Odyssey Group Event
16 Tech Innovation District
As Indiana’s life sciences entrepreneurial community continues to evolve, the Odyssey Group's December event will showcase the latest advancements in finance, strategy, and business development. Leaders from Lilly ExpoR&D, Lilly Gateway Labs, and Lilly Ventures will explore groundbreaking innovations that are shaping the current life sciences landscape. This is a unique opportunity to engage with leaders at the forefront of life sciences innovation and investment, and to gain insights on how these trends will drive future growth.
Odyssey Group Event
16 Tech Innovation District
As Indiana’s life sciences entrepreneurial community continues to evolve, the Odyssey Group's December event will showcase the latest advancements in finance, strategy, and business development. Leaders from Lilly ExpoR&D, Lilly Gateway Labs, and Lilly Ventures will explore groundbreaking innovations that are shaping the current life sciences landscape. This is a unique opportunity to engage with leaders at the forefront of life sciences innovation and investment, and to gain insights on how these trends will drive future growth.
The Odyssey Group December business development event will provide a unique opportunity for the Indiana life sciences business community to expand their knowledge and network.
Who should attend
This event is tailored for leadership, investors, entrepreneurs, and business leaders engaged in the life sciences. Whether you're navigating the complexities of scaling a business or driving innovation within a large organization, you'll find this event essential for building the strategic connections necessary for success.
What to expect
This event is designed to foster collaboration and knowledge sharing across the life sciences ecosystem.
Attendees will:
- Engage with industry leaders, investors, and strategic partners
- Take part in a series of interactive discussions and breakout sessions
- Meet one-on-one with investors and representatives from investment firms, including J.P.Morgan, Lilly Ventures, and Lilly Gateway Labs
Event Agenda
3:30 - 5:00 PM
Odyssey Event Discussion
Discussion moderated by Derek Small, Founder and Managing Director of Luson Bioventures
Founder, Managing Director, Luson Bioventures
Derek Small
Founder, Managing Director, Luson Bioventures
Derek is founding Managing Director of Luson Bioventures, a mental health and neuroscience focused biopharmaceutical venture creation firm founded in 2007, and as been launching new companies and developing new innovative drugs for over 20 yrs. He is also currently Co-founder, Chairman, and CEO of Monument Biosciences, and Co-founder and Executive Chairman of Gate Neurosciences; both are portfolio new venture creations of Luson Bioventures.
Derek has been co-founder and CEO of multiple new venture creations via Luson, including: Founding CEO of Naurex (acq. by Allergan in 2015 – leading to a spin out of Aptinyx/Nasdaq: APTX); CEO of Assembly Biosciences (Nasdaq: ASMB); Founding CEO of Coferon, and other portfolio companies. These companies have discovered more than 10 novel and innovative drug candidates in development to help patients with CNS or neuropsychiatry diseases, including: major depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, neuropathic pain, fibromyalgia, PTSD, and others; Infectious diseases, including Hepatitis B; inflammatory and GI diseases, including IBD; several types of cancer, and other diseases of high unmet need.
Derek has partnered with many top tier life science investors, public investors and VCs, to build these companies in the private and public settings, and has raised over US$1 billion to date for these ventures. The companies have also established global and regional partnerships with major pharmaceutical companies including Abbvie, Allergan, Eli Lilly, Jansen, Lundbeck, Takeda, and others.
In addition to these US ventures, Derek has been dedicated to developing innovative drugs in China since 2009. In 2016 he launched Assembly China in Shanghai and Beijing to advance novel drugs for Hepatitis B, and served as CEO and General Manager through multiple new clinical development programs and established a China partnership with BeiGene in 2020.
In addition to these ventures, Derek serves on the board of directors for Biocrossroads, a non-profit life sciences organization based in Indianapolis, IN, and other private companies, and serves as an advisor to multiple academic institutions. Derek graduated from Franklin College with a BS in Business Administration, and studied at Harlaxton College in England. Derek’s top priorities are faith and his family – his wife of over 20 years, and three amazing children.
Market Insights by J.P.Morgan
Gain critical insights into the current market landscape from J.P.Morgan, focusing on the trends and opportunities shaping life sciences investment.
Managing Director, Midwest, Intermountain & Canada Life Sciences Commercial Banking, JP Morgan
Mike Gietl
Managing Director, Midwest, Intermountain & Canada Life Sciences Commercial Banking, JP Morgan
Mike is a Managing Director and Industry Executive with J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, based in Minneapolis, MN. Mike leads the Life Sciences commercial banking team across the Midwest, Intermountain, and Canada regions. The focus of the team is to provide innovative financial products and networking to start-up through small cap companies in the space. Mike’s team specifically focuses on companies in the medical device, pharmaceutical, biotech, tools and diagnostic, specialty contract manufacturing and contract research spaces.
With over 20 years of experience, Mike’s career at J.P. Morgan includes structuring and implementing wide-ranging credit transactions and managing relationships with a range of life science, healthcare, manufacturing and industrial corporations, large research universities and private colleges. He has worked with taxable and tax-exempt financing structures, syndications and participations for these entities. He also brings expertise in treasury management for companies looking for efficient ways to manage their operations.
Mike received a B.B.A. in Finance, Investments, and Banking from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
Mike is currently on the Board of Directors of University Enterprise Labs in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is an advisor to the University of Minnesota’s Discovery Capital group, a member of the University of Minnesota’s Business Advisory Group, and a mentor for Creative Destruction Lab at the University of Wisconsin - Madison.
Speaker Presentation - Lilly Catalyze360
Explore the three pillars of Lilly Catalyze360, including the work being done by Lilly ExpoR&D, Lilly Gateway Labs, and Lilly Ventures. This session will highlight how these initiatives are accelerating breakthrough solutions that could redefine the future of healthcare.
Vanessa Barth
Associate VP, COO & Head of Lilly Gateway Labs East Coast
David Bender
Senior Director, CMC, ExploR&D-Chorus
Austen Bruen
Senior Director, Lilly Ventures
5:00 - 6:30 PM
Networking and Investor 1:1 Sessions
Following the presentations, connect with top-tier investors, industry experts, and innovators. This portion of the event is your chance to have impactful one-on-one conversations with key players in life sciences investment, including representatives from Lilly Ventures and Lilly Gateway Labs.
