Challenger Pitch for Health
Description
Proto Axiom, Australia’s leading biotech incubator, and St Vincent’s Curran Foundation unite to host Challenger Pitch for Health, the nation’s largest medical and biotech pitch event.
Challenger Pitch for Health will award $500,000 in grants to outstanding translational research projects drawn from universities, medical research institutes and hospitals across Australia. Finalists will pitch live to a panel of investors, clinicians and industry leaders, with four grants on offer.
Event Schedule | |
Welcome | 1.00pm |
Proto Axiom Challenger Pitch 1-5 | 1.15pm |
Panel Discussion | 2.00pm |
Proto Axiom Challenger Pitch 6-10 | 2.45pm |
Panel Discussion | 4.00pm |
St Vincent's Pitch for Health | 4.45pm |
Winner Presentation | 5.45pm |
Drinks & Canapés | 6.15pm |
MC
A/Prof Sophie Scott OAM
Sophie is an award‑winning journalist, broadcaster and author, and an Adjunct Associate Professor in Science Communication at Notre Dame University. With more than two decades as the ABC’s National Medical Reporter, she is a leading voice in evidence‑based health and wellbeing.
Keynote Panel - 2 pm
Building the Translation Engine (Closing the "Missing Middle")
Australia produces world-class science, but too many breakthroughs stall in the missing middle: the stretch between discovery and scale where teams need industrial pathways, translational infrastructure, operator talent, and credible partners who can carry programs through regulation, manufacturing readiness, and real-world adoption. The intent is a practical discussion on what is blocking translation today, what is already working, and what a repeatable engine could look like.
Featuring Dr Marthe D’Ombrain (CSL), David Gall (National Reconstruction Fund), and Dr. Mehmood Khan (Hevolution Foundation), this discussion focuses on the practical mechanics of translation: how industry pull, program design, partnership models and disciplined evaluation can turn scientific promise into investable, buildable companies. The aim is to make “lab to market” less heroic, more repeatable.
Moderator
Nish Acharya, CEO, Equal Innovation
Nish Acharya is the CEO of Equal Innovation, a leading global organisation focused on transformative change and impact through innovation and entrepreneurship. Nish serves on, and formerly Co-Chaired, the XPRIZE Learning and Society Prize Advisory Board. He previously served as Director of the US Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Senior Advisor to the US Secretary of Commerce in the Obama administration In 2025 Nish was also the inaugural American Australian Association St Vincent’s Innovation Integration Exchange Scholar.
Panellists
Dr Marthe D’Ombrain, Global Head of Research Innovation, CSL
Dr Marthe D’Ombrain BSc (Hons), PhD, GCALL, GAICD has worked in the biopharmaceutical and life sciences sector for over 20 years and has extensive leadership experience in both industry and academia. Marthe joined CSL in 2013 where she currently serves as the Executive Director and Head of Global Research Innovation, playing a key role in building and diversifying CSL’s global R&D portfolio. Marthe was elected to the Board of Directors for AusBiotech in 2022, serves as a Non-Executive Director for Jumar BioIncubator and is passionate about research collaboration and its potential for bringing new treatments to patients.
David Gall, CEO, NRF
David Gall leads the NRFC, Australia’s sovereign investment vehicle with a mandate that includes medical science and critical technologies. He brings deep experience from financial services to crowd in private capital and delivers transparent program design and evaluation.
Dr. Mehmood Khan, CEO, Hevolution Foundation
Dr. Mehmood Khan is a global leader with senior roles spanning Vice Chairman and Chief Scientific Officer of Global R&D at PepsiCo and President of Global R&D at Takeda Pharmaceuticals, bringing deep experience across developed and emerging markets in sustainable initiatives and innovation. He now serves as Chief Executive Officer of the Hevolution Foundation, the world’s largest philanthropic funder of healthspan science, accelerating research and early‑stage investment in the field. Earlier in his career, Dr. Khan was on the Mayo Clinic endocrinology faculty and held leadership roles at Hennepin County Medical Center and the University of Minnesota. He sits on multiple boards and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and the American College of Endocrinology.
