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Women in Biotech - West London
Female founders in STEM: the role of universities in challenging underrepresentation
Women in Biotech returns to Scale Space, West London with a bang – collaborating this time with Imperial Enterprise Lab to celebrate 10 years of the WE Innovate programme. In 2014, Imperial launched the first women’s entrepreneurship competition at a UK university with one clear objective: to address the stark inequalities faced by female founders. Ten years on, the programme has supported over 500 women who have gone on to raise more than £37.5 million for their ventures.
We’ll hear from female founders – some who have benefited from the programme over the ten years – exploring their own journeys, challenges and successes. We’ll also discuss the vital role that Universities need to play in ensuring that we support and encourage female founders in STEM in order to increase the number of successfully funded female-led startups, assist in overcoming barriers and combat sector underrepresentation.
Join us for an inspirational panel and fantastic networking over a glass of something cold with a super supportive and friendly community. See you there!
Allyship is something we fully appreciate and this event is open to all.
Please note: there is limited capacity at this venue and therefore currently we are only able to offer a maximum of two tickets per organisation at this event.
Leigh Brody
Leigh, who holds a PhD in biochemistry and boasts over a decade of experience as a startup founder and operator, is an investor on the UCL Technology Fund life sciences team. The fund is a partnership between AlbionVC and UCL Business. It sees unique IP created at the London university spun out, helping to ensure that academic innovations are given the chance to transform lives. Leigh joined the team in 2021 after pursuing her own startup career. The investment manager initially led a spin-out based around her own novel technology, before helping to build several early-stage life science companies. These include Desktop Genetics and Quell Therapeutics. Today Leigh focuses on transformative technologies and therapeutics opportunities emerging from UCL. The investor deploys her experience as an academic and founder to select innovators with potential. Leigh knows what specific support spin-outs require, and delivers this for the fund. Leigh gained her PhD from Imperial College London, and also holds a BSc in Biochemistry from Simmons University. She has also been awarded of 50 Movers & Shakers in BioBusiness, 35 under 35: Tech Entrepreneurs. Whenever Boston-born Leigh isn’t running after her two children, she is most likely to be found racing around a running track – ideally with a finish line near somewhere offering good food and wine. The investor dedicates her free moments to pursuing her side hustles, which include formulating a skincare line and writing a children’s book. She also finds time to mentor STEM programs for young people.
Olivia Cavlan
Olivia Cavlan is a founding team member and Chief Corporate Development and Strategy Officer at Alchemab Therapeutics. Prior to Alchemab Olivia was an Investment Principal at SV Health Investors and a Partner with McKinsey & Company where she was part of the leadership team in the Healthcare Private Equity and Pharmaceutical practices. Olivia is a Non-Executive Director for the UK BioIndustry Association and a member of the Investment Committee for Cancer Research UK’s (CRUK) Seed fund. She also co-founded and sits on the Board of Directors of Sevenless Therapeutics, a small molecule pain company. Olivia is a medic originally, holding an MBChB in Medicine and a BSc in Pharmacology from Bristol University.
Stiliyana Minkovska
Stiliyana, a qualified architect and healthcare designer, embarked on her journey in women’s health after a pivotal moment during her Masters in Architecture at the Royal College of Art in 2015 when she unexpectedly became pregnant with her first daughter. She truly believes in the transformative power of design to address societal, economic, and political challenges. In 2022, she founded Matrix Health & Care upon completing her Masters in Healthcare and Design with Imperial College London. Dedicated to her mission, Matrix aims to reform gynaecological protocols through women-led design innovation. Matrix's flagship product, a digitally-enabled speculum replacement, is a smart device that uses advanced technology improving early detection of gynaecological conditions, leading to better outcomes. Despite being only over a year old, Matrix is poised for exciting growth in 2024 and beyond.
Elena Rueda Carrasco
Elena Rueda is the co-founder and CEO of Dama Health, an Illumina-backed health tech start-up bringing precision medicine and personalized care to women’s reproductive health, starting with contraception. Dama Health helps providers better match patients to the right medication and treatment plans. Elena is a medical scientist by background, and holds an MSc in Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Management from Imperial Business School. Elena has over 7 years of relevant experience working in the health tech, pharma, and social care sector, including Merck’s Silicon Valley Innovation Hub.
Louise Skajem
Louise has a dual masters in Global Innovation Design from Imperial College London and the Royal College of Art. Her work focuses on exploring biomaterials and designing sustainable solutions for complex problems. She studied and experimented with seaweed and oyster shells during her master's degree, which was one of the main inspirations for Resting Reef. She initially developed the formula for the reef structures at Resting Reef alongside scientists. With this, she was awarded the prestigious Arts Foundation Futures Award 2023 in Bio Design.
15:30 – 16:30 Registration and networking
16:30 – 17:30 Panel discussion and Q&A
17:30 – 20:00 Networking drinks reception
BIA Corporate members: £40 +VAT
BIA Associate members: £55 +VAT
Non-members: £70 +VAT
Emerging companies (non-member): Please contact the BIA Membership team for a discounted non-member rate.
By registering for this event you accept our Terms & Conditions.
In case of any issues registering for the event, please contact the BIA Events team.
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