Daniela is dedicated to empowering early-stage startups by providing strategic insights, funding guidance, and hands-on mentorship. With a deep understanding of business development and scaling operations, she helps founders navigate the complexities of growing their businesses in highly competitive markets. Passionate about identifying disruptive startups with high growth potential, she works closely with them to refine their business models, develop scalable strategies, and secure the necessary resources to thrive. Her mission is to bridge the gap between visionary founders and the capital and networks they need to succeed. She is a hard-working, dynamic, and determined person who strongly believes in transparency, clarity, loyalty, and competence, and she has based her professional career on these values.

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Dr. Mo Kagalwala received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine and MBA from UCSD Rady School of Management.  Dr. Kagalwala completed postdoctoral fellowships at MD Anderson Cancer Center and the Salk Institute. In 2020, he moved to Immuneering Corporation as Head/Sr. Director of Neuroscience Development where he played a pivotal role in advancing two drug pipelines, and straddled business development leading to successful pharma partnerships, including an IPO exit. Later, Dr. Kagalwala co-founded AlleoLabs, an early-stage biotech company focused on developing precision medicine for CNS diseases. His research topics mainly include Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and other neurological disorders over the last 19years. Dr. Kagalwala enjoys mentoring next generation of entrepreneurs at the Basement and StartR programs at UCSD.  

Rachel Tsunemoto Hislop is a Principal, Director of Research at Two Bear Capital. She works in San Diego where she leads a team responsible for producing high-impact, data-driven insights to support strategic and investment decisions at Two Bear Capital. Prior to joining Two Bear Capital, Rachel’s experiences in the therapeutic development process spanned from preclinical to post-approval. Most recently, Rachel was part of the medical affairs team at Acorda Therapeutics. Previously, she was a researcher on a California Institute of Regenerative Medicine grant in the laboratories of Dr. Lawrence Goldstein and Dr. Samuel Pfaff. Trained as a neuroscientist, Rachel earned her PhD from the University of California San Diego in Neuroscience where her work in the laboratory of Dr. Kristin Baldwin led to publications in “Nature, Nature Neuroscience,” and “The EMBO Journal.” She received her BS from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Brain and Cognitive Sciences with a minor in Biomedical Engineering.

Dr. Sid Kerkar is a prominent physician-scientist and biomedical innovator with an extensive career in cancer immunotherapy and translational research.  After earning his M.D. from Wayne State University School of Medicine, he honed his expertise during his post-doctoral research and clinical fellowships at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) where he worked on pioneering techniques in T cell biology and adoptive cellular therapies under the mentorship of leaders like Dr. Steven A. Rosenberg.  Over the years, Dr. Kerkar has contributed his expertise and leadership at major companies including Bristol Myers Squibb, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Eli Lilly & Company, and EXUMA Biotech, focusing on immuno-oncology, biomarkers, and cell & gene therapy. His career blends groundbreaking laboratory research with strategic leadership in clinical development, and he has contributed significantly to the scientific literature while also serving in roles that shape industry. More recently, Dr. Kerkar founded Kerkar Consulting LLC and AzureJayBio, Inc., a new Bootstrapping Biotech startup focused on discovering and developing the next generation of gene and cell therapies for oncology and serious allergic and anaphylactic diseases.

Dr. Brar founded Jaan Biotherapeutics in 2015, following 7 years at Zensun USA, where she held various positions including the Vice President of Clinical Research, managing a United States Phase 2 clinical trial for a first in class therapeutic for the treatment of heart failure. Dr. Brar completed her undergraduate degree in Biochemistry from Swansea University in Wales and a Ph.D. in Physiology/Endocrinology from the University of Reading U.K. Dr. Brar has served as a consultant for many years helping companies to develop therapeutics through clinical testing before founding Jaan Biotherapeutics. Dr. Brar is an inventor/co-inventor of numerous patents targeting MicroRNAs to treat heart disease.

Dr. Dave Messina is a scientist-turned-entrepreneur and investor with over 25 years of experience in healthcare. He is a General Partner at Pioneer Fund, where he leads the Future of Health Fund. Before joining Pioneer, Dave founded Cofactor Genomics, a personalized medicine company that he led to national Medicare reimbursement for its RNA and machine learning technology to improve cancer treatment decisions. Earlier in his career, he worked on the Human Genome Project and earned a PhD in computational biology in Stockholm, Sweden. Dave brings deep technical expertise and firsthand founder experience to support the next generation of companies building the future of health.

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Heather Koshinsky, Chair, Bio + Health Track, SkyDeck, is a serial entrepreneur who is the SF Bay Area University of Saskatchewan Alumni Ambassador, an Alumni of Influence of the University of Saskatchewan, College of Arts and Science and has a PhD from the University of Saskatchewan, College of Agriculture and Bioresources. From University of California, Berkeley Hass School of Business, Extension Heather has Certificates in Business Administration, in Business Analysis, in Marketing, in Digital Marketing and in Business Analytics for Marketing Professionals. She was the co-founder of 4 successful startups. Notably she was the co-founder and CEO at Investigen that receives royalty revenue for its IP, and co-founder and CSO at Eureka Genomics, which developed Eureka Genotyping that Thermo Fisher Scientific now sells internationally and is the VP of Innovation and Brand Integrity to LevGo.