- Investors, founders, and institutional leaders will gather at Rice University for a day of venture pitches, capital markets insight, and conversations on what it takes to build a life science company in Texas
- Dozens of emerging ventures will pitch to investors alongside sessions on biotech financing, AI in healthcare, neurodegenerative disease, and the brain economy
HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship and BioHouston today announced that the 15th Annual Texas Life Science Forum is set for Tuesday, Nov. 10, at McNair Hall at Rice University. The Forum will bring together entrepreneurs, investors, industry executives, and academic and clinical leaders from Texas and nationwide to focus discussion on the promising science and technology in the state that serves as the backbone for new businesses and is an overall driver of the biotech industry.
The comprehensive program will pair pitches from investment-ready ventures in therapeutics, medical devices, and digital health with expert discussions on the financing, regulatory, and commercialization environment facing life science companies, along with curated networking.
Arthur Sands, M.D., Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Nurix Therapeutics, will deliver the keynote address. The program will also feature William McKeon, President and CEO of Texas Medical Center, on the region’s role as a catalyst for innovation, and a fireside chat with Michael Torres, Ph.D., Founder and Former CEO of CrossBridge Bio, moderated by Jeffrey L. Wade, Chairman of BioHouston.
“The Texas Life Science Forum is about creating the connections that can turn breakthrough science into companies, products, and, ultimately, solutions that reach patients,” said Wade. “Houston and Texas have extraordinary scientific and clinical capabilities, but translating that innovation requires capital, experienced leadership, and a strong commercialization ecosystem. By bringing founders, investors, researchers, and industry leaders together in one place, the Forum helps build those bridges and move promising technologies toward their next stage of development.”
Examining the Capital and Commercialization Environment
A session on biotech market conditions and the capital-raising environment will be moderated by Annie Sendejo, Vice President, Life Sciences Banking at J.P. Morgan, and feature her J.P. Morgan colleagues Barbara Alcaraz Silva, Ph.D., Executive Director and National Head of Life Sciences and Healthcare Startup Banking, and Ankit Aggarwal, Executive Director, Healthcare Investment Banking.
An investor perspectives session focused on startup and emerging growth companies will be moderated by Mike King, Managing Director and Head of Research at Rodman & Renshaw, and feature Chau Khuong, Founder and Chief Investment Officer of CJNV Bioventures.
Additional sessions will cover AI in healthcare innovation, venture capital financing trends, FDA priorities, and intellectual property. Gabriela de Almeida, Ph.D., Managing Director and Partner at Boston Consulting Group, will discuss life science M&A trends, and Kristen Doyle, Chief Executive Officer of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT), will lead a session on bridging the financing gap.
A special event, “Building a Winning Team – 1x1 with Leigh Steinberg,” will feature Steinberg, Chairman of the Board of Steinberg Sports and Entertainment, and Adam Matthews, Chief Executive Officer of Discover International, in a conversation moderated by David Schull, President of Russo Partners.
Connecting Academic and Clinical Innovation with Commercial Opportunity
A session on translating world-class academic research into commercial opportunities will feature Joseph Petrosino, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Innovation Officer at Baylor College of Medicine; Bruce Butler, Ph.D., Vice President, Research and Technology Director, Office of Technology Management at UTHealth Houston; Papia Ghosh, Ph.D., Director, Business Development and Commercial Strategy, Strategic Industry Ventures at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; Vineet Gupta, Ph.D., Vice President for Innovation and Tech Development and Transfer at The University of Texas Medical Branch; and Rima Chakrabarti, M.D., CEO of Sentinel BioTherapeutics and Co-founder of RBL Ventures, LLC.
The Forum’s educational programming will include a session on new directions in Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and other neurodegenerative diseases, moderated by Pablo Lapuerta, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of 4M Therapeutics, with Joshua Shulman, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Neurology, Neuroscience, and Molecular & Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine and Director of the Baylor Center for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, and Sudhir Sivakumaran, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of the Lewy Body Dementia Association. A separate session on the “brain economy” will feature Harris Eyre, Executive Director of the Global Brain Economy Initiative, and David Gow, CEO of the Center for Houston’s Future, moderated by Ben Perkins, Founder and Managing Partner of pH Partners.
