BCLA x WiB Speed Networking Mixer

On April 23rd, we teamed up with Women In Bio–Los Angeles to cohost the Speed Networking Mixer at BioscienceLA, drawing a dynamic crowd of professionals across life sciences, biotech, and entrepreneurship. The event created a vibrant space for knowledge-sharing, community building, and meaningful connections. Attendees had the unique opportunity to engage in a series of personalized, one-on-one conversations with a diverse group of mentors whose expertise spanned a wide array of disciplines—from regulatory science and clinical development to venture capital, AI, intellectual property, and communications.

Among the mentors was Neely Kasra, President of Dahlia Consulting and Principal Consultant, who brought deep experience in biotech operations, strategy, and manufacturing. Mayda Mercado, Principal Consultant and Quality & Compliance Operations Executive with over 25 years of extensive experience in the global biopharmaceutical and cell & gene therapy industry, offered insights grounded in her expertise in cell and gene therapy. Shauna Gerold, Director of Sales at Syncell, shared her leadership journey in the spatial and single-cell biology space. Paul-Marie Carfantan, Founder of the Responsible AI Reading Group, illuminated the intersections between artificial intelligence and responsible innovation in biotech.

Nancy Moses, Principal at Trammell Crow Company, contributed a unique perspective on biotech infrastructure and real estate development. Wen-Hsuan Chang, Associate Vice President of Discovery and Early Development at AcuraStem, discussed her work with patient-derived disease models and therapeutic development. Shu Li, CEO and Co-Founder of Petri Bio, shared a founder’s lens on precision metabolic health innovation. DeAnna Steiger, Director of Strategic Planning and Operations in the Results Delivery Office at Amgen, brought her experience leading global strategy, marketing, and operational planning initiatives.

Sophie Janinet, a communication and media consultant, leveraged her background in journalism and advocacy to offer guidance on public speaking and science communication. Yeeling Li, Strategic Business Partner at Randstad Life Sciences, provided insight into biotech workforce trends and career development. Elvira Haimov, Senior Research Scientist at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, shared her path working at the intersection of chemistry and AI-driven drug discovery.

Stacey Kolar, Associate Director of Pharmacology at Armata Pharmaceuticals, brought a clinical development perspective from her work in antimicrobial therapeutics. Sarah Cork, with over a decade of experience in high-stakes intellectual property law, offered valuable mentorship on transitioning from academic research into the legal field. Eileen Fung, Principal Scientist at the Ellison Medical Institute (EMI), shared her expertise in oncology translational research and navigating scientific leadership roles in interdisciplinary teams. Katherin Patsch, Director of Drug Discovery at EMI, offered insights into advancing novel oncology therapeutics through preclinical development. Shannon Mumenthaler, Chief Translational Research Officer for EMI, contributed her expertise in tumor modeling and systems biology. Jennifer Long, District Sales Manager for Southern California and Hawaii at Illumina, shared her experience supporting laboratories in adopting and scaling next-generation sequencing technologies to accelerate genomic research.

Throughout the evening, the room buzzed with thoughtful conversations, energetic networking, and the formation of new connections. The structured format, which allowed each participant to meet with up to nine mentors, helped maximize engagement and foster authentic dialogue. We extend our sincere gratitude to the mentors for generously sharing their time and experience, and to all attendees for contributing to such a successful event. A special thank you goes to Women In Bio–Los Angeles for their invaluable partnership in creating a meaningful and inspiring evening.

This event was a true success thanks to the thoughtful perspectives shared by our mentees and the active participation of everyone who attended. We’re excited to build on this momentum—stay tuned for our next speed networking opportunity!