The growing size and influence of the much-anticipated 38th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference continues to drive high attendance and concurrent events. This year, the Fogarty Institute played a larger role by hosting its first Innovator’s reception in partnership with Stanford Biodesign, The MedTech Strategist, RCT and the MedTech Innovator.
The reception was a success, with approximately 1,000 entrepreneurs, investors, and leaders in academia and industry in attendance, providing an excellent opportunity to connect and share ideas among like-minded individuals with the common goal of advancing healthtech innovation.
Many of the FII entrepreneurs, graduates and fellows attended both the conference and reception, benefiting from the exchange of ideas, learning about some of the latest trends in the industry and of course, networking with a “who’s who” in the field—connections that could prove invaluable as they advance their businesses and seek future partners.
Key takeaways from current Fogarty companies in residence
“As one of the few times a year where everyone is the same place, the J.P. Morgan Conference offers an ideal platform to connect with a diverse pool of people who otherwise can be hard to reach,” said Anand Parikh, CEO of Chronus Health. “Based on my past experience, I deliberately set up fewer, but more strategic, meetings with individuals and partners who would really make a difference in our startup.” He also appreciated the keynotes, including one by J.P. Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon, who shared valuable insight on the overall industry and the strength of the economy, despite rumors of an impending recession.
While most entrepreneurs attend a handful of keynote speeches, the main goal remains to schedule meetings with potential investors, partners and/or advisors who are local or fly in for this unique event. “I found the talks I attended to be interesting, but I got the most value from setting up meetings with potential investors,” said Steve Axelrod, co-founder and CEO of G-Tech Medical. “They were productive, and as a result I am now following up on several leads.”
“We’re very fortunate to receive entry into this coveted event,” said Véronique Peiffer, co-founder and CEO of palmm. “It allowed us to hear first-hand about advances made by strategic players; I was particularly interested in sitting in on Eli Lilly’s presentation after its recent $1.1B acquisition of Dermira, the maker of the most recently launched product in the hyperhidrosis space. Hearing from them and others about their results and strategies helps me understand what priorities we might be able to help solve.”
Celebrating entrepreneurship and connections at the Innovator’s reception
As one of the more widely attended receptions, the Innovator’s conference was another chance to more closely network with multiple players in the medtech ecosystem.
“The Innovation reception was an unparalleled opportunity to connect with many of the conference attendees in one place,” said Véronique. “Every time I turned around, there was someone else I wanted to speak with, making for a full and enjoyable evening.”
Anand seconded the value of catching up with the many familiar faces at the reception. “I look forward to building on the conversations and relationships sparked by the event.”