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Columbia E'Ship

Biopharma Perspective on Early Venture Investing and R&D

Marian Nakada Ph.d,
Vice President Johnson & Johnson Innovation

Shafique Virani,
Global Head of Neuroscience, Ophthalmology & Rare Disease,
Roche

and
Steven Weinstein
Managing Partner, Novartis Venture Fund

in conversation with
Orin Herskowitz, Executive Director Columbia Technology Ventures

February 11, 2016
12:00 Noon

On the Morningside Campus of Columbia University

Schapiro CEPSR, 4th Floor, Davis Auditorium

Join Columbia Technology Ventures for a lively conversation that will touch on the various ways Big Pharma & Biotech are using venture capital investing, regional innovation centers, joint ventures, university research sponsorship, and IP licensing to source their next blockbuster products (as well as generate equity returns). The panelists will share their perspectives on venture capital investing strategies in biopharma, how to pitch strategic investors, the surge in biotech IPOs, hot research areas within biopharma, and best practices for establishing R&D partnerships between industry and academia.

This event is co-sponsored by the Lang Center for Entrepreneurship, Columbia Entrepreneurship, and the Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Management Program at Columbia Business School.

Marian Nakada, Vice President, Venture Investments, Johnson & Johnson Innovation, Marian Nakada, Ph.D, Vice President, Venture Investments, joined Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc. (JJDC) in 2013. She is based in Boston, Mass. and focuses on pharmaceutical investments in East Coast companies that will create options in areas of strategic interest to Johnson & Johnson. Marian previously held roles in Centocor, Janssen R&D and Janssen Business Development. She has authored 62 peer-reviewed publications and 14 book chapters and reviews. She has a B.A. in Biology from Harvard College and a Ph.D in Pharmacology from the University of Pennsylvania and currently sits on the boards of Navitor Pharmaceuticals and Padlock Therapeutics.

Shafique Virani, Global Head of Neuroscience, Ophthalmology & Rare disease (NORD) Partnering, Roche
Dr. Virani’s responsibilities in this role encompass all partnering activities within Roche’s NORD franchise, from academic collaborations to licensing and acquisitions. The NORD partnering group has executed several key partnering transactions on behalf of Roche over the past five years, including collaborations with ReMynd, Evotec, Seaside Therapeutics, PTC Therapeutics, Inception 3, Inception 5, ISIS, Laval University, Prothena and acquisition of Trophos.

Dr. Virani joined Roche in 2004 and served various roles within medical affairs, marketing and business development in the UK, USA and Switzerland until 2012, when he transitioned into his current role based in South San Francisco. Dr. Virani trained as a neurosurgeon in Cambridge, UK and Boston, Mass. and holds the Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of England.

Steven Weinstein, Managing Partner, Novartis Venture Fund
Steven D. Weinstein is a Managing Director in Cambridge, Mass. Steve focuses on both medical device and therapeutic investments for the fund. Prior to joining NVF, he was a Principal at Prism Venture Partners where he focused on medical devices. Prior to Prism, Steve was a Principal and Kauffman Fellow with Mid-Atlantic Venture Funds. He started his career as turnaround CEO, raising angel funds to buy the assets of a defunct distribution business out of bankruptcy and subsequently rebuilding the business. Steve holds an MBA with distinction from the University of Michigan Business School and a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Columbia University’s School of Engineering and Applied Science. He serves on the Partner’s Healthcare Innovation Advisory Board and the University of Michigan Wolverine Venture Fund Advisory Board. Steve serves on the boards of Advanced Animal Diagnostics, Autonomic Technologies, Innocrin, Intersection Medical and Viamet.