Speakers and Panels

Case Study: Inside the Investor Playbook

How VCs Are Assessing Companies, Backing Breakthroughs, and Shaping the Region’s Bioscience Trajectory

Chris Yoo

General Partner, Xcellerant Ventures

Andy Lombard

Founder and CEO, Tesoro.vc

Scott Whyte

Partner, HEP

Brian Ellerman

Brian’s journey in technology and entrepreneurship began in 1985 with his first investment in Applied Biosystems, sparking an enduring "investor bug." This led to early investments in companies like Intabio (SCIEX), Medumo (Philips), and Echo Labs (CELLINK), and he’s an LP/investor with prominent groups such as Genoa and Bioverge. He’s a pivotal figure in the Arizona startup scene, founding several companies, serving as Vice Chair of the Desert Angels, and leading the Arizona Risk Capital Coalition. Brian champions expanded access to expertise and capital for growth-stage entrepreneurs, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds. With over 30 years of experience in medical and health technology, Brian spent 2002 to 2017 at Paris-based pharma Sanofi. There, he oversaw technical construction, managed high-performance computing, and, in 2013, established the global technology scouting and partnering group, connecting top incubators and venture firms worldwide. By 2016, he was instrumental in a corporate digital health strategy team optimizing clinical research through decentralized trials. After leaving Sanofi, Brian founded Arizona FORGE in 2018 and spearheaded the award-winning renovation of the historic Roy Place Building in August 2019, focusing on cultivating entrepreneurial mindsets, advancing the ecosystem, and scaling startups. He’s now brought his talents to the Arizona Board of Regents, where he leads XLR8 PBC, a health tech scale-up program at the Phoenix Bioscience Core. Brian’s diverse academic background includes a BS in Medical Technology from Marist College, an MS in Management Information Systems from UA Eller College of Management, and an MLS Summa Cum Laude with IP Concentration and Health Law Certificate from UA Rogers College of Law. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education with an emphasis on Innovative and Entrepreneurial Mindset Leadership at ASU’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College.

XLR8 PBC

Executive Director

Moderator

Brian Ellerman

Executive Director, XLR8 PBC

Designing for Discovery: Life Sciences Real Estate, Development, and Placemaking

How Smart, Amenity-Rich and Collaborative Environments Are Shaping the Next Generation of Lab and Medical Research Facilities

Aric Bopp

Aric Bopp is the Executive Director for Discovery Oasis at Mayo Clinic, Arizona. Discovery Oasis (www.discoveryoasis.com) is an expansive 120-acre development in Phoenix, adjacent to world-renowned Mayo Clinic, envisioned as a biotechnology corridor of collaboration to advance groundbreaking solutions to humanity’s most complex medical challenges. Discovery Oasis creates an ecosystem of biomedical innovation among a community of established and early stage biotechnology companies, researchers, educators, entrepreneurs, and medical practitioners who are leading the transformation of healthcare. With an ideal climate, location and economic development infrastructure, Discovery Oasis is an exceptional co-location opportunity for companies with biomedicine, health sciences, medical technologies, big data, and computational focus. Aric Bopp previously led the economic development and innovation zone efforts of ASU Knowledge Enterprise, with a specific focus on development of the NOVUS Innovation Corridor and the seven (7) ASU Innovation Zones. In his role, he helped make Arizona more economically competitive and promote the assets available at ASU to the private sector. He worked closely with the Arizona Commerce Authority, Greater Phoenix Economic Council, brokerage and real estate community, and local economic developers. Internal to ASU, he also worked with ASU Corporate Engagement and Strategic Partnerships, Career Development and Professional Services, Office of Government and Community Engagement, and the University Real Estate Office. Before coming to ASU, Bopp served as the deputy director of strategic initiatives for the city of Mesa, where he focused on development of the Mesa Gateway area. He also served as the program manager for the city of Phoenix, where he directed and implemented projects that support the city’s commercial, office and industrial development. Prior to moving to Arizona in 2015, Bopp was the executive director for Virginia’s New River Valley Economic Development Alliance. Bopp has served on a variety of economic development boards and organizations throughout the years, including the Arizona Technology Council, Queen Creek Economic Development Commission, and the Chandler Economic Development Advisory Board. He also volunteers with the community in several capacities, including coaching Little League Softball. He was named as one of the Top 20 Leaders Under 40 in 2007 by the Blue Ridge Business Journal and the 2011 Business Executive of the Year by the Pulaski County (VA) Chamber of Commerce. Bopp earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the Johns Hopkins University, attended graduate school in economics at the University of Virginia and received his certified economic developer certification (CEcD) in 2014 through the International Economic Development Council.

