Join us for The Power of 12 at the 12th annual WIB-Chicago Start-Up Challenge! This high-energy pitch competition celebrates the bold ideas and innovative spirit of women entrepreneurs in the life sciences. Finalists will take the stage to showcase their ventures to a panel of expert judges and an audience of industry leaders, investors, and supporters. Don’t miss this night of inspiration, connection, and celebration of women driving the future of biotech and medtech!

Note: Each ticket includes appetizers and two drink tickets.

Program

6:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.  Networking
6:30 p.m. – 6:50 p.m.  Introductions
6:50 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.  Pitches (5x)
7:40 p.m. – 7:50 p.m.  Judging
7:55 p.m. – 8:10 p.m.  Presentation of Winners
8:15 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.  Networking & Close

Judges Panel

Heather Kissling, Partner and Prosecution Practice Chair at Marshall, Gerstein & Borun LLP

Heather is a partner at Marshall, Gerstein & Borun LLP, where she also currently serves as prosecution manager. She draws from over two decades of experience securing biotechnology patents to develop worldwide filing and prosecution strategies for life sciences clients. Heather counsels companies at all stages of the life sciences business lifecycle, as well as investors, on IP strategy and diligence matters. She actively collaborates with executives, business development personnel, scientists, and in-house counsel to maximize protection of biotechnology innovations in a broad range of technologies. Clients find her to be a forward-thinking advocate who shares their commitment to realizing the maximum value from their intellectual property assets.

Julia Monfrini Peev, Founder and Managing Partner at PACE Healthcare Capital

Julia is the Founder and Managing Partner of PACE Healthcare Capital, an early-stage fund focused on healthcare IT and digital health. With over $1 billion in capital deployed throughout her career, she has held senior roles at major firms like CDPQ, Canada’s second-largest pension plan; Monitor Clipper Partners, a mid-market private equity firm focused on rapidly-growing, founder-led businesses; and Merrill Lynch, in Leveraged Finance and then Healthcare M&A. She currently sits on the board of Prenosis, an AI-driven precision medicine company, and Backpack Healthcare, a leading AI-/tech-enabled mental health care provider for children in underserved and rural communities. Julia holds an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School, where she was the recipient of the Marguerite Carriere fellowship and the A.L. Littauer award

Anna Lisa Somera, Chief Strategy Officer at Rhaeos

Anna Lisa is a serial entrepreneur with deep experience in startups, venture capital, technology transfer, biomedical research, and life science consulting. She specializes in early-stage, cutting-edge technology businesses and has been a part of the entrepreneurial community for 20 years. She has extensive experience in non-dilutive funding, having helped new companies receive over $50M in SBIR/STTR, state, and private grants. She is currently a Founder, the Chief Strategy Officer, and employee #1 at Rhaeos, Inc., a digital health and medical technology company born out of the Rogers Research Group at Northwestern University, developing non-invasive wearable flow sensors for various chronic medical conditions for hospital and home use. She has led the company through multiple value inflection milestones, including bringing in >$24M in funding, including venture financing and major NIH and NSF grants, achieving FDA breakthrough designation, collaborating with major hospitals across the country for clinical studies, and winning MedTech Innovator, the largest medical device competition in the world, beating out >1000 companies globally. 

Alex Villareal, Senior Manager, Scientific and Market Intelligence at Xentria and Meitheal Pharmaceuticals

Alex is a Senior Manager, Scientific and Market Intelligence at Xentria and Meitheal Pharmaceuticals. Initially tasked with developing a robust partnership evaluation and tracking workflow, Alex now collaborates with the business development team to identify, validate, and facilitate cohesive partnerships with early-stage preclinical biotech groups, with the goal of guiding their assets forward to clinical trials and beyond. Alex leverages his expertise in the life sciences to generate tangible deliverables for partners. Alex holds a BS in microbiology and global health from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a PhD in microbiology from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Following his doctorate, he received entrepreneurial training through the Chicago Biomedical Consortium.

Pricing Information

• Members: $15
• Non-Members*: $30

*Not a Member? Click here to learn about the benefits of a WIB Membership — access to our video library, mentorship groups, and more. 

Please read WIB's Code of Conduct and Refund Policy.

Note: A confirmation email will be sent after registration has been completed. 

Maximum Capacity

250

Parking Information

Street parking is available, and limited spots in the parking lot.

Public Transit Information

Ashland Green and Pink line - Ashland #9 bus

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