Translating academic innovation into a viable company requires more than strong science. Join us for this webinar that brings together founders and translational leaders who have taken academic science from the bench to venture-backed biotechs. 

Disclaimer: This event may be recorded. If so, there is a possibility your image and or voice may be a part of that recording. If you do not wish for your image to be included, please turn off your camera.
 

Program

5:30 p.m. – 5:40 p.m.  Welcome Remarks
5:40 p.m. – 5:50 p.m.  Keynote by Dr. Tariq Warsi
5:50 p.m. – 6:40 p.m.  Panel Discussion 
6:40 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.  Q&A

Speaker Bios

Charlyn Bender, Founder & CEO of Avarie Femcare

Charlyn is the Founder and CEO of Avarie Femcare, a femtech company developing ultra-absorbent, science-backed period products engineered for heavy menstrual flow and postpartum needs. She spent more than twenty years as a trial attorney and public-sector leader, including 14 years as a Deputy District Attorney, and now applies that legal and investigative experience to product design, manufacturing, and early-stage fundraising. Inspired by her own reproductive health experiences, she built Avarie as both a product company and an education platform focused on stigma-free women’s health. Charlyn holds degrees from UC San Diego, CSU Dominguez Hills, Loyola Law School, and USC-Marshall, and serves on multiple civic and nonprofit boards in Long Beach and Los Angeles.

Lital Gilad-Shaoulian, CEO & Founder of PurposeBio

Lital serves as the CEO and founder of Purpose Bio, Inc., a Los Angeles-based biotechnology firm developing gut-targeted therapies for cardiometabolic disease. Previously a technology and business leader managing nearly $1 billion in business, she pivoted to biotech to address chronic metabolic illnesses like obesity and fatty liver disease. Under her leadership, the company secured an exclusive license for technology from UCLA and built an enzyme engineering platform. Over the past year, she established a fully operational wet lab at the UCLA Magnify Incubator, transitioning the company from virtual outsourcing to internal R&D. Her efforts have validated core platform technology and identified five promising drug candidates. Lital is a frequent speaker at life science events and mentors early-stage startups through Nucleate. In 2025, UCLA selected Purpose Bio as a top startup to represent the university during the JPMorgan Healthcare Conference Week.

Bodour Salhia, Founder of CpG Diagnostics

Dr. Salhia is the founder of CpG Diagnostics, a University of Southern California spin-out built on the groundbreaking work from her lab. The company’s mission is to help women live longer, cancer-free lives through cell-free DNA methylation liquid biopsies. Its initial focus is ovarian cancer, driven by Bodour’s belief that women deserve better options than the current standard of care. She is also deeply committed to connecting with people, serving the community, and engaging with the public and research participants, founding The Bench with Bedside Initiative, a direct-to-patient approach to recruiting and engaging research participants in liquid biopsy studies. As someone who battled cancer, she knows firsthand the merits of having a sense of purpose and persevering through adversity. 

Tariq Warsi, Managing Director at the USC Alfred E. Mann Institute

Dr. Warsi has over 20 years of experience as a biotechnology investor, operations leader, venture partner, scientific advisor, and entrepreneur. Dr. Warsi currently serves as the Managing Director at the Alfred E. Mann Institute at the University of Southern California, where he oversees operations and investments of the USC Innovation Fund. Previously, Tariq was Senior Director at AstraZeneca, Vice President of Technical Operations at Novome Biotechnologies, and held a number of scientific roles in industry and academia, including at Amgen, Aurora Algae, and Stanford University. Tariq completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Harvard Medical School and earned a PhD in cell, molecular, and developmental biology, as well as a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences, from the University of California, Riverside.

Pricing Information

• Members/Guests: Free
• Student Members/Guests: Free
• Non-Members*: $20

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