Attendees will be provided an overview of the challenges, methodologies, and applications of valuing early-stage companies. Join us to learn more about applicable valuation approaches and methodologies, the capital raising process, accounting implications of debt and equity positions, and the road map to potential exit.
Please click here to register for this exciting event! We hope to see you there.
About the Speakers
Michael B. Shekel, CPA/ABV, MBA
Director, Valuation Services
Cherry Bekaert
A Director with Cherry Bekaert’s Valuation Advisory Services practice, Michael has more than 15 years of valuation, finance and technical accounting experience in the areas of complex financial instruments, fixed income securities, equity securities, and controlling/minority ownership interests in business and real estate entities. Michael’s industry expertise includes technology, life sciences, industrial, renewable energy, and real estate. He has conducted hundreds of valuation analyses for financial reporting, tax, and merger and acquisition engagements. His clients include private equity funds, private middle-market companies, publicly-traded corporations, attorneys and lenders. Prior to joining Cherry Bekaert, Michael was a director with CTS Capital Advisors, LLC, a boutique transaction advisory firm that specialized in financial due diligence, valuation, and business advisory services. Michael also served as a senior manager at Cohn Reznick, a top-10 accounting firm in the US, where he led the firm’s valuations in the area of complex financial instruments and real estate, including expertise associated with IRS Section 42 LIHTCs/affordable housing deals. His prior experience also includes time at a Big Four accounting firm.
Erin S. Davis
Senior Manager, Valuation Services
Cherry Bekaert
A senior manager in the Valuation Services practice, Erin provides business valuation and financial advisory services for public and private enterprises. She has performed valuation analyses in a broad range of industries and for various purposes, including financial reporting, mergers and acquisitions, estate and gift tax, litigation support, and strategic planning. Erin also has experience in the areas of complex financial instruments, fixed income, equity and debt securities. Prior to joining Cherry Bekaert, Erin was a senior manager with CTS Capital Advisors, LLC, a boutique transaction advisory firm that specialized in financial due diligence, valuation, and business advisory services. She has also held positions with Big Four and regional accounting firms.
Speaker: Dr. Darwin Teyes, Ph.D.
Abstract: A wide variety of microphysiological platforms have been developed in recent years to replace the conventional static, 2D cell culture systems with in vitro models of human organs. The development of these micro-scale platforms, with the appropriate engineered cellular microenvironments, would provide for a way to bridge the gap between the use of preclinical animal models and the studies needed to be conducted in humans as part of the regulatory approval process. These platforms are seen as a viable tool for future use in personalized medicine, drug discovery, and drug testing. There have been increased efforts in the development of co-culture/organ-on-a-chip systems, but with only limited examples of integrated anipulation and measurement tools within then. Therefore, the development of integrated sensors in these systems is of critical importance to precisely determine changes in microenvironmental conditions as well as dynamic responses of cells to drug exposure during extended periods. The use of sensors allows for continuous monitoring of cell state, thus moving from endpoint only results to a continuous assessment of cell responses throughout the entire experimental period. With this in mind, we have developed a co-culture microfluidic platform with integrated manipulation and measurement capabilities, which allows for the concentration/cultivation of cells in co-cultures arrangements and to measure cell migration in monocultures. Our platform arranges cells in close proximity by dielectrophoretically trapping cells on opposite sides of a porous membrane with integrated gold microelectrodes. The physical separation provided by the porous membrane allows for optimal culture conditions on each side of the membrane (e.g., cell adhesive material and cell culture media). The same platform has been optimized for cell migration studies. This new system provides real-time, dynamic monitoring of cell migration employing impedance measurements and supplementary optical imaging. Overall, this microfluidic platform offers numerous opportunities for fundamental and applied research in cell biology as well as in diagnostics, personalized medicine, and tissue engineering.
Biography: Dr. Reyes is a biomedical engineer and leader of the BioMEMS Project in the Microsystems and Nanotechnology Division, Physical Measurement Laboratory (PML) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). After completing his Ph.D., he was awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Postdoctoral Fellowship to work with Professor Andreas Manz at Imperial College, London, U.K., where he worked for two years. Dr. Reyes started working at NIST (USA) as a National Research Council/NIST postdoctoral fellow. He is currently working in the development of microfluidic systems with electronic manipulation and measurement tools for cell‐based assays and drug screening; electronic flow measurement sensors/methods; cell‐substrate biomimetic interfaces with tunable elasticity; and thin, flexible wearable sensors. Dr. Reyes organized and co‐chaired the 1st Workshop on Standards for Microfluidics held on June 1 & 2, 2017 at NIST Gaithersburg campus, in MD. AŌer that workshop he co‐founded and became the chair of the Microfluidics Association (MFA). He is also a member of the Executive Technical Program Committee of the MicroTAS Conference and Counselor of the American Electrophoresis Society (AES).
