SoCalBio W3: From Idea through Funding + Beyond

Join us for an empowering panel discussion spotlighting the journey of women entrepreneurs from the initial company idea through funding and beyond. The panel includes entrepreneurs who have spun technologies out of universities and VCs focused on early-stage companies.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS :

LEEN KAWAS, PhD

Co-Founder + Managing Partner

Propel Bio Partners

Dr. Kawas is building a biotech focused fund to support life science innovations, leveraging her experience as an inventor, scientist, and entrepreneur. She came to the US from Jordan in 2008. She co-founded Athira and became CEO in 2014. She led the advancement of multiple late-stage clinical programs and took the company public in 2020 raising over $400 million. She was the first woman in 20 years in Washington State, and one of only 22 women founders in the US to take their company public. She has received numerous awards and recognitions, including Life Science Entrepreneurial Achievement Award (2020), French-American Foundation Leader (2019), and GeekWire Startup CEO of the Year (2019). Leen serves on multiple boards including Inherent Biosciences and Persephone Biosciences, and she is part of the Springboard Network and is a passionate supporter of scientist entrepreneurs, in particular women. In her current position, in addition to capital, her vision is to support impactful research and next gen innovators; helping people live better healthier lives. Dr. Kawas has a PhD in Pharmacology and a Degree in Pharmacy. She has also received executive education at the Wharton Business School. Leen lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two young children - she enjoys music, good food, learning and engaging conversations.

STEPHANIE CANALE, M.D.

Founder

Lactation Lab

Stephanie earned her undergraduate and medical degrees from McGill University. She completed her residency training in Family Medicine at UCLA and then was a part of the teaching faculty at the UCLA Family Health Center before joining UCLA Santa Monica in 2010. She is also a member of the American Board of Family Medicine.

As a mother of two, she has a profound passion for helping families. Dr. Canale is a tireless advocate for moms and babies, on a constant quest to develop tools and support for families of all backgrounds and income levels.

MANJU CHACKO DAWKINS, MD

CEO and Co-Founder

Thimble (innovated by Achelon)

Manju Chacko Dawkins, MD is a board certified Dermatologist who has practiced in academic, private, hospital based, and group practice settings in New York and Los Angeles. She is also the creator and co-founder of Thimble, the first easy, safe, and comprehensive solution for alleviating needle pain and anxiety.

DR. JASMINE ZHOU

Co-Founder

EarlyDx

Dr. Jasmine Zhou is a co-founder of EarlyDx and a Professor of Pathology and Lab Medicine at UCLA. She has an extensive publication record in bioinformatics, big data analytics, and liquid biopsy diagnostics. She leads the NIH-funded UCLA Center for the Early Detection of Liver Cancer. She previously served as the Head of the Computational Biology program at the University of Southern California. She is a recipient of the NSF CAREER Award and Alfred Sloan Fellowship. She holds a Diplom in Biochemistry from the University of Tubingen (Germany), a Nachdiplom in Computer Science, and a Ph.D. in Bioinformatics from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. She completed her postdoctoral training in Biostatistics at Harvard University.

NASEEM SAYANI

Co-Founder + Managing Director

Emmeline Ventures

Naseem Sayani is Co-Founder and Managing Director at Emmeline Ventures, a seed-stage venture capital fund based in Los Angeles investing across women’s health, financial services, and climate with a laser focus on tech & innovation that is helping women live & thrive. The portfolio has 22 companies in its portfolio including Alloy, Deux Foods, LunaJoy, She Matters, Womaness, and The Beans.

Naseem’s investing and business-building experience comes from 20+ years in executive leadership roles across management consulting, agency services, venture incubators, a corporate venture capital firm, and as an active angel investor. She and her partners launched Emmeline Ventures in 2022 with a deliberate focus on unlocking new capital for female founders and bringing more women to the table as VC check writers.

Naseem has an MBA from NYU's Stern School of Business, where she was awarded the Dean's Leadership Award two years running, and a BA from UCLA in Business Economics where she graduated cum laude.

JANE M. LIU, PH.D.

CEO & Co-Founder

BRT Biotechnologies, Inc.

Jane Liu is CEO & co-founder of BRT Biotechnologies, Inc., and a tenured professor of
chemistry at Pomona College. A recipient of many teaching awards, Jane believes that

anyone can learn chemistry and that chemists are key to developing technologies to benefit society, the economy, and people’s lives. Her research program on microbial gene regulation has received grants from the NIH, the NSF, and the Dreyfus Foundation. Jane holds a BA from Swarthmore College and a PhD from Harvard University.

CELIA ADELSON

Executive Director

UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center

Celia Adelson is Executive Director of the UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center, where she has focused on supporting regenerative medicine and stem cell research to make rapid progress from the lab to patients. Prior to BSCRC, she worked with early-stage biotech startups specializing in oncology and regenerative medicine. With expertise in program and project management, operations strategy, and finance, Celia holds an MBA focused on Healthcare & Strategy from the University of California, Los Angeles - The Anderson School of Management.