Funding Mechanisms and Opportunities Panel
Join SalivaDirect on June 5th at The Darcy Hotel in DC for an exciting Funding Mechanisms and Opportunities Panel at our annual conference! This session will offer invaluable insights into the intricate funding mechanisms within RADx and the NIH and expert perspectives on the investment landscape, including challenges and opportunities presented by VCs and investors. Attendees will benefit from valuable guidance on effectively pitching and pursuing funding opportunities.
The session will serve as a platform for fostering meaningful discussions among various stakeholders, including investors, founders, PIs, and academics. These discussions will focus on securing funding to translate innovative ideas into tangible products and thriving businesses.
Following the session, participants will have the opportunity to network during a happy hour, providing an ideal environment for further connections and collaboration.
Session Agenda
4:30 PM to 5:30 PM EST: Funding Mechanisms and Opportunities Panel
5:30 PM to 7 PM EST: Networking Reception
To only attend this panel: Register here
To attend the full conference, including this panel: Register here
Moderator: Mostafa Analoui
Nao J. Gamo, PhD (Founder & CEO at NaoCorp, LLC, Women in Bio)
Dr. Gamo is a neuroscientist-turned-entrepreneur with experience as a MedTech founder, business development consultant, and investment associate, guiding startups in a range of fields. Following 15 years as an academic researcher in neuroscience, she is now the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of NaoCorp, LLC, where she provides grant consulting services and draws on her experience as both a grant recipient and reviewer; Vice President of Business Development at the MDC Studio, a startup studio building health and medical technology companies; and Associate at the Verte Family of Funds, a family of ventures funds investing in high-growth companies located in Opportunity Zones. She also serves as a Co-Chair of the Executive Women in Bio Committee for the Capital Region Chapter of Women in Bio, and a Board Member and volunteer for the Metro Baltimore Chapter of National Alliance on Mental Illness. Dr. Gamo has been recognized as a RealLIST Connector 2021 (for “leaders growing Baltimore’s tech and entrepreneurship network”); Women in Bio Capital Region Chapter’s 2021-2022 Rising Star; and a finalist for the 3rd Annual BioBuzz Awards – Community Builder Award in 2022.
Paul Eder, PhD (Senior Scientific Officer, Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, NIAID)
Paul Eder leads the Concept Acceleration Program for Diagnostics in the Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (DMID) at the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Previously he served as Senior Medical Diagnostics Advisor at the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), and was Director of Assay Development at QIAGEN, where he created the first WHO pre-qualified HPV screening test for resource-limited communities worldwide, using a grant from the Gates Foundation. He completed his postdoctoral fellowship in catalytic RNA with Nobel laureate Sidney Altman at Yale University, and his Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Iowa, where he helped found Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT) from his lab bench.
Dev Mittar, PhD (BARDA/DRIVe)
Dev Mittar is a Health Scientist/Program Manager in the BARDA’s Division of Research, Innovation, and Ventures (DRIVe) where he is currently leading the Agnostic diagnostics program. Prior to joining BARDA, he was head of the microbiology R&D group at ATCC where he developed and commercialized new products and standards for the microbiome, infectious disease diagnostics, and drug discovery. Before that, he was a staff scientist at BD Biosciences where he worked in several cross-functional project core teams and developed assays for flow cytometry and imaging platforms. He has done post-doctoral training at Weill Medical College of Cornell University. His scientific expertise and general publications encompass cell signaling, immunology, microbiome, infectious disease, and genomics.