Videoconferencing will be available at the SciTech campus in Katherine Johnson Hall, Room 254.
Speaker: Timothy Hoyt, Ph.D.
Psychological Health Center for Excellence, Defense Health Agency
Abstract: The military healthcare system serves over 9.4 million beneficiaries around the world, and is responsible for the medical deployment readiness of the armed forces. As the need for behavioral health care expands, the military has established a number of specialty programs designed to adapt and enhance care for service members. This presentation will review initial outcomes data from several of these programs, including intensive outpatient programs for PTSD, leveraging mobile apps as part of care, engaging commanders in mitigating behavioral health risk, and expanding services with paraprofessional technicians. Initial investigations show promising evidence that increasing the frequency and forward availability of care improves outcomes and military readiness. Implications of this research for the future multi-domain battlespace will be discussed.
Biography: Dr. Tim Hoyt was commissioned as an Officer in the Medical Service Corps of the United States Army in 2007, and left active duty in 2014 to become a civilian supervisor and faculty member at Madigan Army Medical Center. He has held numerous leadership positions within Military Medicine, including service as a Brigade Surgeon, Chief Psychology Resident, Embedded Behavioral Health Clinic Chief, Director of the nation’s flagship Intensive Outpatient Program for posttraumatic stress disorder, and Director of the National Center for Telehealth & Technology. He is currently the Branch Chief for Psychological Health Promotion at the Psychological Health Center of Excellence, responsible for several national programs targeting stigma reduction and connecting service members to care. As a Military Psychologist he has authored numerous empirical publications on combat-related stress and posttraumatic stress disorder. He is a recipient of the Bronze Star for his service in Afghanistan, as well as the Peter J.N. Linnerooth National Service Award from the American Psychological Association. He is a superior graduate of the U.S. Army War College, and received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of New Mexico.
Are you seeking funding to commercialize your high-potential technology?
Join us on Wednesday, October 2 to learn about funding available through the Commonwealth Research Commercialization Fund (CRCF), a Commonwealth of Virginia program managed by the Center for Innovative Technology (CIT). CIT staff will introduce the CRCF, a multi-million dollar technology commercialization grant program that accelerates innovation and drives economic growth in Virginia. The team will discuss the FY2020 round, which includes programs available to higher ed, federal labs and other nonprofit research organizations, and the private sector. Topics will include eligibility criteria and the solicitation timeline, the Letter of Intent (LOI) – a revised approach this year, the application, and tips for strong submissions.
Speaker: Ranu Jung, Ph.D.
Abstract: Direct neural interface bioelectronic systems have made it possible to achieve real-time neuromodulation, but full and reliable integration is still far from reality. This talk will present neural engineering and computational neuroscience approaches for the development of bioelectronic systems that merge man and machine to restore lost function. We will examine how neural models of the control of breathing can be used in the design of adaptive control of diaphragmatic pacing for restoration of impaired autonomic control of ventilation, and how focal intrafascicular peripheral nerve stimulation can restore sensation to upper-limb amputees with a neural-enabled prosthetic hand system.
Biography: Ranu Jung holds the Wallace H Coulter Eminent Scholar endowed Chair in Biomedical Engineering at Florida International University (FIU) where she is Head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering. She served as Interim Dean of the FIU College of Engineering and Computing from 2015 to 2017. Previously she was a member of the faculty at Arizona State University and University of Kentucky. Professor Jung’s research is at the cutting edge between engineering and neuroscience, developing devices that lead to scientific advances with clear pathways to clinical application. Of special interest to her are biohybrid systems merging biologically inspired technologies with humans for recovery and restoration of lost function. Her team developed the first wireless, implantable, investigational neural-interface system for restoring sensations to amputees and received FDA approval to conduct a first-in-human early feasibility trial. Holder of 9 U.S. patents, founder of one R&D Company, Jung is a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, Senior Member of IEEE and Society of Women Engineers, and elected to the International Women’s Forum. She has chaired or served on advisory committees and scientific review panels for the US National Institutes of Health, the US National Science Foundation, research foundations, international universities and professional journals. In 2011 she conceived, edited and published “Biohybrid Systems: Nerves, Interfaces and Machines” and in 2015 as co-Editor-in-Chief she published the first edition of a four volume “Encyclopedia of Computational Neuroscience”. Her honors include the FIU 2016 Outstanding Faculty Torch Award, 2012 FIU Top Scholar Award, 2011 New Florida Scholar’s Boost Award, 2002 Kentucky Science and Engineering Award and Governor’s certificate of recognition, Whitaker Foundation Young Investigator Award, NIH National Research Service Award, AHA NE Ohio Research Fellow and appointment as commissioner, Arizona Biomedical Research Commission. Jung received her Doctoral degree and Masters in Biomedical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University, USA and her Bachelors with Distinction in Electronics & Communication Engineering from National Institute of Technology, Warangal, India.
