This week, we virtually hosted the 5^th Annual LifeSciences BC Investor Summit, presented by Lumira Ventures bringing together 350 international registrants including 85 investors from Japan, China, Hong Kong, Australia, France, Poland, Denmark, United Kingdom, United States and Canada.

The two days of therapeutic, digital health, and MedTech pitches from 33 BC-based companies highlighted the strength and breadth of B.C. life science innovation. For pitching companies, it was beneficial to hear from a panel of US Trade Commissioners from Global Affairs Canada, on how companies can access the US market.

At the “BC Success Stories” panel, Scott Phillips of StarFish Medical, Tamer Mohamed of Aspect Biosystems, Simon Pimstone of Xenon Pharmaceuticals and Allison Gaw of Chinook Therapeutics, agreed that success is not always a linear path and requires hard work, perseverance, resilience and a belief in oneself. A critical ingredient is to work with great people and build relationships. The honesty of their shared experiences identified the persistence, creativity and fearlessness required, to not only survive but succeed.

We had an exciting “Reverse Pitch Session” from global pharmaceutical companies Amgen, J&J Innovation and Takeda, along with an insightful panel on “Investment in B.C. Life Sciences: Present & Future, Challenges & Opportunities” with an expert VC panel, moderated by Ali Ardakani. The advice given was play to your strengths, build long-term relationships with venture firms, (even if they say no, they may eventually say yes) and don’t be afraid to fail. “You can’t be exceptional, if you don’t fail”, said Peter Van der Velden, Managing General Partner, Lumira Ventures.

Over the two days, we were able to showcase to a global audience, examples of world-class B.C.-based life sciences innovation, both early stage and some of our more mature companies. We heard from leaders and investors and it was impressive and inspiring. 

As we look ahead and comprehend the impact of the pandemic on the economy and the healthcare system, as one of the fastest growing sectors in B.C., the life sciences sector is well positioned to drive economic recovery, growth and competitiveness for the Province. In addition, working collaboratively across our ecosystem of academia, research, industry, government, and our health system partners, we are well positioned to deliver innovations that will ensure economic growth, sustainability and reliability of our health system. 

While it may not be easy, we showed the world that our B.C. life sciences leaders are world class, passionate and up to the challenge.

A big thanks to the Sponsors, Volunteers, Speakers and the LSBC Team for making the Investor Summit such a success.

Registered attendees can access all Summit recordings for 30 days by accessing the following link and using your login email and password.

News of LifeSciences BC’s Investor Summit presented by Lumira Ventures reached over 14 million people in radio, online and TV broadcasts from B.C., Alberta and beyond.  This is a great indication how much interest there is in B.C. life sciences innovation. 

On Oct 28, 2020, Genome BC hosted its 11th Annual Don Rix Distinguished Keynote Address, titled Battle Lines: Fighting COVID-19 at the intersection of policy, treatment, and prevention,” featuring Dr. Bonnie Henry, Dr. Mel Krajden, and Dr. Carl Hansen. It was exceptional and if you registered you can listen to the full event by logging on with your original registration. If you did not register, you can still listen to the address by following this link and registering.

Also upcoming is our Kelowna Showcase Series on November 19^th – information on tickets and speakers can be found in the LSBC Events Newsletter.