Keynote Panel - 4 pm
Scaling Sovereign Growth Capital for Deep Tech
Australia produces world-class science, but too few deep-tech ventures reach meaningful scale because the growth-capital engine is thin for long-cycle innovation. Moderated by Rebekah Cassidy (CEO, AusBiotech), this discussion brings together Dr Larry Marshall (former CEO, CSIRO), Martijn Wilder AM (Founder and CEO, Pollination), and Niki Scevak (Partner, Blackbird Ventures) to examine how Australia can finance and scale ambition without losing momentum offshore.
The panel will unpack practical pathways to crowd in sovereign, philanthropic and private capital, share risk with clearer roles across stages, and back the follow-on rounds that convert early validation into global outcomes. The aim is simple: build globally competitive companies that compound into sovereign capability, not just great papers and promising pilots.
Moderator
Rebekah Cassidy, CEO, AusBiotech
Rebekah Cassidy is the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of AusBiotech, leading national advocacy and industry development across Australia’s life sciences sector. She brings extensive experience in strategy, public policy, and stakeholder engagement, and is known for navigating complex environments, building trusted partnerships, and driving meaningful reform.
Panellists
Martijn Wilder AM, Founder & CEO, Pollination
Martijn Wilder AM is a pioneering architect of Australia’s climate‑finance ecosystem. He has led key government and international institutions - from ARENA and the CEFC to REEEP - bringing unmatched expertise in scaling high‑impact innovations across highly regulated, science‑driven sectors.
Niki Scevak, Partner, Blackbird Ventures
Niki Scevak is an Australian venture capitalist who has transformed both the startup and social‑impact landscape through early investments in category‑defining companies and his advocacy for purpose‑driven philanthropy.
Dr Larry Marshall, Former CEO, CSIRO
Dr Larry Marshall is a scientist, technology innovator and business leader with more than 25 years' experience in creating new value and impact with science.
Judging Panel - Proto Axiom Stream
Sarah Murdoch, Global Ambassador and Co-Chair, MCRI
Sarah Murdoch is Global Ambassador and Co-Chair of the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) Board. A Director since 2014 and Co-Chair since 2021, she founded and chairs MCRI’s Global Advisory Board, helping mobilise international support and funding to accelerate breakthroughs in child health.
Sue MacLeman, Chair, Medicines Australia
Sue MacLeman is a senior leader across biotech and medtech with extensive experience in industry policy, commercialisation, and sector engagement. She works with innovators and government to improve market access and accelerate patient impact while sustaining investment confidence.
Liza Noonan, CEO, Cicada Innovations
Liza Noonan is a long‑standing champion of deep‑tech commercialisation - shaped by leadership roles at CSIRO’s ON Accelerator, Investment NSW, and Springboard Australia - advancing high‑growth ventures in biotech and other science‑led sectors.
Dr Emil Bujak, Partner and Head of Life Sciences, IP Group Australia
Dr Emil Bujak brings 15+ years of life sciences investing and research experience, backing companies from formation through clinical milestones and into the public markets. With rigorous scientific training, CFA‑level analytical discipline, and deep engagement with teams tackling major unmet medical needs, he is known for driving high‑impact therapeutic innovation.
Dr Laura Wimberger, Investment Associate, Proto Axiom
Laura Wimberger is an Investment Associate at Proto Axiom, a Sydney‑based biotech incubator and early‑stage investor. With a PhD in Chemistry and prior drug discovery experience at AbbVie, she works at the intersection of science and venture, screening early‑stage opportunities and partnering with universities and founders to translate academic research into investable, high‑impact companies.
Chris Alma, Director of Innovation, CSL
Chris Alma specialises in innovative biopharmaceutical solutions. With a strong background in research and development, Chris is committed to advancing healthcare through cutting-edge science and technology.
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