Nucleate Bay Area: Mentor Matching & Team Kickoff Night
Join us for an engaging evening as we bring together our exceptional Nucleate mentors with the newly selected 2026 Activator Program teams. This event marks the beginning of each team’s journey through the Activator, providing structured opportunities to meet mentors, explore areas of alignment, and form mentorship matches that will guide teams throughout the program.
Whether you’re a seasoned founder, investor, domain expert, or operator, this is a chance to connect directly with the next generation of biotech innovators and help shape their trajectory.
Agenda
6:00 PM–6:15 PM — Check-in + Welcome Reception
6:15 PM–6:30 PM — Opening Remarks
Overview of the 2026 Activator Program and introduction of mentor roles.
6:30 PM–6:45 PM — Team Pitches
11 finalist teams present a 1-minute speed pitch of their company idea.
6:45 PM–7:55 PM — Mentor + Team Networking
We encourage mentors to rotate through short conversations with each team to assess interest, expertise fit, and potential working relationships.
7:55 PM–8:00 PM — Closing Remarks
Continue conversations, identify next steps, and schedule follow-up meetings.
Who Should Attend?
Nucleate mentors
2026 Activator Program teams, including Inventors and Contributors
Select Nucleate Bay Area leaders and volunteers
This event is invite-only.
About the Host:
Nucleate is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering the next generation of biotech leaders. With chapters spanning 41 geographic regions and participation from over 280 academic institutions, Nucleate sparks new intellectual communities and embeds emerging talent within a global biotech community. Through open-access educational programming, Nucleate helps democratize biotech innovation — removing barriers and helping founders concentrate on building transformational technologies.
Visit www.nucleate.org for more information, and visit https://nucleate.org/privacy-policy/ to read our privacy policy.
We want to thank our HQ supporters for championing our open-access mission and empowering the next generation of biotech entrepreneurs!
Platinum: Eli Lilly and Company, Genentech, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, MilliporeSigma
Philanthropic Support: Lyda Hill Philanthropies
Preferred Partners: Pillar VC, Amino Collective, Excedr, Mercury, Brex, Fedsprout, Browne Consulting
In-Kind Support: AcademicLabs, Lens.org, SynBioBeta