About 600 companies will convene at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City to participate in the 15th annual BioPartnering Conference on May 13 hosted by BioNJ, the life sciences trade association for New Jersey.
The conference is BioNJ’s biggest event of the year and attracts emerging companies, investors, and innovators from other U.S. states and nine countries. They will engage in panel discussions, pitches, spontaneous conversations, and private meetings. Company founders will connect with investors, life science companies and academic leaders that could potentially lead to partnerships and increased funding.
What distinguishes the event is the variety of ways start-ups can connect with larger companies. Companies can meet with potential partners by scheduling one-to-one partnering meetings throughout the day; talk discreetly with business development professionals from big biopharma at the industry connections desks; or chat with company representatives at the Exhibit Hall.
This year, more than 100 early-stage companies, up from 90 a year ago, will make pitches to investors or potential partners. The pitches range from two minutes to eight and are presented to a panel of judges and potential partners.
“There are a lot of large and medium-sized companies looking for innovators,” said Debbie Hart, chief executive of BioNJ. “We invited 111 companies to present this year, and most of them are coming. We like to think of the event as kind of a five-ring circus because there are so many opportunities.”
This is the second year that the BioPartnering Conference will be held at the Liberty Science Center. The annual event is considered to be one of the best-run networking events of its kind in New Jersey. The event attracted 570 companies from 11 states and nine countries last year.
A backdrop to this year’s event is the uncertainty around the markets and the impact it might have on funding companies. “There’s been a lot of craziness in the markets and on Wall Street,” said Hart. “There’s been a lack of stability, and our industry needs stability. It’s a challenging time. The good news is there are so many different opportunities.”
Among the countries that are going to be represented at the event is Israel. That nation’s pharmaceutical and biotechnology market has a reputation for high research and development spending as well as a long international reach. Hart says Israel is a great example of how governments can support business. “Science is enabled there,” she said.
The BioNJ BioPartnering Conference title sponsors are J.P. Morgan and Morgan Lewis. There are 21 sponsors and 11 supporting partners. Besides the May 13th event, there are virtual partnering opportunities on May 12, and May 14-16.
