The backbone of Venture Café – weekly networking aided by drinks and snacks. Come meet the community and make connections with all different kinds of innovators. Make your serendipitous moment come true!

Some startups seem destined to succeed while others swing with sudden shifts in the economy or the zeitgeist or what’s trending on TikTok. There’s a reason why good ideas win and a method to how they do it. We’ll talk about the difference between a good idea and the other kind, how to protect yourself from the winds of change, and how to bring your vision to life and be the founder you’re meant to be.

How can founders best approach CVCs? Come learn from Sven Harmsen, Director External Ventures, Saint-Gobain, and Jeffrey Smith, General Partner, SIP Global Partners. Jeffrey and Sven have extensive entrepreneurial and investment experiences across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. This session was organized, and will be moderated by Tony Zhang, Founder and CEO of Sbur, an entrepreneur community platform connecting entrepreneurs to one another, as well as new opportunities.

The backbone of Venture Cafe – networking aided by drinks and snacks! Tonight, you'll be able to make connections with great people in various sectors, especially in BioPharma, Investment, and Science and Technology while experiencing Korean food and culture. This is a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in a rich and diverse community, as well as a chance to win some exciting raffle prizes– we can't wait to see you there!

The Biosimilar industry in Korea is a rapidly growing sector that has shown significant progress in recent years. Biosimilars are biological products that are highly similar to already approved biologic drugs and are designed to provide cost-effective alternatives for patients. In this session, we will explore the reasons behind Korea’s success in the biosimilar industry, the challenges faced by Korean companies, and the impact of Korea’s biosimilar industry on the global healthcare market. We will also discuss the regulatory framework for biosimilars in Korea and compare it to other countries.

Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with the Korea investor community and shape cross-board partnerships. Korea is one of the most dynamic countries in OECD, with K-Bio advancing technology innovation and new drug development. Do you know Korea is #5 in total R&D investment and named by Bloomberg Innovation Index as #1 country among OECD? This panel brings Korea leading investors with KIMCo (Korea Innovative Medicines Consortium) to discuss the latest investment dynamics in K- bio and more importantly to navigate what’s going to be in cross-board investment from/to Korea and Global. We welcome investors, biotech and biopharma who would like to connect to the Korea investor community and expedite business development opportunities for the future! WHO’S IN THE ROOM? Korea Innovative Medicines Consortium(KIMCo) was launched as a Korean open innovation platform to accelerate collaborations for industry innovative growth. KIMCo is a non-profit organization funded by 59 Korean pharmas and KPBMA that operates with strategic partnersㅡgovernment, institutions, bioventures, VCsㅡand undertakes joint projects using combined resources and capabilities. KIMCo’s co-investment project is the core part of the organization’s initiative to develop innovative medicines. In addition, KIMCo expedites cross-board partnering for diverse and extensive collaborations. KIMCo is your gateway for collaborations. DAYLI Partners is a healthcare-focused venture capital firm based in Seoul, Korea. The total assets under management are $300M, with over 80 portfolio companies. We invest in therapeutics, diagnostics, medical devices, and digital healthcare in North America and Asia. Our investment team consists of clinicians, researchers, healthcare analysts, and fund managers with deep industry and academic networks in the biotech and healthcare space. We are looking to invest in seed to growth stage companies, with a flexible cheque size tailored to each investment. Yuanta Investment(YTI) is a leading venture capital and private equity firm based in Korea, as a subsidiary of Yuanta Financial Holdings. YTI raised almost 40 funds and successfully invested in more than 520 companies mainly in Korea and Asia over 34 years. Currently, YTI manages an AUM of USD 700mn and is raising a 200mn fund mainly dedicated to investing in clinical-stage biotech. YTI’s healthcare investment team invests in various stage healthcare and life science companies by integrating the agility and expertise of VC with pharmaceutical industry background and the sophistication and exquisiteness of PEF management. Stonebridge Ventures is a prominent venture capital firm based in Seoul, Korea. Founded in 2008, we have focused on early-stage and growth-stage investment across various sectors, including in AI, data, semiconductor, mobility, life sciences and healthcare. Currently, we manage an AUM of USD 1B, with over 250 portfolio companies. For the life sciences and healthcare sectors, we primarily focus on supporting innovative companies that are developing transformative therapies, technologies, and platforms. We work closely with our portfolio companies, providing not only financial capital but also strategic guidance, operational expertise and access to a network of industry leaders.

