Each year, SwedenBIO works to help member companies achieve their goals at JP. Morgan and this year was no exception. Our International Director, Marjo Puumalainen and Community Manager Linn Mattsson teamed up with BusinessSweden, the Swedish Consulate in San Francisco and the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce in San Francisco to offer different types of opportunities designed to maximize the benefits for our attending members in particular and Swedish companies in general. We asked three of the attending Swedish CEOs about their experience and take-aways from this year’s conference.
“All about access to the right people”
Paul Little, CEO of Atrogi, says his objectives in attending were to raise awareness for Atrogi’s programs, meet new contacts, network and catch up with friends and colleagues. “JPM is all about access to the right people at the start of the year and that is always the subtext”, he explains.
What was the highlight of the week?
– The weather! Obviously, sunshine makes everything seem better. The general mood was cautiously optimistic although some felt that the number of people was lower and the big deal splash was tempered…
What’s your advice for Swedish companies considering attending JPM?
– Pack for all weather, do not think of San Francisco as a tourist destination, plan well in advance and understand that distances include both hills and very slow elevators. Otherwise, be open to chatting with anyone anywhere about what you are pitching. Some of the best conversations happen while waiting for the planned conversations!
“More relevant contacts than we were hoping for”
Petra Szeszula, CEO and co-founder of BrainZell, was invited by JP Morgan to attend the actual JPM Healthcare conference: “Our first objective was to experience it for the first time and learn for the next time” she explains, adding that her team booked meetings with pharma, San Francisco-based biotechs and investors outside the main conference as well. “We aimed to make a lot of relevant contacts just by chance, which we actually did and fulfilled this aim more than we were hoping for!”
Which conferences did you attend and how did you structure your week?
– We were at the JPM Healthcare conference during the day, listening to presenting companies, both big pharma and privately held companies. We started our week with the Nordic evening followed by the Swedish breakfast, which was excellent! During the week we attended multiple side events, both in the morning and in the evening, among them HC Wainwright dinner, Bits in Bio, and The End of Slow Science: Inside Pharma’s AI-Accelerated Future.
What was the highlight of the week?
– The Swedish breakfast – a really great event, we especially appreciated the CNS breakout session and possibility to meet with an international crowd. However, we strengthened connections with Swedish companies as well! Regarding the JP Morgan conference – private companies track, where our great role model, the TechBio company Insitro presented. The keynote talk with JPMorgan Chase CEO, Jamie Dimon was also noteworthy. And at The End of Slow Science: Inside Pharma’s AI-Accelerated Future – we connected with a lot of relevant people there. The walk along the Bay Trail in the Pharma hub of South San Francisco was also interesting.
What’s your advice for Swedish companies considering attending?
– Just go there that week and sign up for the side events, you might meet super relevant people without spending money on the matchmaking platforms. Book meetings with SanFran based partners, there is a huge hub full of pharma and biotech companies at San Francisco South (around Oyster Point Blvd). Book hotels six months in advance and you will get one close to Union Square for a good price. We used the Biotech Hunter website to find side events.
“Start planning well in advance”
Samuel Svensson, CEO of Neogap, attended with the aim to raise awareness of Neogap and their personalized cell therapy, meet new contacts, expand his network, and gain insight into emerging industry trends, objectives that were successfully met, he explains.
How did you structure your week?
– I attended the reception at the Norwegian Consulate, the Swedish breakfast where I pitched, and the WuXi Global Forum. In addition, a significant part of the week was dedicated to networking across various events and attending evening receptions.
What was the highlight?
– In addition to the fantastic weather, there was a noticeably more optimistic sentiment across the biotech sector. We also established several strong new connections that will be important for future collaborations.
What’s your advice for Swedish companies considering attending JPM?
– Start planning well in advance!
