Physician; President and co-founder, iuvando Health

Dr. Agrawal is a physician, scientist, and healthcare entrepreneur dedicated to advancing the care for cancer patients. He is President and co-founder of iuvando Health, a Germany-based, innovative digital health and precision oncology company, that enables patients with cancer to find and access life-saving treatments within clinical trials. Prior, Dr. Agrawal was a research fellow at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard with a focus on blood cancer. Dr. Agrawal studied medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (Baltimore), University of Zurich, and Heidelberg University, where he graduated with a doctorate degree. He also obtained a master’s degree in Health Economics from Heidelberg University. Dr. Agrawal was a scholar of the German Academic Scholarship Foundation (Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes). He has been honored with multiple highly prestigious national and international awards both in his role as a physician-scientist and entrepreneur.

Former Chairman of the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery at the Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg; Founder, ResuSciTec GmbH (CARL); Chairman, EACTS Innovation Committee

Friedhelm Beyersdorf is a renowned cardiac surgeon and the current Chairman of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) Innovation Committee (2024–2027). He served as Chairman of the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery at the Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg from 1994 to 2022, where he performed the first heart transplant in Freiburg in 1994. A pioneer in the field, he led several surgical milestones in Germany, including the country’s first implantation of the Jarvik 2000 left ventricular assist device (LVAD) in 2001 and the first implantation of a total artificial heart (TAH) in Baden-Württemberg in 2005—the same year he performed the region’s first heart-lung transplantation.

Beyersdorf was awarded the title of Professor honoris causa in 2000 and Doctoris honoris causa in 2008. His academic career has included visiting professorships at leading institutions such as Stanford University, Harvard University, and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He served as the 19th President of the German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (DGTHG) from 2009 to 2011 and as the 36th President of EACTS from 2021 to 2022. From 2010 to 2020, he was Editor-in-Chief of the European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EJCTS) and Interactive CardioVascular and Thoracic Surgery (ICVTS). In 2019, he was appointed Surgical Chairman for the 2021 ESC/EACTS Guidelines for the Management of Valvular Heart Disease. He is also the founder of ResuSciTec GmbH (CARL), a spin-off from the University Medical Center Freiburg focused on innovative resuscitation technologies. As of July 7, 2025, he received the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Bundesverdienstkreuz am Bande) for his outstanding contributions to medicine, research, and society.

Program Manager, Life Sciences @ Start2 Group

Mehar is an experienced engineer and scientist, coming to Start2 with a background of over 7 years working within biotech startups and pharma companies on early-stage drug discovery, in vivo diagnostics and cell therapy development in the Greater Boston area. As a Program Manager for German Accelerator Life Sciences, Mehar leverages her strong operational and technical background at the intersection of life sciences and startups to enable early-stage companies to de-risk, grow, and thrive in the US market through participation in the accelerator program.
Mehar holds a B.E. in Biomedical Engineering from Stony Brook University (Long Island, NY) and an M.S. in Bioengineering from University of Illinois – Chicago (Chicago, IL).

Co-founder and COO, ISTARI.AI

Robert Dehghan is a researcher at the Department of SME Research and Entrepreneurship at the University of Mannheim. His academic work focuses on the diffusion and adoption of emerging technologies, such as AI, blockchain and additive manufacturing, and he has completed a research stay at Stanford University.
Alongside his academic role, Robert is the co-founder and COO of ISTARI.AI, a German AI-based market intelligence company that provides real-time industry and regional insights via proprietary webAI technology, serving clients in both the public and private sectors.

CEO, Heidelberg Technology Park

Dr. André Domin is CEO of Heidelberg Technology Park since 2010. He is supporting innovation and high-tech companies via offering 100,000 sqm lab and clean room rental space and BD services. André is CEO of Technologieförderung Heidelberg GmbH since 2016. In 2019 he opened the Business Development Center in co-operation with the State of Baden-Württemberg and the European Commission offering lab and office space for startups and SMEs at the Heidelberg Innovation Park. In 2021 he opened pre-equipped lab & office space integrated in a specialized network of investors for start-ups in co-operation with BioLabs and in 2024 LAB22 for SME and Globals. André was on the International Board of Directors of the International Association of Science Parks & Areas of Innovation and served as its European Division President. He is Chairman of the Technology Transfer Association Heidelberg Startup Partners and was Vice Chairman of BioRN Clustermanagement GmbH managing the Leading Edge Cluster on Personalized Medicine and on the Board of the BioRN Network Association from 2016-2023.

