2026 BioDiscovery Summit
Overview
On September 17th 2026, CvilleBioHub and Cooley will come together to host the full-day 2026 BioDiscovery Summit!
The 5th Annual Summit returns with a powerful new theme, "From Spark to Scale," which explores pivotal decisions, milestones, and partnerships that shape the lifecycle of emerging biotech companies.
The day begins with the BioSpark life sciences pitch competition, showcasing promising early-stage ventures, before transitioning into an afternoon of candid conversations with founders, investors, industry leaders, and strategic stakeholders. Sessions will examine how companies secure early conviction, navigate the realities of growth after fundraising, and translate scientific innovation into lasting commercial and strategic momentum.
The Summit will also feature a keynote conversation with Caitlin Frazer, Executive Director of the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology, exploring the growing role of biotechnology in national competitiveness, economic resilience, and global security. Drawing on her experience shaping bipartisan policy at the intersection of emerging technology and national defense, Frazer will offer a timely perspective on why biotech innovation has become a strategic national priority.
The event concludes with a special reception celebrating 10 years of CvilleBioHub and the region’s expanding life sciences ecosystem.
Breakfast, lunch, and the evening celebration will invite informal networking and meaningful connection over food and drink by Flavor Exceptional Catering.
Agenda
- 8:30 am
Doors Open
Check-in, pick up your badge for the day, and grab breakfast before the program begins!
- 9:00 am - 9:10 am
Summit Opening Remarks by Nikki Hastings
- 9:10 am - 9:20 am
10-Year Capstone Moment
- 9:20 am - 9:30 am
BioSpark Kickoff, Emcee-d by Marty Weiner
- 9:30 am - 11:45 am
BioSpark Pitch Competition
The 2026 BioSpark pitch event at BioDiscovery will feature 8 companies competing for $30,000 in cash prizes. One company will receive a year of access to CBH’s Commonwealth BioAccelerator. This year's companies are: -3D OrthoBiologic Solutions (3DOS) -NeoSplice Therapeutics -AVIL Therapeutics -Visurraga Enterprises -Claradele Pharmaceuticals -Oridivus -SonoFx -Sensible For more information about the event’s application process, selection criteria, and judging principles please visit the BioSpark page: https://cvillebiohub.org/summit/biospark-2026/
- 11:45 am - 11:55 am
Remarks from Paul Beyer
- 11:55 am - 12:00 pm
BioSpark Closing Remarks
- 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
Lunch Break
Please pick up your lunch in the lobby.
- 1:30 pm
Doors Open (Afternoon Program)
- 2:00 pm - 2:05 pm
Welcome from Senator Mark Warner
U.S. Senator Mark Warner opens the afternoon program at the 5th Annual BioDiscovery Summit with remarks on the importance of the life sciences industry, the strength of the Charlottesville community, and congratulations to CvilleBioHub for 10 years of innovation.
- 2:05 pm - 2:15 pm
Afternoon Opening Remarks
- 2:15 pm - 3:00 pm
The First Three Yeses: A Capital Decision Walkthrough
Life Sciences Investors see hundreds of deals but invest in very few. What really happens between a first pitch and a signed term sheet? In this fast-paced, 45-minute conversation, two life sciences investors and a founder unpack the three critical decision points that determine whether capital moves forward: the first internal spark, the partnership debate, and the final conviction behind terms. From the first instinctive “yes” to the investment committee gauntlet to negotiating valuation and ownership, this session offers a rare, transparent look inside how funding decisions are actually made, and why promising companies sometimes stall along the way. For founders navigating the path from spark to scale, this is a candid roadmap to earning and keeping investor conviction. Session Moderator: Mike Nelson Panelists: M. Ragan Hart, Jessica Dymond and George McArthur
- 3:00 pm - 3:45 pm
Post Pitch Permutations: The 18-Month Reality Check
What really happens after the pitch deck closes and the real work begins? In this candid conversation, three founders reflect on the 18 months that followed their defining pitch moments. Through a rapid-fire, moderator-led exchange, they’ll unpack the assumptions that didn’t survive first contact with reality, the milestones that took twice as long (or mattered twice as much), and the hires or partnerships that changed everything. From broken timelines to recalibrated capital strategies, this session reveals what founders rarely put on slide 12. Session Moderator: Evan Edwards Panelists: Rachel Offenburg, Rachelle Turiello and Todd Wallach
- 3:45 pm - 4:00 pm
Afternoon Break
- 4:00 pm - 4:10 pm
BioSpark Winner Award Presentation
The winners of the 2026 BioSpark at BioDiscovery will be announced.
