Curated networking among founders, investors, health system leaders, policymakers, and platformoperators.

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This panel will move beyond headline innovation to examine which healthcare and life sciences models are achieving real-world adoption.
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Participants
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● Carter Cliff, President, Agnos Therapeutics
● Melissa Cohen, Founding Partner, Coral Health Advisors
● Dr. Nawar Shara, Director, Medstar Health Research Institute Center for Biostatistics Informatics and Data Science
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Discussion Focus
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● Which AI, data, and platform models are deployable today
● How health systems evaluate traction versus promise
● Institutional barriers to scale and how they are being overcome
● Lessons from organizations already operationalizing innovation

This panel will examine how regulatory shifts, reimbursement dynamics, and risk allocation areshaping healthcare and life sciences strategy in the year ahead.

Participants:
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● Tommy Barletta, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Aldis Institutional
● Jennifer Everrett, Partner, Alston and Bird
● Caroline Farrell, Counsel, Foley Hoag
● Tricia Lee, Chief, Digital Health Strategies - Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy,U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (US HHS)

Discussion Focus
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● Reimbursement pathways and payer alignment
● Risk, liability, and insurance considerations for emerging technologies
● Regulatory signals founders and investors must understand
● Using compliance as a strategic advantage rather than a constraint

This conversation will explore what it takes to build and scale healthcare and life sciencescompanies in Washington, DC through accelerator programs, institutional partnerships, andecosystem support.

Participants

● Keith Camhi, Managing Director, Techstars DC
● Kevin Morgan, Founding Member & Board Chair, DC Tech & Venture Coalition (DCTAV)

Key Themes

● Why DC is uniquely positioned for healthcare innovation
● Lessons from hosting global startup cohorts locally
● How founders can leverage DC’s institutional density

Three curated product demonstrations focused on real-world deployment, operational readiness,and early commercial traction.

Demo Companies

● Agnos TherapeuticsAdvancing off-the-shelf cell therapy delivering healthy proteins to durably rescue sight.
‍● Akara RoboticsAI platform capturing surgical event data in real time, coordinating staff and robots while enabling AI agents to automate scheduling and reporting.
‍● NervMyo TherapeuticsDeveloper of a long-acting, injectable system for targeted delivery of small proteins.
‍● TechNovaTimeTurns real work on screen into deployable AI workers that operate the same interfaces people do.

This panel will focus on how investors, financial institutions, and advisors are approachinghealthcare and life sciences investments amid evolving market conditions.

Participants

● Deanna Angello, Life Sciences & HealthTech Executive Council, Springboard Enterprises
● Bryce Arruda, Managing Director, Life Sciences Deal Advisory & Strategy, KPMG
● Sriya Srinath, Principal, Morgan Health Ventures, JPMorganChase
● Emily Zhen, Principal, Zeal Capital Partners

Discussion Focus
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● Deal structures, valuation discipline, and timing
● What investors expect from founders in 2026
● The role of accelerators and strategic capitalAdvisory perspectives on diligence, scale, andexits

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