Managing Partner, Life Sciences at the Start2 Group

Marc Filerman is Managing Partner, Life Sciences at the Start2 Group, a global accelerator providing de-risking, and internationalization programs for early-stage startups. With 35+ years in healthtech, Marc has broad experience leading marketing and sales for large companies and startups, and has expertise in early commercialization and innovation acceleration. Marc co-founded a molecular imaging startup, was Chief Commercial Officer at an NIH-funded hometech venture, and spent four years working in translational commercialization at Massachusetts General Hospital and Boston Children’s Hospital. Marc has held multiple corporate leadership positions including VP of Global Marketing at iCAD, Director of Global Marketing at Hill-Rom, and Group Director of Marketing at Smith & Nephew, where he started a $30M operating room design business. Marc holds MS and BS degrees in engineering from MIT, did his graduate work at the MIT AI Lab, and started his career designing medical ultrasound imaging systems.

VP Finance & Operations, AIRNA

Seasoned strategic leader with 20+ years with a passion for science. Experience across finance, HR, IT and strategic project management across multiple industries; 10+ years experience in Pharma and Biotech. Demonstrated success managing and leading complex projects in a variety of industries while maintaining financial excellence. Successful integration and transformation of start-up processes , including IT, for global pharmaceutical company. Improving team performance across different locations by enabling tight cross-functional collaboration.

Manager of Research Policy, Association of Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies in Germany

Dr. Tim Flink is the Manager of Research Policy at the Verband der forschenden Arzneimittelhersteller (vfa), the Association of Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies in Germany. Previously, he served as a scientific advisor to the German Bundestag, focusing on science diplomacy, EU research policy, health research, and research data infrastructures. As a senior researcher and lecturer in science and innovation policy at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and the Berlin Social Science Center (WZB), Dr. Flink conducted extensive work on science policy concepts, the governance of science and technology, and science diplomacy. Prior to his academic career, he served as an advisor to the directors' board at the EU Liaison Office of the German Research Organisations in Brussels.

Director of Membership, Events & Communications, German American Chamber of Commerce in New York

Irene Fuchs joined the German American Chamber of Commerce in New York in 2016. As Director of Membership, Events & Communications, she leads a team that engages over 800 member companies, organizes more than 40 high-level events annually, and manages strategic sponsorships. She also serves as liaison to a board of 30+ C-level executives and works closely with the Chamber’s President & CEO. Irene’s international career spans the corporate, nonprofit, and startup sectors. Prior to her current role, she led the Chamber’s Startup and Entrepreneur Program (STEP), supporting German startups entering the U.S. market. Before she joined the chamber, she worked for AI startup PreciTaste on their U.S. market product launch. From 2005 to 2012, she worked as Chief of Staff for the MedTech company KARL STORZ. Irene holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and studied in Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany, and Madrid, Spain.

Executive Vice President and Head of Platforms and Scientific Execution, the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard

Stacey Gabriel is the Executive Vice President and Head of Platforms and Scientific Execution at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Prior to her current role, she led platform development, execution, and operation for the Genomics Platform, beginning with the Broad Institute’s founding in 2003. She is also an institute scientist and serves on the institute’s Executive Leadership Team. Gabriel is widely recognized as a leader in genomics technology and application to foundational research programs. Her early work was foundational to the International HapMap Project. She has led the Broad Institute’s contributions to numerous flagship resource building programs in human genetics including the 1000 Genomes Project, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and the TOPMed program. She is principal investigator of the Broad Institute All of Us (AoU) Genomics Center, and serves on the AoU Program Steering Committee. Gabriel received her B.S. in molecular biology from Carnegie Mellon University and Ph.D. in human genetics from Case Western Reserve University.