- 4:10 pm - 4:55 pm
From Science to Signal: Translating Innovation into Momentum
Traction is visible. Signal is earned. This session brings together three perspectives, translational science, capital allocation, and operational scale, to examine what separates companies that build durable momentum from those that plateau after a promising start. Session Moderator: Sara Dauber Panelists: Bibhash Mukhopadhyay, Tim Showalter, and Gayatri Varma
- 4:55 pm - 5:20 pm
Keynote Conversation with Caitlin Frazier
Biotechnology is rapidly emerging as a pillar of national security, reshaping how governments think about health, supply chains, and global competitiveness. In this 25-minute keynote conversation, Caitlin Frazer, Executive Director of the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology, will explore what this shift means for the companies building at the forefront of innovation, including the risks and opportunities facing biotech leaders as the sector becomes increasingly central to geopolitical and economic resilience. Caitlin Frazer interviewed by Lila Inman
- 5:20 pm - 5:30 pm
Summit Closing Remarks
- 5:30 pm - 8:00 pm
10-Year Anniversary Reception
Please join us downstairs in the CODE Building reception space to celebrate the conclusion of the 5th Annual BioDiscovery and to mark the 10th Anniversary of CvilleBioHub.
Speakers
Caitlin Frazer | NSCEB
Caitlin Frazer is the Executive Director of the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology. In this capacity, she leads the staff of the Commission in supporting the Commissioners in advising Congress on policy issues at the intersection of biotechnology, national security, and economic competitiveness. She previously served as Legislative Director to Senator Jon Ossoff (GA), a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee. She stood up the Office of Representative Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06) and served as her chief policy advisor as a member of the Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committees. Earlier in her career, Caitlin was National Security Advisor to Senator Bob Casey (PA) and a policy advisor in the State Department’s Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs. She was a Presidential Management Fellow and holds a BA and MPP from the University of Virginia.
Mike Nelson | Cooley
Mike is the corporate head of Cooley’s Denver office and a partner in Cooley’s Boston office. He focuses on advising emerging and growth-stage life sciences and deep tech companies, as well as the funds that invest in them, on matters relating to corporate finance, corporate governance, licensing and other intellectual property-based transactions, M&A, and public offerings.
George McArthur, PhD | BUILT Biotechnologies
George McArthur, PhD, is the CEO of BUILT Biotechnologies, a company he founded to make DNA manufacturing more reliable, scalable, and accessible. He brings together experience in genetic design, DNA assembly, product development, and commercialization, with prior roles spanning multiple biotech startups. George earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia, where he studied Chemical Engineering, Music, and Biology, and founded the Virginia iGEM Team. He later completed his PhD in Chemical Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University and was selected as a Whitaker International Program Fellow at Imperial College London’s Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation.
Evan Edwards | Kymanox
Evan Edwards is CEO at Kymanox, a professional services firm of over 250 subject matter experts that supports pharmaceutical, biotech and medtech companies, accelerating their programs in order to get their products approved and to the market. Evan oversees overall business strategy and growth. He's an Executive Advisor for Sponsors and an expert in drug/device combination product development and Human Factors. Prior to Kymanox, Evan was Co-Founder of Kaléo Pharmaceuticals and Co-inventor of Auvi-Q®, Allerject®, Evzio® and Kaléo’s other drug delivery device platforms.
Rachelle Turiello, PhD | Avant Genomics
Dr. Rachelle Turiello is CEO and Co-Founder of Avant Genomics, a Charlottesville-based biotechnology company developing automated sample preparation technologies to advance liquid biopsy and precision oncology. Founded as a spinout from the University of Virginia, Avant is building integrated hardware, consumables, and software designed to improve the recovery, consistency, and scalability of cell-free DNA workflows used in cancer detection and monitoring. Rachelle earned her Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Virginia, where she developed microfluidic technologies for human identification and molecular diagnostics under the mentorship of Professor James Landers. Prior to her work in biotechnology, she worked as a forensic DNA analyst, applying genomic technologies in criminal investigations. Drawing on her experience in both forensic genetics and translational research, she co-founded Avant Genomics to address critical bottlenecks in liquid biopsy testing. Since launching the company, Rachelle has led Avant through venture financing, federal grant awards, product development, manufacturing scale-up, and collaborations with leading cancer centers, pharmaceutical companies, and molecular diagnostic laboratories. She is passionate about translating scientific innovation into practical tools that improve patient care and expand access to precision medicine.