Mayo Clinic

Executive Director, Discovery Oasis

Aric Bopp

Executive Director, Discovery Oasis, Mayo Clinic

Karen Anderson

Associate Dean of Research, ASU

Chris Nienhueser

Project Director, Wexford Science & Technology

Greg Hadsell

Education & Science Director, U.S. West Region, HDR

Moderator

Shashi Sriram

Project Executive, DPR Construction

Why Phoenix?

How Arizona’s Economic Tailwinds, Talent Growth and Funding Ecosystem Are Powering One of the Nation’s Fastest-Growing Bioscience Hubs

Joan Koerber-Walker

As President and CEO of AZBio, Joan Koerber-Walker works on behalf of the Arizona Bioscience and Medical Technology Industry to support the growth of the industry, its members, and our community on the local and national level. Ms. Koerber-Walker is also a life science investor and has served on the boards of numerous for-profit and non-profit organizations. The Arizona Bioindustry Association, Inc. (AZBio) serves as the unified voice of the bioscience industry in Arizona. AZBio strives to make Arizona a place where bioscience organizations can grow and succeed. It accomplishes this by creating a forum for the bioscience community to come together, educating policy makers and the public, influencing public policy, and advancing the economic interests of individual organizations as well as the sector as a whole. In the life science industry, Ms. Koerber-Walker is a past-Chair of the State Medical Technology Alliance (SMTA), a consortium of state and regional trade associations representing their local medical technology companies. SMTA’s mission is to collectively support the medical technology industry on the local, state and national levels by fostering a collaborative environment through sharing of best practices, promoting the industry, and advocating for public policies that support innovation. She also represents Arizona as a member of the Council of State Bioscience Associations (CSBA) and the Coalition of State Bioscience Institutes (CSBI). Active in the entrepreneurial and investment communities, she also serves as Chairman of the Board of the Opportunity Through Entrepreneurship Foundation which provides entrepreneurial education, mentoring and support to at-risk members of the community and AZAdvances, OTEF’s initiative to support the community effort to make Arizona home to a Top-Ten health innovation sector, on the Board of Advisors to CellTrust, Inc. which provides secure communication technology to the healthcare industry, and as Chairman of CorePurpose, Inc. which she founded in 2002. Her past experience includes two years as the CEO of ASBA (the Arizona Small Business Association), service as a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Small Business Association in Washington D.C.; President of the National Speakers Association/Arizona; Chair of the Board of Advisors to Parenting Arizona, the state’s largest child abuse prevention organization; as a member of the Executive Committee of the Industry Advisory Board for the Thomas and Joan Read Center at Texas A&M University; on the Board of Directors of the Arizona Technology Council; as Treasurer and Board Member for Ribomed Biotechnologies, Inc.; and as an executive at Avnet, Inc, where, for over a 20 year, span she held a wide variety of roles in sales, marketing, technology, supply chain management, and global administration.

Arizona Bioindustry Association

President and CEO

Joan Koerber-Walker

President and CEO, Arizona Bioindustry Association

Leo Divinsky

Managing Director, Asset Management, Stockdale Capital Partners

Tammy McLeod

President and CEO, Flinn Foundation

Allison Bakovic

VP, Greater Phoenix Economic Council

Moderator

Alexandra Loye

Executive Managing Director, Cushman & Wakefield

WHY THIS MATTERS

What You’ll Learn From CRE Leaders At This Event:

What market fundamentals make Greater Phoenix one of the top four life sciences job growth markets in the U.S., and how sustainable is this momentum?
As new bioscience hubs emerge nationally, what distinct value propositions can Phoenix offer to companies and researchers choosing between markets like Boston, San Diego or the Bay Area?
What design principles are emerging as must-haves for life sciences real estate in Phoenix, from vertically integrated outpatient campuses to hyper-connected R&D districts?
Arizona bioscience companies secured $289 million in VC funding in 2024, nearing a record high, though the number of deals declined. How are investors adjusting their strategies, and what factors now matter most when deciding which companies to back?
What milestones should Phoenix’s life sciences community collectively aim for to cement its place among top-tier U.S. bioscience markets?

