Drinker Biddle and MATTER Announce HealthTech Rising – Midwest Conference

Drinker Biddle & Reath and MATTER, Chicago’s health care incubator, have announced the launch of HealthTech Rising - Midwest. This exclusive half-day conference and networking event is designed to be a collaborative forum for leaders in the health care, life sciences and technology industries.

The conference will be held June 11, 2015, at MATTER’s office in the Merchandise Mart in Chicago.

The host committee for HealthTech Rising is led by Drinker Biddle partners Ira Kalina, Jennifer Breuer and Carrie Beyer along with Patrick Flavin, Andrew Cittadine, David Schonthal and Michael Liang of MATTER. Together, they have worked closely with prominent venture executives and investors to gather an all-star lineup of leading investors and health tech executives to facilitate a program focused on networking, enhancing market position and competing for customers.

“The mission of HealthTech Rising is to connect Chicago’s growing health tech community in order to advance new ideas, growth strategies and potential partnerships,” said Carrie Beyer, partner in Drinker Biddle’s Intellectual Property Practice Group. “We’re excited to bring together a select group of health care providers, health technology companies, investors and entrepreneurs to inspire a substantive dialogue and a collaborative networking environment.”

“HealthTech Rising is a great forum to showcase some of Chicago’s most innovative health technology startups,” said Steven Collens, MATTER CEO. “In addition, the conference creates new opportunities for collaboration amongst entrepreneurs, industry leaders, venture capitalists, and healthcare executives – which is the formula for successful healthcare innovation that we are pursuing at MATTER.”

Visit the HealthTech Rising website for more information about the conference, including details on how to attend. You can also follow HealthTech Rising on LinkedIn.

Featured Presenters and Agenda

• HealthTech is Rising: MATTER CEO Steven Collens will provide opening remarks about the future of the health tech industry and how we can get there together.
• The Midwest and the Future of HealthTech: A panel of industry leaders will discuss what it takes to secure capital as a health tech entrepreneur and where investors can find today’s best opportunities. Speakers include Bill Taranto, President of Merck Global Health Innovation Fund; Jon Otterstatter, CEO & Founder of Preventice; Garrett Vygantas, M.D., Partner at Jump Capital; and Paul Magelli, CEO of Apervita. The panel will be moderated by Anne Sissel, Partner at Baxter Ventures.
• Roundtable Discussion: Nick Araco, President and CEO of The CFO Alliance, will facilitate a roundtable session identifying and addressing key opportunities and issues in the health care industry. Nick, a connector, has hosted more than 400 roundtable discussions for The CFO Alliance, a community that facilitates peer level discussion on business issues.
• MATTER Company Showcase: Six emerging health tech entrepreneurs will pitch their companies in the HealthTech Rising Pitch Competition finale. The winner will be selected by the audience and a panel of judges that includes Bert Navarette, Co-Founder of Tigerlabs; Jim Hewitt, Senior Vice President for Allscripts Solutions Development; Elif Oker, MD, Medical Director of Clinical Strategy and Innovation at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois; and Matt Otterstatter, Partner at Vilicus Ventures.
• Networking Sessions: The conference features several planned networking sessions including an interactive cocktail hour featuring 30 emerging health tech companies.

Event Details
Date: Thursday, June 11, 2015
Time(s): 12:00 - 5:00 p.m. CST
Cocktails & Networking: 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. CST
Location: MATTER Chicago Headquarters
222 Merchandise Mart Plaza
Suite 1230
Chicago, IL 60654