A note from Life Science Washington Institute Executive Director Francisco R. Velázquez, MD, SM
On September 21st, Life Science Washington Institute will hold a celebration of local entrepreneurship during which investors will meet with twenty of the top up-and-coming biotech startups in the Pacific Northwest. The entrepreneurs will provide investors with a peek behind the curtain of their innovations in medical devices, diagnostics, therapeutics, and digital health.
In a matter of minutes, the presentations will end and a new chapter of the Northwest Life Science startup community will begin. Yes, that means lots of healthy networking that leads to investors writing checks. It also means we will collectively help launch a new class of Northwest Life Science companies as our ecosystem supports, grows, and works to reward those investments and the entrepreneurs’ ideas.
The presence of leading-edge startups, a collection of ready investors, and the opportunity for tradeshow style conversations during the Best of the Northwest Showcase will culminate in the highlighting of three important ideas:
IDEAS WTHOUT BORDERS: The Northwest is wider than just Washington and innovation doesn’t stop when a person crosses a border. To make sure the best ideas are in the room, our net is cast wide with investors from as far as California and startups cultivated from Eastern Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana.
ENERGY WITHOUT END: Ideas are step one. Steps two and beyond involve the energy to execute. We know the Showcase’s featured startups and the investors supporting those startups deliver not just ideas, but also the energy and expertise to see them through to success.
ADAPTATION AGAIN AND AGAIN: The finish line for a startup is always in flux, whether it moves further away, or becomes shrouded in doubt due to unforeseen developments. That’s why adaptation is a key attribute of each Best of the Northwest Showcase startups. While the right ideas and endless energy are essential, each entrepreneur participating on September 21st recognizes the market forces, technology advancements, and speed of innovation required for continuous adaptation to succeed.
If you’re an investor or a Northwest startup that embodies this vision, I’d encourage you to request an invitation to the Best of the Northwest Showcase. It’s where we anticipate our region’s Life Science community will be reignited. We hope to see you there!
See the Best of the Northwest Showcase invitation for investors here and the application for innovative Life Science startups from the Pacific Northwest here.