“For founders, access to the right people at the right moment can fundamentally change the trajectory of a company,” said Tara Williams, Senior Director of Venture Programs at the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship. “The Texas Life Science Forum gives emerging ventures an opportunity not only to showcase their technologies, but to engage directly with investors and experienced operators who understand what it takes to build, finance, and scale a life science company. That combination of visibility, candid feedback, and meaningful connections is what makes this Forum so valuable to entrepreneurs.”
Connecting Emerging Ventures with Investors
Selected life science ventures will present throughout day. Participating companies will also have access to Investor Office Hours from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. CT on Wednesday, Nov. 11, at Texas Medical Center Innovation, where one-on-one meetings with venture capitalists, technology scouts, corporate venture groups, and angel investors will take place.
The program will conclude with recognition of the 10 Most Promising Life Science Companies, presented by Beacon Co-Lab; the Michael E. DeBakey Award, presented by BioHouston; and a People’s Choice Award, followed by a networking reception.
The 2026 Forum is made possible by the support of Austin Bioscience Incubator, Baker Botts, BCM Ventures, Beacon Co-Lab, Biointelect Pty, Boston Consulting Group, CRB, DesignPlex Biomedical, Discover International, DLA Piper, ELIQUENT Life Sciences, J.P. Morgan, McCord Development, Pearland Economic Development Corporation, Perkins & Will, pH Partners, Pillsbury, Proxima, Russo Partners, Scottish Development International, Texas Medical Center, UTHealth Houston, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Vinson & Elkins, VWR, Wilson Sonsini, Winston Taylor, Withum, and Yoh Life Sciences.
For event registration, visit https://txlifescienceforum.org/register. The full agenda is available at https://txlifescienceforum.org/NovAgenda.
About the Texas Life Science Forum
The Texas Life Science Forum, co-hosted by BioHouston and the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, connects emerging life science ventures with investors, industry executives, academic leaders, and other stakeholders working to advance therapeutic, biotechnology, and medical technology innovation. Through company presentations, investor engagement, networking, and discussions focused on commercialization, financing, and company building, the Forum supports the advancement of promising technologies from scientific discovery toward commercial development and patient impact. For more information, visit txlifescienceforum.org.
About BioHouston
BioHouston is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization founded by the region’s leading academic and research institutions to accelerate the growth of Houston’s life science ecosystem. We serve as a central hub for innovation, dedicated to convening industry leaders, connecting academic research with commercial opportunity, and catalyzing the translation of scientific discoveries into life-changing technologies. Through strategic programming, networking events, and thought leadership, BioHouston supports startups, established companies, investors, and researchers alike, helping to drive collaboration, attract capital, and strengthen Houston’s position as a global leader in life science innovation. For more information, visit www.biohouston.org.
About the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship
The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship (Rice Alliance) is Rice University’s nationally recognized initiative devoted to the support of technology commercialization, entrepreneurship education, and the launch of technology companies. Our mission is to support the creation and success of startups and the commercialization of new technologies in the Houston community and beyond. Since 2001, 3,526 companies have participated in our programs, and those companies raised more than $27.8B in capital. The Rice Alliance leads programming and activation at the Ion, Houston’s HQ for Innovation. The Ion anchors the Ion District, a 16-acre innovation hub in Houston’s Midtown, developed by Rice University. For more information, visit alliance.rice.edu.
Contacts
Jeffrey L. Wade
Chairman, BioHouston
Jeffrey.wade@biohouston.org
Media Contacts:
Usman Hameedi
Russo Partners, LLC
usman.hameedi@russopartnersllc.com
(917)-558-5537
Guillermo Ruiz, M.D. Ph.D.
Russo Partners, LLC
guillermo.Ruiz@russopartnersllc.com
(857) 269-8296