Todd Wallach | SOLUtion Medical
Sara Dauber | JP Morgan
Sara Dauber is part of the Commercial Banking team at JP Morgan. Sara has spent 20+ years working with early-stage life science ventures. Most recently Sara served as Small Business Strategic Consultant at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), where she advised SBIR-recipient management teams on business matters including pitch coaching, creation of investment materials, financial modeling, investor relations, and outreach to potential strategic partners. Prior to her work at NINDS, Sara held several key positions at early-stage startups across pharma, biotech, and medical devices in roles focused on operations, program management, corporate development, and business development.
Tim Showalter, MD, MPH, MBA | Viz.ai | Overa Therapuetics
Tim Showalter, MD, MPH, MBA is radiation oncologist at the University of Virginia, with more than 20 years of experience spanning academic medicine, health technology, and medtech entrepreneurship. He is Chief Medical Officer at Viz.ai, where he leads clinical strategy and evidence generation across the company’s AI-powered care coordination platform. He is also co-founder and CEO of Overa Therapuetics, an award winner at the 2025 BioSpark event. Tim has held prior senior clinical leadership roles across diagnostics, therapeutics, and AI-enabled healthcare companies, including serving as Chief Medical Officer at Artera and Medical Director at Flatiron Health. He is the former Founder/CEO of Advaray, a medical device company he led from inception through FDA de novo clearance and successful acquisition. He has authored nearly 200 peer-reviewed publications and is nationally recognized for his work in oncology innovation, clinical research, and physician-led technology development.
Jessica Dymond, PhD | In-Q-Tel
Dr. Dymond is Vice President of Technology at In-Q-Tel where she provides technical and strategic leadership to identify, understand, and accelerate development of high-impact emerging technologies - with an emphasis on biotechnology - to address critical national security challenges. In her prior role as Chief Scientist for Physical and Life Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Dr. Dymond led an active interdisciplinary research portfolio spanning technological and analytic pursuits to advance capability for national security and global health, and to enhance anticipation, assessment, and mitigation of emerging biological threats. Dr. Dymond received her PhD from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where she pioneered synthetic biology tool development for the Synthetic Yeast Genome Project and developed an internationally-adopted undergraduate course in synthetic biology and biosecurity.
Bibhash Mukhopadhyay | Sapient Biotech | DW Wealth Management
Bibhash is an asset manager, allocator, investor, company builder and board member with almost 2 decades of experience in biotech. Through DW Wealth Management, he advises various Family Offices and Disease foundations on investing in the healthcare sector, either by seeding new funds or directly into companies. Through Sapient Biotech, he manages a sector-specialized investment fund that invests exclusively in biotech companies, both private and small-cap public, with a fundamental, bottom-up, absolute-return strategy. It also manages a fund focused on rare diseases with a double bottom-line mandate for return on mission and return on investment. Previously, he was a co-founder and GP in Sound Bioventures and an investor with the biotech practice of a large, diversified venture fund, NEA. Prior to that he has operating experience in business development, portfolio management and corporate strategy functions at both AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson. He has led, managed and exited multiple private and public biotech investments, participated in multiple major in-licensing, divestiture and acquisitions and cross-border Europe / US deals and has had advisory roles in several life science incubators and healthcare delivery non-profits. His education spans 3 continents culminating with a PhD in the biology of retinal degeneration from Baylor College of Medicine.
