Masterclass – Vital ventures: Scaling healthtech with sustainable strategies
November 27 @ 8:30 am - 5:00 pm AEDT
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This transformative three-day masterclass is designed to equip biotech and healthtech professionals with the essential tools and insights needed to scale ventures sustainably. The program addresses the challenges of building successful companies in this sector, focusing on strategic growth, culture, leadership, and market positioning.
Participants will benefit from exclusive sessions, including a fireside chat with Marissa Senzaki, Talent Director, MDMD, who will share lessons from her pivotal roles at Theranos and Slack, and why healthtech start-ups need more than a good idea to succeed. The masterclass covers vital topics such as venture formation, strategic scaling, brand development, and the future of work culture.
Attendees will leave with a clear roadmap and actionable strategies to avoid common pitfalls, foster innovation, and achieve long-term success.
About the Masterclass
Who should attend?
- Founders and team members of healthtech and medtech stat-ups
- Early-stage companies (pre-commercialisation to growth stage) with ambitions to scale sustainably in local or global markets
- Companies facing critical transitions
- Founders, CEOs, CSOs, CTOs, commercial heads, BD managers, researchers, and scientists interested in building successful, future-proof companies.
Places are strictly limited. Participation in the program is subject to written approval and confirmation by BioMelbourne Network.
Program details:
Masterclass Program components
The Masterclass program consists of one high-level BioForum (seminar and networking), one full-day intimate and intensive Masterclass workshop, and one-on-one advisory session with participant companies.
The Masterclass program is delivered in person over a four-day period in Melbourne.
This Masterclass program has three parts:
- Part A | BioForum – Biotech scandal to SaaS Success: Fireside chat with Theranos ’survivor’ Marissa Senzaki: Tuesday 26 November 2024 | 4:00 – 6:30 pm | Science Gallery Melbourne Theatre, 114 Grattan St, Carlton VIC 3053
- Part B | Masterclass workshop – Vital ventures: Scaling healthtech with sustainable strategies: Wednesday 27 November 2024 | 8:30 am – 5:00 pm | Monash Conference Centre, Level 7, 30 Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000
- Part C | 30-minute Advisory session: Thursday 28 November – Friday 29 November 2024 (Individual meeting times to be advised).
Prices (in-person only):
BioMelbourne Network Member: $1100
BioMelbourne Network Non Member: $1300
*Biopharma Entrepreneur: $750
*Biopharma Entrepreneur applies to start-up companies developing biopharma products in the pre-seed stage and seed stage, prior to Series A capital raising and strictly pre-revenue.
Unsure if your organisation is a member? Check our member directory.
This high-value, heavily subsidised program is made possible with support from the State Government of Victoria
Marissa Senzaki, BA (Psych) Talent Director, MDMD
Marissa Senzaki is a seasoned Talent Acquisition and People Operations leader with global experience spanning four continents. With a career of over 17 years, she has worked with renowned technology companies such as Google, Facebook, and Slack. As Slack’s inaugural HR hire, she rapidly scaled the company from under 50 employees to 850 worldwide in less than three years, during its ascent as the fastest-growing B2B SaaS company. Notably, while working alongside Elizabeth Holmes at Theranos, she astutely predicted the company’s downfall. Marissa’s intuitive knack for assessing a company’s potential is unparalleled.
As a startup consultant and angel investor, Marissa is passionate about advocating for a humanistic approach to building companies. She partners with hiring managers and founders to emphasize the importance of building people-first organizations that prioritize values alignment and create inclusive and psychologically safe work environments.
During her time in Australia, Marissa significantly contributed to the HR and tech landscape by actively engaging as a speaker and participant in recruiter meetups, HR/Tech publications, conferences, and accelerators. Her influence extends beyond borders as she continues to nurture these networks from her base in San Francisco.
Marissa holds a Bachelor of Arts with a major in psychology from San Francisco State University.
As a startup consultant and angel investor, Marissa is passionate about advocating for a humanistic approach to building companies. She partners with hiring managers and founders to emphasize the importance of building people-first organizations that prioritize values alignment and create inclusive and psychologically safe work environments.
During her time in Australia, Marissa significantly contributed to the HR and tech landscape by actively engaging as a speaker and participant in recruiter meetups, HR/Tech publications, conferences, and accelerators. Her influence extends beyond borders as she continues to nurture these networks from her base in San Francisco.
Marissa holds a Bachelor of Arts with a major in psychology from San Francisco State University.
Leisha Muraki, BFA, MEd Brand Director, MDMD
Leisha is an experienced brand leader with 15+ years creating customer-centric design solutions and managing brand assets for B2B, D2C and Fortune 500 companies and 7+ years leading multi-discipline design teams within agency and in-house environments, including roles at PricewaterhouseCoopers and ARUP. Leisha is well-versed in end-to-end product development, integrated marketing, and visual systems, having worked with brands such as Alaska Airlines, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. Her direct contributions to go-to-market strategies and brand building have led to US $14.5M in first-year revenues, US $16.3M in grant funding, earned media valued over US $28M and US $20.8M in startup investment across fintech, education, retail, travel, hospitality and healthcare sectors.
