Hey {{first_name|default:there}}, it's Vadim 👋
Before we dive in, I have some exciting news:
Next Sunday, Bio Founder GPS turns one! 🎉
Before I write the anniversary issue, I'd love your honest take on what you take away from this newsletter and how GPS can be even better.
I put together a super quick survey with a few questions, and it should take no more than 2-3 min to complete. It would be amazing to get your feedback!
As my small way of saying “thank you”, everyone who responds to the survey by this Thursday, Oct 22nd, will get the upcoming refreshed Family Office Report first, before it goes public.
I have a LOT of ideas for year two, so your answers will decide what comes first. Let’s build this together 🙂
Now, let’s chat about JPM.
Back in July, I described biotech fundraising as having seasons. Fall is the harvest window, from September through mid-November, and winter is the reset, when JPM pulls the whole industry back into motion.
We're now in the back half of that harvest window, and the reset is a lot closer than it may look.
The 45th JPM Healthcare Conference opens in San Francisco on Monday, January 11th. That's exactly 12 weeks from tomorrow.
Most of us won't be inside the main conference, which is invitation-only, and that's completely fine. JPM still sets our calendars, because it sets our investors' calendars: who's traveling, who's taking meetings, and when the first serious conversations of 2027 happen.
So today, I’d like to work backwards from that Monday and answer one question:
If your most important investor meeting of Q1 happens the week of January 11, what has to be true by Thanksgiving, and what do you need to start this week?
Here's the whole calendar at a glance 👇
Date | What happens |
|---|---|
Fri, Oct 23 | RESI JPM super early bird pricing ends |
Wed, Nov 11 | RESI JPM pitch challenge applications close |
Fri, Nov 13 | Biotech Showcase early pricing ends |
Tue, Nov 24 | Biotech Showcase partnering opens |
Wed, Nov 25 | Your materials and target list are done |
Mon, Nov 30 | Your first wave of outreach goes out |
Mid-December | Most JPM schedules are set |
Fri, Dec 18 | Your JPM calendar is locked |
Jan 11-14 | JPM week |
Let's walk through it backwards, starting in January 👇
Meet this week’s sponsor (hint: it’s me 🙂)
If you missed it, yesterday I introduced Bio Founder Raise, the tool I've been building behind the scenes to help life science founders run their raise and stay on top of investor and competitor activity in their space.
Most founders I talk to are raising with a spreadsheet, investor names of questionable quality, and follow-ups scattered across their inbox.
The tools that could help are either built (and priced) for enterprise teams, not focused on life sciences - or both.
So I built what I wish I had when I was fundraising and something I could use when I’m working with my clients.
Raise reviews your pitch deck, finds the right funds and people to contact, shows you who’s actually been investing in your field, and keeps your outreach on track so nothing falls through the cracks.
And that’s just the start. The goal is for Raise to become a 24/7 Chief Business Officer in your corner, so you can run your raise without your raise running you.
What’s inside so far: 2,000+ verified life science funds, 4,600+ partners and team members across about 700 US funds, and data on 2,000+ pre-seed through Series A rounds since 2023.
It's in private beta right now, and over the next few weeks I'll start opening it up in small waves, first come, first served.
If this sounds like it may be helpful, I encourage you to secure your spot on the waitlist.