Dermatologist; CEO and co-founder, Dermagnostix

Natalie is CEO and co-founder of Dermagnostix, a dermatologist, and professor of dermato-immunology at the University of Freiburg. Her passion is translating research into products that improve patient care. Her work in inflammatory skin diseases led to co-founding Dermagnostix, which develops automated molecular diagnostics for dermatology. The company’s first product, PsorX-LabDisk, is a pioneering point-of-need test for differentiating psoriasis and eczema. Dermagnostix combines biomarker research with microfluidics to address unmet diagnostic needs and support precision medicine. Natalie is also co-founder of Dermagnostix R&D, offering contract and proprietary research on therapeutic targets. She studied medicine in Tübingen, Munich, and New York, holds an MD from LMU Munich, a PhD in life sciences from TU Munich, and an MBA in health economics. Her academic research—at TU Munich and Karolinska Institute—focuses on patient stratification and disease chronification in inflammatory skin conditions using deep phenotyping and OMICs technologies.

Associate Vice Provost for Research, New York University

Nina Gray is the Associate Vice Provost for Research at New York University. Dr. Gray completed her bachelor’s degree at MIT, PhD at Brown University, and postdoctoral fellowship at Brandeis University. She has 15 years of academic and research strategy and administration experience in roles with The New York Academy of Sciences, City University of New York Advanced Science Research Center, and NYU. She works with NYU leadership across the university to advance global, interdisciplinary, collaborative research, knowledge creation, scholarship, and innovation. Nina Gray is the Associate Vice Provost for Research at New York University. Dr. Gray completed her bachelor’s degree at MIT, PhD at Brown University, and postdoctoral fellowship at Brandeis University. She has 15 years of academic and research strategy and administration experience in roles with The New York Academy of Sciences, City University of New York Advanced Science Research Center, and NYU. She works with NYU leadership across the university to advance global, interdisciplinary, collaborative research, knowledge creation, scholarship, and innovation.

Alliance manager, Broad Institute

Gail Guo is an alliance manager at the Broad Institute, specializing in oncology collaborations with industry partners. With over a decade of experience in drug discovery and development, she has led and supported programs involving both small molecule therapeutics and biologic agents. Trained as an enzymologist and structural biologist, Gail has applied her scientific expertise to strengthen strategic partnerships and build collaborative bridges between academic institutions and the biotech/pharma industry. Her interdisciplinary background enables her to align scientific innovation with collaborative goals, advancing translational research initiatives.

Head of the Science and Technology Section, German Embassy in Washington DC

Prof. Dr.-Ing. René Haak (University Mainz) has been the Head of the Science and Technology Section of the German Embassy in Washington DC since April 2021. Prior to coming to Washington D.C. he was the Head of the Unit Climate Research and Global Change at the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). As the Head of this unit he developed the climate research centers in West Africa (Wascal) and Southern Africa (Sasscal). He joined the BMBF in 2005. During his first years with BMBF he was responsible for European Research Policy, EUREKA and COST. Between 2011 and 2014 he was the Head of the Science section at the German Embassy in Beijing (China). He was previously Deputy Director at the German Institute for Japanese Studies (DIJ), Tokyo which he joined in 1999. Between 1990 and 1998 he conducted research with Fraunhofer Society (IPK) and with TU Berlin (IWF).

Managing Partner, Venture Atlas Labs

As a Managing Partner at Venture Atlas Labs, a commercial strategy and investment firm that supports global healthcare and life science companies in US market success, Elizabeth is focused on solving the most challenging problems that new healthcare innovations face across 28 countries and all classes of complexity.
Her career has taken her through each side of the innovation ecosystem: within nimble startups; multinational public healthcare corporations; academia and academic consortiums; as a consultant for multinational VCs; and as a federal grant reviewer and subject matter expert for domestic and foreign initiatives.
She led one of the fastest-growing angel networks in the US, SWAN Impact, from the Board of Directors for the last five years, developing processes to support each side of the early-stage ecosystem. She has written guidebooks on US health economics and commercialization on behalf of the governments of Denmark and New Zealand.

Director, Startup Foundry at The Institute for Quantitative Social Sciences (IQSS) at Harvard University

Debi Kleiman leads the IQSS Startup Foundry at Harvard, where she catalyzes faculty-led innovation and commercialization in the social sciences across the University. Her distinguished career includes leadership roles at Harvard Business School's D^3 AI Lab for Startups and The Players' Impact VC, as well as serving as founder of The Upside Angels. Previously, Debi served as Executive Director of Babson College's Center for Entrepreneurship and as adjunct faculty. A respected voice in the startup ecosystem, Debi serves on multiple tech startup advisory boards, mentors at university-based entrepreneurship programs, and contributes her expertise as a national board member for SCORE. Her book, "First Pitch: Winning Money, Mentors and More for Your Startup," is essential reading for entrepreneurs navigating their early-stage startup journey. Frequently sought after for her insights, Debi delivers compelling talks, workshops, and panel discussions on entrepreneurship. She holds a BS from Cornell and an MBA from HBS.