How You'll Do More Business: Attending this event is an invaluable opportunity to build new business relationships in one of the country’s fastest-growing life sciences markets. With major projects like Discovery Oasis and CAMI on the horizon and record-breaking NIH and VC funding flowing into the region, there’s a clear need for real estate, development, and capital partners to support this growth. By connecting directly with key stakeholders driving these initiatives, you'll be able to identify new partnership and investment opportunities, while positioning your business to meet the specialized needs of this expanding sector. It’s the ideal platform to stay ahead of market trends and cultivate relationships that will fuel future deals.

Who You'll Network With At This Discussion: Owners, developers, investors, operators, entrepreneurs, brokers, public officials, architects, tenants, engineers and providers moving the life sciences market forward.

Why You Should Attend This Session: Bisnow events bring together the biggest power players in the industry to help you identify opportunities, build your network and expand your business. With the largest audience of commercial real estate professionals in the world, no one knows how to help your business more than we do.

Questions about your ticket purchase or interested in sponsoring? Reach out to customerservice@bisnow.com for customer support. For questions, recommendations, comments, or press inquiries please email Kay VanAsdale at kay.vanasdale@bisnow.com. To request disability-related accommodations, please contact janet.fernandez@bisnow.com no later than seven business days before the event.

Want even more life sciences x commercial real estate content & networking? Check out our third annual Bisnow International Life Sciences & Biotech Conference, taking place Sept. 10 & 11 in San Diego, CA.

Venue

The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa
6902 East Greenway Parkway
Scottsdale, AZ 85254

Ballroom: Herberger 1-3, Lower Level

Parking Information:

Gated Self-Parking: 0 – 6 Hours $15.00, Valet-Parking: 0 – 4 Hours $30.00

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Agenda

Time	Activity
8:00 AM 9:00 AM	Breakfast & Networking
9:00 AM 9:45 AM	Why Phoenix? How Arizona’s Economic Tailwinds, Talent Growth and Funding Ecosystem Are Powering One of the Nation’s Fastest-Growing Bioscience Hubs
9:45 AM 10:00 AM	Networking Break
10:00 AM 10:45 AM	Designing for Discovery: Life Sciences Real Estate, Development, and Placemaking How Smart, Amenity-Rich and Collaborative Environments Are Shaping the Next Generation of Lab and Medical Research Facilities
10:45 AM 11:15 AM	Case Study: Inside the Investor Playbook How VCs Are Assessing Companies, Backing Breakthroughs, and Shaping the Region’s Bioscience Trajectory
11:15 AM 11:30 AM	Closing Networking

PROJECTS & NEWS YOU SHOULD KNOW

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Email:	eventregistration@bisnow.com

Phoenix Future of Life Sciences Summit

Exploring the Projects, Partnerships and Capital Driving Arizona’s Emergence as a National Bioscience Leader — And How CRE Professionals Can Capitalize on the Next Phase of Growth

Speakers and Panels

Case Study: Inside the Investor Playbook

How VCs Are Assessing Companies, Backing Breakthroughs, and Shaping the Region’s Bioscience Trajectory

Chris Yoo

Andy Lombard

Scott Whyte

Brian Ellerman

Designing for Discovery: Life Sciences Real Estate, Development, and Placemaking

How Smart, Amenity-Rich and Collaborative Environments Are Shaping the Next Generation of Lab and Medical Research Facilities

Aric Bopp

Karen Anderson

Chris Nienhueser

Greg Hadsell

Shashi Sriram

Why Phoenix?

How Arizona’s Economic Tailwinds, Talent Growth and Funding Ecosystem Are Powering One of the Nation’s Fastest-Growing Bioscience Hubs

Joan Koerber-Walker

Leo Divinsky

Tammy McLeod

Allison Bakovic

Alexandra Loye

WHY THIS MATTERS

Venue

Agenda

PROJECTS & NEWS YOU SHOULD KNOW

Sponsors

Unlock Your Career Potential with SelectLeaders

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