Falcons’ Fortunes showcases six entrepreneurs working in the oncology space as they pitch their Made-in-Ontario innovations to an external panel of elite judges. Hosted by FACIT, this annual event offers the $100,000 Ernsting Entrepreneurship Award to invest in the most promising oncology research idea. This year’s event will be held online via Zoom.

While the research idea should be novel and sound, the competition is for the best pitch – that is, the presentation that best convinces the investor judging panel on the value of the idea and how $100,000 would improve and/or better illustrate the potential, and if possible commercial, value of the innovative idea itself.

Building a culture supportive of entrepreneurship and commercialization in Ontario is critical to drive innovation. Falcons’ Fortunes endeavors to enhance, support and celebrate a culture of commercialization in Ontario, such as the cultivation of skill sets that enable ideas to be successfully pitched to investors.

Join us and learn more about these emerging breakthrough innovations and network with the Ontario cancer research community.

For more information, please visit FACIT’s website here.

Who should attend:

Entrepreneurs, investors and anyone interested in cancer innovation.

Agenda:

10:00 am – 10:15 am: Opening remarks

10:15 am – 11:45 am: Pitch competition

11:45 am – 12:00 pm: Keynote address during judges’ deliberation

12:00 pm – 12:30 pm: Announcement of winner & networking 

Featuring:

OPENING REMARKS:

David O’Neill, PhD, President, FACIT

Hon. Jill Dunlop, Ontario Minister of Colleges and Universities

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: 

Peter van der Velden, MBA, MSc., Managing General Partner, Lumira Ventures

Peter is a highly experienced venture capitalist, who for the past 31 years, has been building innovative, technology centric companies from start-up through to expansion. As General Managing Partner of Lumira Ventures, Peter led the firm in recently raising its fourth and largest fund – $C450 million of new capital for Canada’s life sciences sector. During his tenure at Lumira, he and the team have backed dozens of transformative NA-based healthcare companies that have delivered more than 50 approved therapies for patients, generated significant cost savings for healthcare systems and produced first quartile returns for the investors in Lumira funds.

Peter is a very active volunteer in the communities in which he works and plays and is a frequent lecturer at universities and conferences on themes related to venture capital, innovation and healthcare. As President and Chairman of the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (CVCA), Peter led the rebuilding and re-positioning of the organization in parallel with supporting its role in the development and implementation of key provincial and federal initiatives to rebuild and revitalize the venture capital industry in Canada. In addition to working with federal and provincial governments on policy matters related to healthcare innovation and innovation, Peter has represented the Canadian venture industry at global venture capital congresses in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Judging Panel:

FAQs

How can I contact the organizer with any questions?

Please contact Lisa Milestone, Associate Director, Corporate Affairs, FACIT (lisa.milestone@facit.ca).

Can I forward the Zoom link to colleagues who are also interested in attending?

No. Anyone interested in attending must first register through this Eventbrite site so that all attendees can sign the associated Confidentiality form. Details with the Zoom link will be sent to all registrants closer to the event date.

Is the audience able to ask questions of the pitch presenters?

The Q&A after each pitch presentation is restricted to the judges. However, there is an informal networking session planned from 12:00-12:30pm, which serves as a great opportunity for audience members to ask questions of the pitch presenters, judges and/or FACIT team.