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From Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego’s opening remarks to the advice from closing keynote speaker Tari Suprapto of Novo Nordisk, the fifth annual Flinn Foundation Bio Capital Conference provided for a full day of networking, panels, and connections.
The sold-out March 5 event attracted almost 300 startup founders, investors, researchers, ecosystem builders and more to the Creighton University Health Sciences Campus at Park Central in Midtown Phoenix.
Founders met investors. Collaboration was widespread. And the energy remained high through the evening networking reception.
After a welcome from conference co-chairs Helen Goldstein and Jerry Gibson, Gallego talked about the city of Phoenix’s commitment to the biosciences including investments in ASU Health, wearable technology, and the Phoenix Bioscience Core.
“In every part of Phoenix, this has been a real priority,” Gallego said.
J.P. Morgan’s Craig Cohen presented his U.S. financial outlook, including the latest trends about AI, health care, biotech, and medtech, while Arizona and out-of-state investors offered their perspective on what makes a successful pitch and what’s shaping the future of bio and health care.
Startups HemaSense, NeuroCatch®, and Allevalux made their pitches before a panel of investors and received valuable feedback.
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“Being in a room with peers of innovators and investors and clinicians and then have the opportunity to talk about our product and get feedback in real time from the (venture capitalists) was amazing for us,” said Derek Norsworthy, CEO of NeuroCatch. “I feel much more equipped and prepared to take what I learned today and bring it into conversations for the future.”
Suprapto, the keynote speaker, talked about the “importance of being human” when making a pitch. Denmark-based Novo Nordisk manufactures Ozempic and specializes in diabetes medications.
“The convening of investors, founders, major companies, and researchers clearly demonstrated the momentum and excitement surrounding the biosciences in Arizona and our startup culture,” said Mary O’Reilly, Flinn Foundation vice president, bioscience research programs. “The Flinn Foundation recognizes the importance of these gatherings and was thrilled with the high engagement throughout the day.”
The Flinn Foundation’s support and advocacy for the state’s bioscience sector includes the administration of Arizona’s Bioscience Roadmap, the state’s long-term strategic plan, and philanthropic grants including the competitive Bioscience Entrepreneurship Program and Translational Seed Grants Program.
The 2026 conference was planned by the Risk Capital subcommittee of Arizona’s Bioscience Roadmap Steering Committee, a group of more than 80 leaders from the public and private sectors in science, health care, business, academia, and policy that oversee the Roadmap.
For more information about the conference and a full list of panelists and speakers, visit flinn.org/bioconference. Learn more about Arizona’s Bioscience Roadmap at flinn.org/bioroadmap.
By: Flinn Foundation | March 9, 2026 | Original Post