Videoconferencing will be available at the SciTech campus in Katherine Johnson Hall, Room 254.
CIT staff will introduce the Commonwealth Research Commercialization Fund (CRCF), a multi-million dollar technology commercialization grant program that accelerates innovation and drives economic growth in Virginia. The team will discuss the FY2020 round, which includes programs available to higher ed, federal labs and other nonprofit research organizations, and the private sector. Topics will include eligibility criteria and the solicitation timeline, the Letter of Intent (LOI) – a revised approach this year, the application, and tips for strong submissions. In addition, presenters will discuss CIT’s GAP Funds, which is a family of seed- and early-stage investment funds placing near-equity and equity investments, will present on the fundamentals (including due diligence) required to access this growth capital.
Speakers:
Heather Engen – Heather Engen serves as Senior Program Associate, supporting the Commonwealth Research Commercialization Fund (CRCF)’s solicitations, Annual Report, and community engagement. Heather rejoined the Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) in February 2015; she first worked at CIT from 1999 to 2002 in the Marketing and Communications group. Heather’s professional experience includes writing, editing, office administration, marketing and public relations. Additionally, she successfully established and ran a small business – Heather Engen Photography. Heather serves on several boards and committees and has volunteered for numerous community organizations, including Loudoun Youth Volleyball.
Marco Rubin – Marco Rubin, Senior Investment Director, CIT, is responsible for sourcing, diligence and closing of seed and early stage investments on behalf of the CIT GAP Funds designated as “Virginia’s Most Active Investor” by CBInsights. He serves as a board representative to a numerous portfolio companies and leads seed/early stage investment in aerospace/UAS, energy, and software sectors. Marco has held leadership roles with funds recognized on five occasions by Entrepreneur Magazine’s VC 100 rankings and has invested in over 200 early stage startups throughout his career. Prior to CIT, Marco founded Exoventure Associates, LLC. There he conducted diligence, mentored entrepreneurs and served as a judge in global business plan competitions sponsored by the World Bank and the State Department. Prior to Exo, he was founder of Monumental Venture Partners, LLC (MVP) making investments in security, information technology, telecom, software and medical device sectors.
Speaker: Karun Sharma, Ph.D.
More information coming soon.
Videoconferencing will be available at the SciTech campus in Katherine Johnson Hall, Room 254.
Emerging science in recent decades suggests that many chronic, non-communicable diseases (including diabetes, obesity, other metabolic or endocrine disorders, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, cancer and the aging process itself) may have common metabolic roots, and thus may be susceptible to common solutions.
But the challenges of targeting “metabesity” are not just technical: Regulatory agencies today don’t know what to do with a pill that is claimed to delay aging; companies and financiers are disinterested in running and paying for clinical trials involving hundreds of thousands of subjects over a decade or more to demonstrate prevention; payers are reluctant to pay for products and services today where the benefits may not be reaped for decades.
Targeting Metabesity 2019 concerns some of the most important issues in healthcare today: Increasing the focus on chronic, not just acute, diseases; shifting the emphasis from treatment to prevention; going beyond treating individual diseases to extending healthy lifespan.
Bringing together stellar speakers from multiple disciplines, from science and medicine, government regulation and policy, reimbursement, industry and capital markets, patient advocacy and others, Metabesity 2019 is a call to action and a silo-busting conversation for tractable steps today to address healthcare challenges where the health and quality of life of billions of humans, and trillions of dollars in savings and opportunity, are at stake. We invite and urge all who have an interest in this conversation to attend this event.
Speaker: Andrew Crooks, PhD
Associate Professor, College of Science, George Mason University
Speaker: Sharon Xiaolei Huang, Ph.D.
More information coming soon.
Videoconferencing will be available at the SciTech campus in Katherine Johnson Hall, Room 254.