Leisha’s work has been recognised in esteemed galleries, including the Gaffa Gallery in Sydney and the Jacob Lawrence Gallery in Seattle. In 2013, she served as a “Designer in Residence” at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne. Her notable achievements include features in Desktop Magazine, Time Out, and the 2010 edition of PRINT, where she received a US Regional Award for Best Design. Additionally, Leisha was a 2016 Good Design Award Finalist and a former Victoria State Board Member for the Australian Graphic Design Association.
Leisha’s expertise extends beyond the design industry into the academic realm. She has shared her knowledge and insights as a lecturer at globally ranked institutions like the University of Washington, RMIT University, andSIM Global Education (Singapore Institute of Management). Currently, she is a faculty member in the College of Arts and Sciences and College of Engineering (Human-Centered Design and Engineering), where she continues to inspire and educate the next generation of designers.
Leisha holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Communication Design from the University of Washington and a Master of Education in postsecondary design education from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University.
Leisha’s work has been recognised in esteemed galleries, including the Gaffa Gallery in Sydney and the Jacob Lawrence Gallery in Seattle. In 2013, she served as a “Designer in Residence” at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne. Her notable achievements include features in Desktop Magazine, Time Out, and the 2010 edition of PRINT, where she received a US Regional Award for Best Design. Additionally, Leisha was a 2016 Good Design Award Finalist and a former Victoria State Board Member for the Australian Graphic Design Association.
Leisha’s expertise extends beyond the design industry into the academic realm. She has shared her knowledge and insights as a lecturer at globally ranked institutions like the University of Washington, RMIT University, andSIM Global Education (Singapore Institute of Management). Currently, she is a faculty member in the College of Arts and Sciences and College of Engineering (Human-Centered Design and Engineering), where she continues to inspire and educate the next generation of designers.
Leisha holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Communication Design from the University of Washington and a Master of Education in postsecondary design education from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University.
Dr Mei Ling Doery, MBBS BMedSci MPH, Managing Director, MDMD
Dr. Mei Ling Doery is a medical doctor and strategist with over 20 years of experience advising boards, executives, founders, and funders on entrepreneurship. She has worked with 90+ organisations and mentored over 200 early-stage ventures globally, spanning medicine, health and wellness, agriculture, sustainability, manufacturing, education, and infrastructure. Her lens on societal challenges is shaped by roles in emergency medicine, as a civilian medical advisor for the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Australian Defence Force, team doctor for the Richmond Tigers (AFL), and executive physician at BUPA Wellness.
Mei Ling is a trailblazer in the field of public health, having spearheaded multiple global firsts: the delivery of SMS for health promotion for reproductive health in Singapore in partnership with SingTel, and the rollout of evidence- based mobile app quit support to China’s National Tobacco Control Association as the founder of Live Council. She was an early advisor to Nightingale Housing, which has delivered 517 homes with a total commercial value of > AU$350MM (with the same in development) and co-founder of SugarByHalf, led by Dr. Peter Bruckner OAM, which has driven Australian federal reform in type 2 diabetes management. Mei Ling has also been instrumental in addressing gender equity as an advisor to Respect Victoria, ManCave, Flourish Girl, and Founding Chair of TeachUsConsent (TUC), which achieved mandatory consent education across Australia during her tenure.
She holds the distinction of being the youngest ministerial appointment on the prestigious Board of the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation, which continues to operate at the forefront of ground-breaking public health reforms. Mei Ling’s contributions to innovation and commercial translation are recognised through an ESA Young Researcher of the Year Award, a major grant from LaunchVic, Victoria’s state innovation fund, and as doctor- inresidence for the digital agency Portable (BRW’s ‘Fast 100’). She was appointed to the World Economic Forum Young Global Leader (WEF YGL) for contributions to global public health. Mei Ling holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS), a Bachelor of Medical Science (BMedSci), “An Examination of Commercial spin-offs from Manned Spaceflight”, and a Master of Public Health (MPH) from the University of Melbourne.
Mei Ling is a trailblazer in the field of public health, having spearheaded multiple global firsts: the delivery of SMS for health promotion for reproductive health in Singapore in partnership with SingTel, and the rollout of evidence- based mobile app quit support to China’s National Tobacco Control Association as the founder of Live Council. She was an early advisor to Nightingale Housing, which has delivered 517 homes with a total commercial value of > AU$350MM (with the same in development) and co-founder of SugarByHalf, led by Dr. Peter Bruckner OAM, which has driven Australian federal reform in type 2 diabetes management. Mei Ling has also been instrumental in addressing gender equity as an advisor to Respect Victoria, ManCave, Flourish Girl, and Founding Chair of TeachUsConsent (TUC), which achieved mandatory consent education across Australia during her tenure.
She holds the distinction of being the youngest ministerial appointment on the prestigious Board of the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation, which continues to operate at the forefront of ground-breaking public health reforms. Mei Ling’s contributions to innovation and commercial translation are recognised through an ESA Young Researcher of the Year Award, a major grant from LaunchVic, Victoria’s state innovation fund, and as doctor- inresidence for the digital agency Portable (BRW’s ‘Fast 100’). She was appointed to the World Economic Forum Young Global Leader (WEF YGL) for contributions to global public health. Mei Ling holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS), a Bachelor of Medical Science (BMedSci), “An Examination of Commercial spin-offs from Manned Spaceflight”, and a Master of Public Health (MPH) from the University of Melbourne.