Associate Director for Fellowships, New York Academy of Sciences

Dr. Barbara Knappmeyer is the Associate Director for Fellowships at the New York Academy of Sciences. In this role she oversees the Academy’s portfolio of scientific fellowship programs including the Leon Levy Scholarships in Neuroscience and the Artificial Intelligence and Society Fellowships. Dr. Knappmeyer joined the New York Academy of Sciences 2019 as a program manager for scientific conferences in the life sciences department where she managed a portfolio of symposia on topics such as Neuroscience, Cancer Immunotherapy, Chemical Biology, and Medicine to public panel discussions on popular neuroscience topics. She received her PhD from the Max-Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Germany and continued her neuroscience research as a post-doctoral fellow at the center for Neural Science at NYU. In addition, she worked in various roles communicating science to broad audiences at the American Museum of Natural History and designing online courses for the World Science Foundation.

Senior alliance manager, Broad Institute

Erika Kovacs-Bogdan is a senior alliance manager at the Broad Institute, responsible for managing industry-sponsored drug discovery collaborations in the cardiometabolic and diabetes fields. She is responsible for managing the relationship with partner organizations, overseeing and supporting the development of portfolios, and working across multidisciplinary teams of scientists and various administrative functions (finance, legal, business, and development) to ensure the success of collaborations.
Previously, she was a research scientist and project team lead in the Broad-Bayer cardiovascular collaboration, focusing on the characterization and validation of novel therapeutic candidates for treatment of heart disease. Prior to joining the Broad, she undertook postdoctoral training in the laboratory of Vamsi Mootha and reconstituted the mitochondrial calcium uniporter in yeast to study its function. She obtained a Ph.D. in biochemistry at Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich, Germany.

Founder of DermatoHistological Laboratory Dr. Laaff; Founder, managing director and medical director of MVZ
Laaff GmbH

Prof. Dr. med. Helmut Laaff is the founder, managing director and medical director of MVZLaaff GmbH as well as head of pathology at the amedes group. He is a specialist in dermatopathology. After his excellent high school diploma he studied medicine in Tübingen and Rio de Janeiro, received his doctorate in 1987 and received specialist recognition in 1992. In 2022 he got the Designation as a Professor at the Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy of Albert Ludwig University in Freiburg. His professional career includes various positions including assistant doctor at the Freiburg Pathological Institute and head of the histological laboratory at the Freiburg University Hospital. Since 1992 he has headed the DermatoHistological Laboratory Dr. Laaff in Freiburg and founded the MVZ Laaff in 2023 with locations in Freiburg and Ulm and a branch practice in Heilbronn. He is cofounder of various companies like Dermagnostix as a molecular med device company and yellow submarine for KI in pathology diagnostics. Prof. Laaff is active in various committees at the university of Freiburg and has written numerous lectures and publications on dermatopathological topics. In addition to his medical career, he was the 8th German at the Seven Summits and has
pursued other entrepreneurial activities such as building a climbing hall and supporting artists and building art collections.

Chief Scientific Officer, BostonGene

Joe Lennerz, MD, PhD, is the Chief Scientific Officer at BostonGene, overseeing AI-driven molecular and immune profiling solutions, product lifecycle management, and regulatory science. He previously led personalized diagnostics and integration of innovative technologies at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Lennerz is an expert in regulatory science, co-founding two communities with FDA participation: one on digitization in laboratory medicine, the other on Implantable Brain-Computer Interfaces with participation of all major BCI vendors. He also co-organized the Data for Health initiative with the German Federal Ministry of Health and the T.C. Chan School. His work focuses on advancing AI applications in diagnostics, molecular-genetic biomarkers, and high-complexity device regulation. He chairs the European Federation of Clinical Chemistry's Task Group on Integrated Diagnostics and serves as acting president of the Association of Directors of Anatomic and Surgical Pathology. Dr. Lennerz also advises CMS on Clinical Diagnostic Laboratory Tests.