Lila Inman | Cooley
Lila Inman’s practice focuses on the representation of emerging and high growth companies and the investors that back them, throughout all stages of their life cycle, helping clients navigate complex business issues associated with building, growing and ultimately exiting. She regularly counsels clients on a diverse range of critical transactions, including angel, seed, venture and private equity financings and mergers and acquisitions. Lila represents disruptive, high growth companies across a wide variety of industries, with a particular emphasis on technology, data analytics, AI/ML, cyber security, internet of things, virtual reality, software and life sciences. In addition, Lila is deeply committed to advising and mentoring under-represented minority startup leaders and general counsels, as well as the funds that invest in these businesses, and she serves as one of the champions and co-founders of Cooley’s Women in Venture Executive Network for the Mid-Atlantic. While in law school, Lila was a notes editor on the William & Mary Law Review, the Chief Justice of the Honor Council, and the senior training coordinator of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Team. She was also an active participant in the Lewis B. Puller, Jr. Veterans Benefits Clinic, serving as an advocate for veterans seeking disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Lila’s Note “Personal Enough for Protection: The Fifth Amendment and Single-Member LLCs” is published in the William & Mary Law Review. During the summer of 2015, Lila worked in the Division of Enforcement of the Securities and Exchange Commission, where she investigated potential fraud and securities law violations and market abuses by investment banks, broker-dealers and institutional investors. Lila practiced as a CPA in the past. Prior to law school, Lila worked as a senior associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers where she audited clients in the Consumer and Industrial Products and Services industry.
Deanna Angello | Alpenglow Ventures LLC
Deanna Angello, MBA, is Founder and President of Alpenglow Ventures LLC, advising biotechnology companies, investors, and health innovators on corporate and commercial strategy, market and category creation, and launch readiness. She is a senior biopharma executive with more than 25 years of experience translating breakthrough science into commercial success, having held leadership roles at Pfizer, Genentech/Roche, Kite Pharma, and Johnson & Johnson, most recently as Chief Commercial Officer of Cognito Therapeutics, an MIT spinout developing a neurotechnology-based therapy for Alzheimer's disease. She has contributed to the launch of seven blockbuster medicines generating more than $7 billion in revenue across oncology, neuroscience, cardiovascular and metabolic disease, pain, rare disease, and cell therapy. Known for combining Fortune 50 rigor with an entrepreneurial mindset, she advises and mentors CEOs and founders through life sciences and technology accelerators and brings board and advisory experience spanning biotechnology, health technology, diagnostics, and venture investing.
Matthew Schwee | Cooley
Matt is a partner in Cooley’s emerging companies group. His practice includes venture capital financings, mergers & acquisitions, and general corporate representation of high-growth companies. Matt represents a number of private company clients with a focus on the life sciences, digital health and national security sectors. He also represents leading venture capital firms in their investment activities. Over the course of his career, Matt has helped private company clients raise more than $8.5 billion in equity financing transactions. While attending the University of Virginia School of Law, Matt served on the editorial board of the Virginia Journal of Law and Technology. Before law school, he worked at a biotechnology startup.
Gabe Gutierrez | Virginia Tech Fralin Biomedical Research Institute
Gabe Gutierrez, Ph.D. brings more than 20 years of experience in biotechnology, translational research, technology commercialization, and strategic partnerships across industry, academia, and government. Currently, he is the Director of Strategic Partnerships at the Virginia Tech Fralin Biomedical Research Institute (FBRI), where he leads strategic initiatives and builds partnerships with industry, government, and philanthropic organizations to accelerate biomedical research, commercialization, and startup development. Previously, as Innovation Manager at the University of Maryland Ventures, he led the commercialization of faculty innovations, forging partnerships that translated university research into startups, licensing opportunities, and sponsored research collaborations. Prior to joining academia, Gabe held executive leadership positions in biotechnology and life sciences, including Leidos, Hibiscus BioVentures, and Sendero Biotechnology, where he advanced vaccines, immunotherapies, and emerging biotechnology companies. He also co-founded Cel•lepus Therapeutics, a cell therapy company developing next-generation CAR T therapies for solid tumors. Throughout his career, he has secured more than $100 million in competitive research funding, is an inventor on multiple patents, has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications, and has helped launch several biotechnology companies. Gabe completed postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School, earned a Ph.D. in Genetics from the University of Connecticut, and received a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Loyola University Chicago.
Paul Beyer | Tom Tom Foundation
Gayatri Varma | AstraZeneca
Rachel Offenburg | Nanochon
Rachel Offenburg, MBA, serves as Nanochon’s Chief of Strategy where her day to day is focused on commercial strategy including marketing and communications. She has a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, and an undergraduate degree in biology and business management from Emmanuel College. Rachel has extensive background in designing go to market strategies for early-stage medical device and biotech startups, developed over the course of her career consulting at IQVIA, leading marketing teams at Bio-Rad Laboratories and managing data analytics platforms at Optum.
M. Ragan Hart | WRF Capital
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