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The 2025 Weill Cornell Medicine Biomedical Innovation Conference brings together academic founders with investors, industry representatives, entrepreneurs and ecosystem partners with the expressed goal to connect and collaborate. The conference is a rare opportunity to meet a diverse group of life science inventors and spinout companies across therapeutics, device, digital health and diagnostic sectors. All Weill Cornell Medicine-affiliated inventors are encouraged to participate. In addition, select startup companies from the Upper East Side ecosystem, including Rockefeller University, Memorial Sloan Kettering, and surrounding hospitals, as well as startups where faculty serve as CMOs and Scientific Advisors, are also in attendance.
Over the years, this event has been a proven catalyst for direct investment from early-stage investors, co-development relationships with industry, and introductions to experienced management teams. Please contact Loren Busby at lob4002@med.cornell.edu for more information.
We look forward to welcoming you to the Weill Cornell Medicine campus!
RSVP here.
As a graduate student, many career options lie in front of you. One potential route is founding a startup based on the innovative research conducted in your lab. Beginning a startup company is complex and challenging. While there are now many programs to assist academics in their startup endeavors, some aspects you learn as you build the venture. Come hear from two successful startup CEOs who founded startups as graduate students. They will discuss their journeys:
- Making the switch from academia to a new venture
- Fundraising
- Building their teams
- Challenges both expected and unforeseen
- The ultimate exits made by their first startups
Dr. Shelley Force Aldred founded her first startup as a graduate student at Stanford University and now is on her third new venture. Dr. Laura Schewel founded her first startup, StreetLight Data, while a graduate student at Berkeley.
Learn more about both speakers and register here.
Join our distinguished special panel to explore the critical intersection of medical device innovation and regulatory guidance. The panel will unpack the complex path from scientific discovery to market-ready medical innovation. We'll explore the strategic, technical and regulatory considerations that transform promising research into technologies that can improve patient care.
This session is ideal for anyone interested in medical devices and understanding the journey from idea to real-world healthcare applications.
Our expert panelists will share their practical insights on:
- Navigating FDA approval processes
- Balancing innovation with regulatory compliance
- Strategies for successful device development
- Emerging challenges in medical device development
Whether you're considering a new idea, commercialization, or actively developing medical device solutions, this panel offers valuable perspectives on turning promising research into market-ready medical devices.
Panelists:
- Mark Melkerson, former FDA Deputy Director, Office of Health Technology / CDRH / ODE and current MNM Consulting
- Thomas Roueche, President and CEO, Fesarius Therapeutics
- Jason Spector, M.D., Chief of the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, Co-Founder of Fesarius Therapeutics
Center for Technology Licensing (CTL) at Weill Cornell Medicine Office Hours are open to all who wish to gain more information about the advancement of their patent filings and to discuss their technology venture project with a one-on-one meeting with a Weill Cornell Business Development and Licensing Professional.
The April 17th office hours will be hosted by Louise Sarup, Ph.D, Associate Director, Business Development and Licensing. Louise manages a portfolio of medical technologies focusing on imaging, platform technologies and algorithms. She is a seasoned professional with years of experience in licensing and commercialization and is eager to answer your questions and provide valuable insights.
Prior to joining the Center for Technology Licensing, Louise was based in Singapore where she was head of business development and licensing for D3 (now EDDC), a drug discovery and development group based at A*STAR. Some of her previous roles include corporate development manager at S*BIO Pte Ltd. (Singapore), an oncology-focused biotech, vice president of business development at Paramount Biosciences (London), where she was responsible for in-licensing drug development assets and director (licensing) at Cytiva, a global life science company. Louise has also worked for leading life science and health care communication agencies and UCL Business, the commercialization company of University College London.
Register here for your 30-minute private session.