Head of Programs, DWIH New York

Jan Lüdert is Head of Programs at the German Center for Research and Innovation (DWIH) New York. He has a proven track record of driving innovation and excellence in higher education. He is passionate about international affairs, knowledge management, and building transatlantic partnerships. Lüdert earned a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of British Columbia (UBC). He holds Harvard Kennedy’s School Public Leadership Credential; a First-Class Honors MA in International Relations from the Australian National University; and a BA in Public Policy from Hamburg University for Economics and Politics.

Head of East North America, External Scientific Innovation, Johnson and Johnson

Currently, Fiona Mack is Head of East North America, External Scientific Innovation at Johnson and Johnson.  In this role she is responsible for regional management of East North America and the team’s partnership portfolio sourcing through identification, incubation, and due diligence providing expert guidance on business strategy, sourcing, stakeholder management and governance. In addition, she serves as a global partner for Neuroscience to drive its external innovation strategy.  Prior to joining Johnson and Johnson, Fiona was head of Bayer Co.Lab Cambridge, where she was responsible for launching and operationalizing Bayer’s life science incubator designed to support early-stage entrepreneurs with innovations in oncology, cardiovascular disease, immunology, and cell and gene therapy.

Fiona has held senior leadership positions at Ipsen, Roche and Pfizer supporting external innovation efforts to expand Rare Disease, Neuroscience and Oncology portfolios. Fiona earned her Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Pennsylvania and her undergraduate degree in Biology from Cornell University. Her innovative work has been published in high impact journals and she also has several granted patents.

Head of Transfer & Scouting, University of Cologne

Dr. Marita Mehlstäubl – PhD chemist – brings many years of experience in technology and knowledge transfer and the internationalization of sustainable technologies, gained at Fraunhofer and various universities. At the German Sport University Cologne, she established the university’s start-up and transfer service before moving to the University of Cologne, where she now heads the Transfer & Scouting Unit. There, she coordinates a team of transfer scouts who support researchers across all six faculties of the University of Cologne in bringing their innovations into practice. She coordinated the concept phase of the specific vertical on health as part of the Gateway Factory initiative, working closely with numerous network partners from the Rhineland region.

Founder & CEO, Sphaira

Janis Münch is a tech founder with over 20 years of experience turning breakthrough ideas into practical, human-centered products. A trained programmer, he moved into strategic finance, venture building, and launching startups across two continents. As Founder & CEO of Sphaira, Janis is pioneering Intramobility—redefining how people move within complex indoor environments. Starting in hospitals, Sphaira’s AI-driven platforms and robotics, including the MOBY P1 Mobile Protective Pod and autonomous one-person shuttles, are already improving patient flow at institutions like Charité and Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein. The same technology is set to transform movement in airports, transit hubs, and more.

CEO and co-founder, EMUNO Therapeutics GmbH

Dr. Emilia Neuwirt, CEO and co-founder of EMUNO Therapeutics GmbH, is an approbated pharmacist with more than 9 years of practical experience in public and hospital-associated pharmacies as well as a strong research background with specialisation in immuno-pharmacology and early-stage drug development. This provides her with a comprehensive understanding of pharmaceutical practices in different settings. She studied pharmacy in Freiburg and obtained a postgraduate diploma in pharmaceutical sciences at ETH Zurich, followed by a PhD in innate immunity and metabolism at the University of Freiburg. In 2024, she co-founded EMUNO Therapeutics GmbH, a spin-off from the University and University Medical Centre Freiburg developing new drugs to control immunity, treat diseases, and enhance human health and wellbeing. Emilia combines a creative, entrepreneurial mind with a deep scientific understanding and is the driving force behind EMUNO.

CEO, LabCentral

Maggie O’Toole is the chief executive officer at LabCentral, the premier Massachusetts-based network of coworking labs. Responsible for developing and implementing company strategy, Maggie is a seasoned executive with over 25 years of experience who brings a deep understanding of how to create spaces, community and programming to support early-stage life sciences companies as they grow.
Under Maggie's leadership, LabCentral has grown from a single location to a six-site network of locations supporting early- and later-stage biotech entrepreneurs. Spanning 248,000 square feet, the network comprises LabCentral’s three Cambridge locations, the Pagliuca Harvard Life Lab, the Blavatnik Harvard Life Lab, and the Bayer Co.Lab, which LabCentral manages. Additionally, Maggie is an active steward of the Kendall Square community and the broader Massachusetts life sciences ecosystem, serving as an Executive Board Member of the Kendall Square Association. Maggie holds a bachelor’s degree fromCarnegie Mellon University.

