Demystifying Pharma Partnerships: A Conversation with Industry Leaders

​Bringing a novel healthcare innovation to market often requires strategic partnerships with pharmaceutical companies, yet many founders and emerging biotech leaders find the process difficult to navigate. Join us for an engaging discussion with experienced industry leaders as they share how pharma partnerships are formed, what large pharmaceutical organizations look for in potential collaborators, and how startups can position themselves for successful engagement.

​The conversation will explore partnership strategies across the innovation lifecycle—from early-stage research collaborations and licensing opportunities to co-development, commercialization, and strategic investments. Panelists will also discuss common misconceptions, key diligence considerations, critical negotiation points, and practical advice for founders seeking to build meaningful relationships with pharma partners.

​Whether you're a biotech founder, investor, scientist, or ecosystem partner, this session will provide valuable insights into the evolving pharma partnership landscape and actionable guidance for turning scientific innovation into impactful collaborations.

​Moderator:

​Jun Deng, PhD (Executive Director, Startup Life Sciences and Healthcare Banking, JPMorgan)

​Panelists:

• ​Juan Cueva, PhD, MBA (Senior Director, Search & Evaluation, Johnson & Johnson). Juan Cueva is a strategic sourcing and innovation executive with a blend of operational leadership and early-stage business development expertise. As Senior Director, Search and Evaluation for WNA at Johnson & Johnson, Juan leads a team responsible for sourcing and evaluating innovative technologies for J&J’s Oncology, Immunology, and Neuroscience therapeutics areas as well as for new drug modalities and data science and digital health.

• ​Vanessa Braunstein (Senior Director, TuneLab AI Drug Discovery Platform, Eli Lilly & Co). Vanessa has worked at large pharma/biotech/tech companies such as Sanofi, Abbott, and NVIDIA and start-ups such as Ingenuity Systems and Fabric Genomics. Vanessa is currently Senior Director of Lilly TuneLab Drug Discovery Platform at Eli Lilly, working to accelerate early-stage drug discovery with AI/ML.

• ​Caitlyn Miller, PhD, is CEO and co-founder of TwoStep Therapeutics, a Series A-stage biotechnology company developing multispecific targeted therapies for solid tumors. Dr. Miller received her PhD in Bioengineering from Stanford University in the labs of Dr. Carolyn Bertozzi and Dr. Jennifer Cochran. During her PhD and postdoctoral work, Dr. Miller played a pivotal role in advancing the technology that is now integrated into TwoStep’s therapeutic pipeline.

​Agenda:

• ​11:30 AM–12:00 PM – Lunch & Networking

• ​12:00 PM–12:05 PM – Sponsor Welcome

• ​12:05 PM–12:45 PM – Panel Discussion

• ​12:45 PM–1:30 PM – Audience Q&A and Networking

​Sponsors: