Featured Speaker(s)

Ms. Richter is the Founder and CEO of Prescience International, a firm dedicated to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship for innovation centers in technology and life sciences. As part of Prescience International, Ms. Richter started and currently directs the San Jose BioCenter, co-founded and directs the UC Berkeley BioExec Program and provides consultation services to incubators such as the US Market Access Center, research parks such as the San Jose BioCenter and international agencies such as JETRO, particularly in the industry of technology and life sciences. Prior to Prescience International, Ms. Richter created and directed the Life Science Incubator and Program for ASTIA formerly (the Women’s Technology Cluster). Prior to the WTC, Ms. Richter spent eight years at Nortel Networks throughout North America, the UK, Europe, Central and Latin America, and Asia. Ms. Richter worked in acquisitions, strategic planning, marketing, contract negotiations, engineering and manufacturing optimization, world trade market development, and general management of an IT business unit. Ms. Richter won several Nortel awards including the CEO Award for People / Emerging Market Development in China. Ms. Richter left Nortel to start eTreasurer, a European online financial and accounting hub for CFOs. Following, Ms. Richter led in Marketing and Business Development for high technology companies in Silicon Valley. Ms. Richter currently sits on the Board for UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business BioExecutive Institute. Ms. Richter has a B.Comm from the University of Saskatchewan and an MBA from INSEAD.

Sara M. Hall, Founder, Director & Chief Executive Officer, Tacere Therapeutics, Inc. [email protected]

Prior to founding Tacere, Sara was a Director and the Chief Executive Officer of Benitec Limited, an Australian Stock Exchanged-listed company developing RNAi-based therapeutics. Sara joined Benitec through its acquisition of Avocel Inc., one of the pioneering companies in the development of RNAi therapeutics. After creating a 9X return in 18 months for her investors in Avocel, Sara became the Chief Operating Officer and ultimately CEO of Benitec. Sara has a proven track record as a biotech entrepreneur, from conception through due diligence, license negotiation, staffing, facilities, marketing, funding, and M&A; and has held senior positions in R&D as well as intellectual property and business development at Boehringer Ingelheim, Clontech/BD Biosciences, and B-Bridge International. Sara has been recognized for both her business and scientific innovations, including serving on the Scientific Advisory Board of Sigma-Aldrich and as the recipient of two R&D 100 Awards. Sara holds BS and MS degrees in virology.



Mohan Iyer, Managing Director, Merchant Banking, Burrill & Company [email protected]

Mr. Iyer brings to Burrill & Company a broad background in a range of functions including business development, strategic planning, marketing, product development, engineering and manufacturing. Prior to joining Burrill & Company, he was Executive VP of Corporate Development at diaDexus where he was responsible for sourcing and executing various types of transactions for a seven-year period, including discovery collaborations, in-licensing, out-licensing, manufacturing/supply contracts, and a spin-out. He has extensive experience in diagnostics, including alliances with major national reference laboratories. He also sourced and closed a therapeutic monoclonal antibody co-development agreement with Medarex. While at diaDexus, Mr. Iyer played a key role in two private financings totaling over $130mm, managed R&D operations for a transition year, and headed the marketing launch of a novel cardiovascular diagnostic product. Prior to diaDexus, he was a healthcare consultant at The Wilkerson Group where he managed several strategic engagements across the pharmaceutical, biotech, diagnostics and medical device industries. Mr. Iyer began his biotech career as a biochemical process engineer at Genentech, where he spent 7 years in positions ranging from biopharmaceutical manufacturing to capital projects management. He holds a BS in Chemical Engineering (Tennessee), an MS in Biomedical Engineering (Duke), and an MBA (Yale).



Anna Williamson, PhD, Business Development, Genentech, Inc. [email protected]

Anna Williamson is a Senior Manager in the Business Development group at Genentech. Anna’s responsibilities include sourcing, evaluating, and in-licensing research technologies and therapeutic products. While at Genentech, Anna has developed strategic collaborations with companies such as Curis, Sangamo, and Abbott. Prior to joining Genentech in 2004, Anna worked at the University of California Office of Technology Transfer where she was responsible for managing and out-licensing a portfolio of life sciences inventions. Anna holds a BA in Natural Sciences and a PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Cambridge and carried out post-doctoral research at the University of Colorado and the University of California, San Francisco.