Principal, Nextech Invest

Stella is a Principal at Nextech Invest, a venture capital firm that supports precision medicine approaches in oncology and beyond. Prior to Nextech, Stella gained experience in venture creation at Apollo Health Ventures, management consulting at McKinsey, and in-house consulting at Merck KGaA. Stella holds a BS in molecular biomedicine from the University of Bonn, an MS in molecular biosciences from the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg as a Helmholtz Fellow, and a PhD from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York with her research focused on cancer genetics. Throughout her studies, Stella was supported by a fellowship from the German Academic Scholarship Foundation. Outside of work, Stella can be found running, cycling, or swimming to train for her next marathon or triathlon.ription goes here

Product manager and geodata specialist, ISTARI.AI

Sebastian Schmidt is a product manager and geodata specialist at ISTARI.AI. Additionally, he is a PhD student at the Department of Geoinformatics - Z_GIS at the University of Salzburg and researcher with the GeoSocial AI group at IT:U in Linz. He holds a master’s degree in Geography and a bachelor’s degree in Romance philology from the University of Heidelberg. His research focuses on the analysis of web data for environmental questions, with a particular focus on organisational websites and GeoAI methods.

Professor for Medial and Biological Physics, TU Dortmund University

Professor Matthias F. Schneider holds a Professorship for Medical and Biological at TU Dortmund University. He studied and worked as a scientist in the USA (Yale, MIT and BU) and Germany (MPI-Göttingen, TU Munich and Augsburg). His wife is American and his two girls born in Boston, where he lived nearly 10 years. “I love both Europe and the US” and can’t imagine settling permanently ever. He is working on bridging his two homes and is the founder of the BRIDGE-Program (BRIDGE.nrw) fostering student exchange between Boston and the Ruhr area. What tickles his mind? What is health actually?... and how do all these many cells in our skull form that thing we call a brain? He is following the approach of Einstein and Helmholtz in order to integrate the sciences and bring back together what nature never took apart!

Director DAAD North America, Director DWIH New York

Christian Strowa assumed the roles of Director of the DWIH New York and Director of the DAAD Regional Office New York in September 2024. He completed his studies in American Studies, Psychology, and Media Studies at the University of Bonn, and pursued Comparative Literature and Philosophy at New York University. Additionally, he holds a postgraduate degree from UCL’s Institute of Education (IoE). He has held teaching roles at Dublin City University and University College London. Before his appointment in New York, he served as Head of the Division “Knowledge and Network” at the DAAD’s headquarters in Bonn, where he was responsible for the DAAD’s network of overseas offices, the international DAAD Academy iDA, third party funding and the Centre for International Academic Cooperation KIWi. Prior to this, he led the Section “Scholarship Programmes Asia and the Pacific” and served as Deputy Director of the DAAD’s London Office.

Founder, CrossBridge International

Susanne Wilke is the Founder of CrossBridge International, a venture creation and fundraising advisory firm supporting early-stage life science companies. With over 30 years of experience spanning biotech, healthcare technology, venture capital, drug development, and executive leadership, Susanne brings deep expertise in advancing innovations from concept to commercialization. She mentors early biotech startups, e.g., and is an active angel investor.
She served as CEO of Cognoptix, a Harvard – research based spinout as well as CEO of Neurotrope (NASDAQ: NTRP), a company affiliated with the NIH and Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute. Susanne spent over five years in venture capital with NGN Capital and Schroder Ventures Life Science (SVHealth Investors, www.svhealthinvestors.com), where she served as Kauffman Fellow. Both firms are transatlantic venture capital firms. She holds a dual Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry and Biotechnology from UIC and earned an MBA in Finance from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.

Science Attaché, German Consulate in Boston

Dr. Ina Wiest is the newly appointed Science Attaché at the German Consulate in Boston. A trained lawyer and mediator with extensive experience in Germany`s research and academic landscape, Ina has held various leadership and advisory roles at the German Cancer Research Center – the largest biomedical research institute in Germany and member of the Helmholtz Association. In this diplomatic role, Ina serves as a strategic liaison for transatlantic scientific collaboration, bringing deep insight into Germany´s research ecosystem and a strong commitment to fostering international partnerships in science and innovation.