learn from each other and from invited thought leaders in the sector. In order to ensure a critical mass of startup entrepreneurs, we are limiting numbers of service providers, beyond those sponsoring and supporting the event.
9:00 Registration and Refreshments
9:30 BIA Introduction
Jane Wall, Director, Business Development and Membership Services, BIA
9:45 Masterclass 1: Pitching to VCs and big pharma
Ayokunmi Ajetunmobi, Venture Development Director, Pioneer Group
Jan-Philipp Kruse, Senior Director Open Innovation and Business Development and Licensing, Bayer
10:30 Panel 1: Where can start-ups find funding in 2023?
Tom Goodman, Partner, Cooley
Jonathan Kwok, Chief Executive Officer, Infinitopes
Terry O'Neill, Head of Health, Knowledge Transfer Network
Janette Thomas, Chief Executive Officer, Five Alarm Bio
Vineeta Tripathi, CEO and CSO, Vitarka Therapeutics
11:15 BREAK
11:30 Masterclass 2: Scaling from 5 - 20
Claire Button, Chief Executive Officer, Fusion Biomed
12:15 Panel 2: What is the right scaling model for you?
Kathryn Chapman, Director, Science & Entrepreneurship, Babraham Research Campus
Aidan Courtney, Executive and Non-Executive Chairman, MarraBio and VascVersa
Mairi Dillon, Ecosystem Manager, UK & Ireland, Kadans Science Partner
Rosie Rodriguez, Senior Vice President, Head of People, Place and Projects, Relation Therapeutics
13:00 LUNCH
14:00 Panel 3: To new horizons - building your overseas presence
Dianne Lee, Chief Executive Officer, DLRC
Boonrat Lohwongwatana, Chief Executive Officer, Meticuly
Claire Thompson, Chief Executive Officer, Agility Life Sciences
14:45 Masterclass 3: Adapting IP strategy to improve investability
Edward Rainsford, Senior Associate, Appleyard Lees
15:30 BREAK
15:45 Panel 4: Experiences of founding entrepreneurs
Nara Daubeney, Chief Operating Officer & Co-Founder, Phaim
Aisha Latif, Cell Therapy Workflow Development Leader UK & Ireland, Cytiva
Danuta Jeziorska, Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder, Nucleome Therapeutics
Jeroen Verheyen, Chief Executive Officer, Semarion
16:30 Keynote
James Peach, Chief Executive Officer, Human Centric Drug Discovery
16:45 Networking drinks reception
18:00 Close
10 Upper Bank Street,
London,
E14 5JJ

This event is free to attend however attendance is restricted to attendees from start-up companies, entrepreneurs in the life sciences, and invited industry experts.
In order to ensure a critical mass of startup entrepreneurs, we are limiting numbers of service providers, beyond those sponsoring and supporting the event.
Please have a look at the sponsorship brochure.
If you wish to discuss a more bespoke option, please email Chloe: [email protected]
Please complete the below form to be added to the waiting list. We will contact you if a space becomes available.
Thank you to our Event Supporters:


