Get to know Korean companies in BioPharma establishing a footprint in the US market sponsored by K-Blockbuster project.   K-Blockbuster project is a long-term government project led by the Ministry of Health and Welfare of Korea to help Korea Bio Pharma companies to get into the US market successfully. The Korean government spares no effort in supporting companies throughout the entire period in resources, consulting and networking aspects. Who's in the Room? MedySapiens: MedySapiens is an emerging leader in cognitive computing for healthcare. Our solution combines the power of artificial intelligence and genomics to support healthcare providers and improve the quality of life not only for patients but also for the entire humanity. Biotoxtech: Biotoxtech is Non-clinical CRO for IND/NDA enabling studies. Standigm: Standigm is a drug discovery company that searches for new therapeutic targets and designs lead compounds using advanced artificial intelligence (AI) methods trained on big biomedical data as well as patient data. Abion: ABION Inc. is a revolutionary new drug development company based on companion diagnostics technology. It is developing innovative drugs such as anti-cancer drug ABN401, broad spectrum Anti-viral drug ABN101, and emergency medicine for biological disasters. Youth Bio Global: YBG has expertise in the regenerative medicines targeting the ischemic vascular diseases(such as critical limb ischemia, acute myocardiac infarction, diabetic retinopathy, stroke, etc.) using xeno-free EPC(XenoFree Endothelial Progenitor Cells) derived from human umbilical cord blood. HAII: HAII (Human AI Interaction) is developing AI-based digital therapeutics for the diagnosis and treatment of CNS disease such as Alzheimer’s and Stroke.

The backbone of Venture Café – networking aided by drinks and snacks. Come meet the community and make connections with all different kinds of innovators. How will you make your serendipitous moment come true?

Drop in for this quick overview of what Venture Café is, what we do as a community, and how you can make the most of our weekly Thursday Gathering programming! Bring a friend, grab a drink, and plugged-in to the ecosystem – it’s time to CONNECT, LEARN, and SHARE.

Japan’s biotech ecosystems are flourishing with numerous opportunities for collaboration. Leadership from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) will present an overview of the new government policy and initiatives to accelerate biotech innovation in Japan. Also, Japan Bioindustry Association (JBA) will share updates of Japanese biotech startups and ecosystems in Japan. Notice of Filming and Photography: When you attend this event, you enter an area where photography, audio, and video recording may occur. By entering this space, you consent to such recording media and its release, publication, exhibition, or reproduction.

The U.S. and Japan continue to push forward in biotech innovation. JETRO, who is also the organizer of the Japan Pavilion at the BIO International Convention 2023, in partnership with the CIC Japan Desk, is excited to present Japanese startup pitches in biotech innovation. The startups will present their innovations and partnering strategies to the U.S. biotech community. Notice of Filming and Photography: When you attend this event, you enter an area where photography, audio, and video recording may occur. By entering this space, you consent to such recording media and its release, publication, exhibition, or reproduction.

This flash-talk will feature three local government organizations of Japan from areas that are brimming with new ideas and creative solutions. Learn about their local innovation ecosystems and their leading startups from Tokyo, Yokohama, and Kobe! Notice of Filming and Photography: When you attend this event, you enter an area where photography, audio, and video recording may occur. By entering this space, you consent to such recording media and its release, publication, exhibition, or reproduction.

This event is part of the monthly DeepCurrents series on rethinking how we work: achieving deep productivity and impact while still enjoying life balance. DeepCurrents is brought to you by SeaAhead, MakeTimeFlow, New View Media and Venture Cafe Cambridge.