E&I Summit Attracts over 450 participants

It was another banner year for the Wilson Sonsini Entrepreneur & Investor Life Sciences Summit (E&I Summit), presented by BioUtah and the University of Utah Technology Licensing Office. The 2024 E&I Summit included activities from March 13-15 with the main Summit event held, March 14 at the Sheraton in Salt Lake City. Over 450 registrants participated in this year’s summit where Utah’s healthcare entrepreneurs, industry leaders, and the investment community came together to discuss the capital landscape and the innovation journey from ideation to successful commercialization.

Keynote speaker Monica DiCenso, with J.P. Morgan, captivated the audience with her presentation on market conditions and the outlook ahead. Dave Perry, CEO of Urotronic, Inc, wowed the audience with his story of taking his company from startup to a $700M+ exit in just eight years.

Panels featured an impressive line-up of CEOs who have successfully built life sciences companies and national and local investors who shared their perspectives on funding for the life sciences.

Nine companies participated in the popular Pitch Competition, each deserving recognition for their vision and novel technologies. With so many impressive presentations, the judges faced a difficult decision in naming a winner. Spire Therapeutics took first place while Bloom Surgical was named runner-up.

“This year’s E&I Summit grew even bigger with the best content yet and showcased the culture of innovation that Utah’s life sciences community is becoming known for,” said Kelvyn Cullimore, president and CEO of BioUtah. “We were extremely pleased with the interest we received in this event from both in-state and out of state participants.

Targeted tracks featured an array of industry experts, mentors and life sciences venture capitalists who covered topics such as capital resources in Utah, avoiding hiring mistakes, and when to consider professional services.

Entrepreneurs also had an opportunity to learn about non-dilutive funding options during one-on-one meetings with the Utah Innovation Center and G2G Consulting – a DC-based firm that tracks agency-wide federal grants and…

The E&I Summit drew to a close with an epic day at Deer Valley. Ski enthusiasts took to the slopes while others joined us for a fabulous lunch on the mountain – over 100 total guests! It was a great way to continue conversations started at the conference.

A special thank you to Bruce Hunter and the University of Utah Technology Licensing Office. We also thank our title sponsor, Wilson Sonsini and our many generous sponsors and exhibitors who made the Summit possible.

We also appreciated teaming up with Lohman & Associates to add a pre-event mixer held at Lake Effect in Salt Lake City on the evening of March 13.  Over 140 people registered to participate in that very successful networking event.  An excellent way to kick off the E& I Summit. 

The E&I Summit is the go-to conference for Utah’s life sciences entrepreneurs and investors. If you missed this year’s event, please visit the photo gallery and follow us on social media.  And watch for summaries of key presentations in future newsletters.