Already a DIA Member? Sign in. Not a member? Join.

Sign in

Forgot User ID? or Forgot Password?

Not a Member?

Create Account and Join

Virtual

Feb 25, 2026 12:00 PM - May 29, 2026 1:00 PM

DIA LIFT Series Biotech Masterclass: Empowering Biotech Breakthroughs

Building Fundable Ventures and Strategic Partnerships

Faculty

Sahir  Ali

Sahir Ali

Founder and General Partner, Modi Ventures, United States

Sahir Ali is the founder of Modi Ventures, a venture capital firm at the forefront of investing in the convergence of biology and technology. With a focus on scientific superintelligence and the engineering of life, he has backed breakthrough companies advancing AI-driven drug discovery, diagnostics, and next-generation therapeutics. As a parallel entrepreneur, scientist, and innovator, Sahir has led transformative work across artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and precision medicine. Sahir is also the co-host of Membrane, a flagship gathering co-led with Sir Richard Branson that brings together global leaders in science, medicine, and technology.

Raju  Kucherlapati

Raju Kucherlapati

Paul C. Cabot Professor of Genetics and Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, United States

Since 2001 Dr. Kucherlapati is the Paul C. Cabot Professor of Genetics and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and was the first Scientific Director of the Harvard Medical School-Partners HealthCare Center for Genetics and Genomics (HPCGG). He was a co-founder of several biotechnology companies including Cell Genesys, Abgenix, Millennium and AVEO Oncology. He served on the Board of Directors of all these companies and is now the Chair of the Board of Directors of a public traded company, Puretech Health. Raju Kucherlapati received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana and did his post-doctoral work at Yale University.

Andrew  Lo, PHD, MA, MBA, PMP

Andrew Lo, PHD, MA, MBA, PMP

Charles E. and Susan T. Harris Professor of Finance, Sloan School of Management , Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), United States

Andrew W. Lo is the Charles E. and Susan T. Harris Professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management, director of MIT’s Laboratory for Financial Engineering, and principal investigator at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. His research interests include innovative approaches to healthcare financing and new statistical methods for incorporating patient preferences into the drug approval process and predicting clinical trial outcomes. He is a board member of Roivant Sciences, a co-founder of and advisor to BridgeBio Pharma, and a member of the advisory boards of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, the BrightEdge Impact Fund, and NCATS.

Michael  Nally

Michael Nally

Flagship Pioneering, CEO-Partner, Generate:Biomedicines. CEO, United States

Michael Nally joined Flagship in 2021 and serves as CEO-Partner and Chief Executive Officer of Generate:Biomedicines. Mike is an accomplished pharmaceutical executive, with significant experience leading global organizations. Before joining Generate:Biomedicines, Mike held several key leadership positions at Merck & Co., Inc. As Chief Marketing Officer, he was responsible for the Global Marketing and Brand Strategy of a diverse portfolio encompassing innovative medicines and vaccines, generating over $40 billion in revenue. His previous roles at Merck & Co. include serving as President of Global Vaccines and managing the company's operations in Sweden and the UK.

Mikael  Ørum

Mikael Ørum

Founder and Partner, Ventac Partners, Denmark

Mikael brings 40 years of executive and strategic leadership experience across the pharmaceutical, biotech, and finance sectors, including 25 years as CEO of therapeutic and diagnostic companies developing and commercializing products across multiple disease areas and global markets.

Jay  Roberts, MBA

Jay Roberts, MBA

Partner, Ventac Partners, United States

Jay Roberts, MBA, is President and Chief Executive Officer of Cancer Genetics, Inc., a leader in enabling precision medicine in oncology, where he previously served as Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of Finance. Mr. Roberts also served as Chief Financial Officer for VirMedica, Inc.; as Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer for InfoLogix, Inc., a publicly-traded healthcare-centric mobile software and solutions provider acquired by Stanley Healthcare with Mr. Roberts leading the transaction; and as Chairman of the Board of Directors for AdvantEdge Healthcare Solutions Private Limited. He formerly held senior executive roles with MEDecision, Inc., HealthOnline, Inc., and the Center for Health Information.

Michael  Rosenblatt, MD

Michael Rosenblatt, MD

Chief Medical Officer, Flagship Pioneering, United States

Michael Rosenblatt, MD, Senior Partner at Flagship Pioneering, has advanced academic and biopharmaceutical research and development throughout his career. He was previously Chief Medical Officer for Merck, after serving as Dean of Tufts Medical School. Formerly, he was Ebert Professor of Molecular Medicine and Minot Professor at Harvard. He served as President of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and as Director of the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences & Technology. He is on the board of several life sciences companies, and on the Harvard Medical School Board of Fellows and research advisory committees of the Massachusetts General, Brigham and Women’s, and Boston Children’s Hospitals. He earned his MD from Harvard Medical School.

Robert  Tepper

Robert Tepper

Co-founder and Partner, Third Rock Ventures, United States

Bob Tepper is a co-founder and Partner of Third Rock Ventures and a distinguished physician-scientist with more than 30 years of experience building and operating leading research and development organizations in the biotech industry. Bob focuses on the formation, development, and scientific strategy of new Third Rock companies. He also assumes active leadership roles in portfolio companies.

Neil  Thomas

Neil Thomas

Partner, Ventac Partners, Denmark

Dr. Neil Thomas joined Ventac Partners in March 2012 and has worked in the protection and commercial exploitation of academic and industrial intellectual property in the biotechnology sector since 1997, within both legal and business environments. Neil brings extensive experience in company formation, patent drafting, patent portfolio management, business development, licensing and technology exploitation.

Cynthia L. Verst, PHARMD, MS

Cynthia L. Verst, PHARMD, MS

President, R&D Solutions D&DI; 2023 President, IQVIA, United States

Dr. Verst is president, Design and Delivery Innovation, Research & Development Solutions at IQVIA. She is responsible for driving innovation and transformation throughout the trial lifecycle. Having previously served as president of both clinical operations and real world and late phase research for IQVIA, Dr. Verst brings a holistic and comprehensive view of clinical research, and champions the advanced use of real-world data, analytics and technology to advance therapies for patients. Recognized by Fierce Biotech as a top woman in biotech, and as a PharmaVoice 100 leader, she currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Association of Clinical Research Organizations and is the Chair of the DIA Board of Directors.

Have an account?

Be informed and stay engaged.

Don't miss an opportunity - join our mailing list to stay up to date on DIA insights and events.