Nucleate Texas Demo Day 2026
Nucleate Texas Demo Day is the culminating event of the Nucleate Texas Activator, bringing together founders, scientists, investors, and industry partners from across the state and beyond. 🌟 This day centers on a live pitch competition where cohort teams present the companies and technologies they have built over the past year. 🚀
Teams will pitch in front of a distinguished panel of world-renowned judges, including leading scientists, industry executives, and experienced founders. 🧬💼 Their perspectives help highlight both the scientific strength and commercial vision behind each company, giving attendees a clear view of how early discoveries grow into fundable ventures.
Alongside the presentations, Demo Day serves as one of the strongest networking opportunities in the Texas biotech calendar. 🤝 Attendees connect with investors, operators, academics, and partners who are actively shaping the future of life sciences across the region. It is a chance to meet emerging founders, explore new technologies, and build relationships that move ideas forward.
Join us for an evening of bold pitches, expert insights, and meaningful community. 🌆✨
Schedule:
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM: First-come first-serve lunch
12:00 PM - 12:15 PM: Event kickoff
12:15 PM - 1:45 PM: Pitches
1:45 PM - 2:15 PM: Break
2:15 PM - 3:45 PM: Pitches
3:45 PM - 4:30 PM: Panel
4:30 PM - 5:00 PM: Awards and closing remarks
5:00 PM - 7:30 PM: Networking reception happy hour
Featured Panel: The New Biotech Playbook
Featuring:
Avi Boppana - Oddity
Avi Boppana is currently VP of Partnerships and M&A at Oddity, where he helped build out a 50-person biotech subsidiary as part of the executive team. He was previously co-founder of Revela, an AI molecule discovery startup for dermatology that was sold in 2023. He studied Computer Science at Princeton University, and now focuses on foundation models for biology, target discovery, and precision medicine.
Dr. Van Truskett - Big Idea Ventures
Dr. Van Truskett has spent her career turning scientific breakthroughs into real-world products and companies, from nanoscale semiconductors to the future of food and agriculture. She currently serves as Venture Discovery Director at Big Idea Ventures' Generation Food Rural Partners, a fund investing in innovation across food, agriculture, and the materials that support them. Previously, as Director of Jetting Technology at Molecular Imprints, a University of Texas spinout, she led the development of more than ten nanoimprint lithography products and six inkjet printing platforms, backed by more than 50 U.S. and international patents to her name. The company was acquired by Canon Japan in 2014, forming Canon Nanotechnologies. At UT Austin, she served as Executive Director of the Texas Innovation Center and Director of Technology Innovation for Discovery to Impact, building programs that connected university research to entrepreneurship and commercial impact.
Dr. Eric Olson - Babson Diagnostics
Dr. Eric Olson is the Founder, COO, and Chairman of Babson Diagnostics, and is a 20-year veteran of the diagnostics industry. Prior to incubating Babson Diagnostics at Siemens Healthineers, Eric was Siemens’ VP, Portfolio & Product Management, responsible for its $3 billion global product portfolio of central laboratory technologies. He was also responsible for the company’s web properties and $1 billion in e-commerce operations as the global head of Siemens’ clinical laboratory automation and IT business, which advanced from #2 to #1 in market share during his tenure. Eric earned his BS in Biology from MIT and his MS in Technology Management from the University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Jonathan Arambula - INNOVOTEX Inc.
Dr. Jonathan Arambula is the Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of INNOVOTEX Inc., a preclinical-stage oncology company developing next-generation macrocycle drug conjugates engineered for superior tumor penetration, overcoming resistance mechanisms, and delivering durable outcomes in aggressive solid tumors. A scientist-entrepreneur with extensive experience in cancer drug discovery and development, Dr. Arambula has led programs from early discovery through IND-ready assets. He is currently driving the strategic scientific vision and platform expansion at INNOVOTEX. Previously, he served as Co-Founder and Vice President of Research at Cible, Inc., and as Vice President of Research and CEO at OncoTEX, Inc., where he advanced distinct targeted therapeutic programs focused on tumor-localizing small molecules and gold-based approaches.
If your organization is interested in sponsoring Nucleate Texas Demo Day, we would love to connect. Sponsorship supports the next generation of biotech founders and provides direct visibility to investors, industry leaders, and academic innovators across the region. Partners gain access to a high-impact audience, branding opportunities throughout the event, and optional engagement with the presenting teams. Reach out [email protected]
We extend our appreciation to the sponsors and partners who directly support the Nucleate Texas chapter. Their commitment strengthens our mission to empower emerging founders and expand the biotech innovation ecosystem across the state. Their contributions help create the open-access programming, community events, and founder support that make Nucleate Texas possible.
Chapter Sponsors: Lyda Hill Philanthropies, McCombs Foundation, University of Texas at Dallas, Novogene
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.