​Venture University × TopContenders

​JPM Week Deep Tech Investor Session

​Biotech · Pharma · Healthcare · AI-Enabled Deep Tech

​🕕 Time: 6:00 – 9:00 PM
📍 Location: Venture University Conference Space
(Exact address shared upon confirmation)
🎟 Capacity: Limited | Approval Required

​About This Session

​This private, in-person session is designed for accredited investors, family offices, and experienced angel investors, alongside a curated group of high-quality founders building deep-tech innovation across biotech, pharma, healthcare, and AI-enabled life sciences.

​Hosted during JPM Week at Venture University (VU) and co-curated with TopContenders, the session prioritizes signal over noise — combining VC education, real-world investment outcomes, and disciplined founder presentations.

​This is not a demo day.
It is an investor-grade forum aligned with JPM Week priorities.

​Featured Speaker

​Skyler Fernandes
Founder & CEO, Venture University

​Skyler will share Venture University’s deep-tech investment philosophy, with a focus on biotech, pharma, and healthcare innovation, including:

• ​How VU evaluates complex, regulated technologies

• ​Examples and outcomes from bio and healthcare investments

• ​Lessons learned from building and backing technically strong companies

• ​VU’s approach to VC education for both investors and founders

​Ecosystem & Deal Flow Context

​Mark Zheng
Founder, TopContenders Network | Boston AI Forum

​Mark will open the session with a concise overview of the Boston/Cambridge innovation ecosystem, how high-quality deep-tech and life-sciences projects are identified and refined, and how TopContenders collaborates with Venture University to curate investor-ready opportunities during JPM Week and beyond.

​Founder Rapid Spotlights

​Up to 5 carefully selected projects will present in a disciplined, investor-native format:

• ​3 minutes — Founder pitch

• ​3 minutes — Immediate investor Q&A

​Projects are selected for technical differentiation, scientific or clinical depth, and capital readiness. Strict timekeeping will be enforced to maintain fairness and focus.

​Agenda (6:00 – 9:00 PM)

• ​6:00 – 6:10 Arrival & seating

• ​6:10 – 6:25 Boston Innovation Ecosystem — Mark Zheng

• ​6:25 – 7:25 Deep Tech Investing & VC Education — Skyler Fernandes

• ​7:25 – 8:25 Founder Spotlights + Live Q&A (up to 10 projects)

• ​8:25 – 9:00 Open discussion & informal follow-ups

​Who Should Attend

​Investors

• ​Accredited investors

• ​Family offices

• ​Angel investors focused on biotech, healthcare, and deep tech

​Founders

• ​Biotech, pharma, healthcare, AI-enabled life sciences

• ​Clear scientific, technical, or clinical differentiation

• ​Prepared for institutional or strategic capital conversations

​Important Notes

• ​Investor attendance is complimentary (approval required)

• ​Founder participation is by application and approval

• ​Selected founders invited to present will be asked to confirm participation with a presentation confirmation fee

• ​Capacity is limited to maintain a high-quality, focused discussion

• ​Location details will be shared upon confirmation

​About the Hosts

​Venture University (VU)
Venture University is a global venture education and investment platform focused on deep tech and frontier technologies, with a strong emphasis on biotech, healthcare, and scientifically complex innovation.

​TopContenders Network
TopContenders is a curated innovation platform that identifies high-potential deep-tech and life-sciences projects, prepares founders for institutional capital, and connects them with investors and strategic partners during JPM Week and beyond.

​Registration

​Please register to request attendance.
Selected founders may be contacted separately regarding presentation opportunities.

​Event Disclaimer (Networking & Education Only)

​This invitation-only gathering is for networking and educational purposes only. Presentations, discussions, and materials shared at the event do not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities and should not be relied upon as investment advice.

​No General Solicitation. Public promotion or general solicitation of any securities is not permitted at this event. If any issuer intends to rely on Rule 506(c) of Regulation D, they are solely responsible for complying with all requirements of that exemption, including verifying accredited investor status of prospective investors and ensuring that any communications meet 506(c) standards. Otherwise, communications must remain private, non-public, and consistent with Rule 506(b) (no general solicitation).

​Offers, if any, only via official documents. Any potential investment opportunity, if pursued, will be made only through definitive offering documents (e.g., a private placement memorandum, subscription agreement, and related risk disclosures) provided by the issuer, and only to eligible investors in jurisdictions where such offering is lawful.

​No performance guarantees. Any discussion of past performance or forward-looking statements is inherently uncertain and not indicative of future results.

By registering for and attending this event, you consent to the sharing of your registration information with the event organizers and event sponsors for event-related communications and follow-up.

​By attending, participants agree not to record, publish, or broadly distribute pitch content, slides, or materials in a manner that could be construed as general solicitation, and acknowledge that presenters and sponsors are not acting as broker-dealers or investment advisers to attendees.