As LSN heads into its fifth year, we have seen what works and what doesn't in the fundraising process. LSN has developed a fundraising platform consisting of an early stage life science investor database (the LSN Investor Platform), and the RESI conference series, which takes place every two and a half months at venues through North America. These two vehicles allow fundraising executives the ability to be very efficient in finding investors and partners that are a fit for their stage of development and their product offering.

Providing an efficient vehicle for identifying and understanding global investors that are a fit for your company is very helpful, but quite frankly is just the ante into the game. The devil is in the details and this is where we see many scientist entrepreneurs fall short on their capital raising efforts. I have proclaimed time and time again that raising money is a numbers game, and that theme is ever present in the basic process of getting in front of investors. Not surprisingly, it's all about the frontend, making that introductory calls and the backend, doing the all-important follow-up calls. These two pieces of the process always prove to be the most daunting because of the tedious and repetitive nature of this simple activity...

Life Science Nation's investor platform and Pitchbook both offer various data on early-stage investors which get used by a variety of different stakeholders in the industry. Although there is some overlap in the data tracked by these platforms, there lies stark differences in how the data is sourced, updated, and the industry specific nature of the data. These core differences result in two different types of platforms that serve different purposes. Pitchbook's utility lies mostly in providing a high-level overview of different markets/sectors whereas the value in the LSN platform is providing actionable, industry-specific data.

The LSN investor platform is focused solely on the early-stage life science space

While Pitchbook and other data providers focus on the overall private market's landscape, LSN investor platform is specifically focused on seed and venture-stage (series A, B) companies in the life science space which we define as therapeutics, medical devices, diagnostics, research tools and healthcare IT. LSN's highly-specific focus has allowed for the development of a platform that captures the most critical data points for entrepreneurs seeking compatible investors. In addition, LSN's expertise has led to a highly efficient search ontology capable of searching the space on a more specific level. LSN's investor profiles are tagged in terms of Sector, Subsector, Indication, Product Phase-of-Development, Geographical exposure, investment size and several other variables that are of importance to a fundraising entrepreneur...

Orphan diseases present a unique opportunity for a biotech investor; faster development, market exclusivity and the possibility of delivering a cure to patients with no current treatment options. However, these small markets also present unique challenges in development and strategy.

At RESI San Diego, five experienced investors who specialize in rare disease opportunities will explain their strategies in the sector. These investors will explore how they identify potential in a rare disease therapeutic, and how they turn tiny markets into significant ROI.

Moderated by Ken Kengatharan , General Partner, Atheneos Capital, panelists include:

• Todd Brady, Director of Finance, Brace Pharma Capital
• Ruchita Sinha, Sr. Director of Investments, Sanofi-Genzyme Bioventures
• Lisa Beck, Executive Director, Transactions, Global Business Development, Alexion Pharmaceuticals
• Michael Henderson, Vice President, BridgeBio