
Catalyst Capital Symposia
Mental Health & Brain Technologies
Join us for an enlightening symposium dedicated to exploring the intersection of mental health and cutting-edge brain technologies. This event brings together leading experts, researchers, clinicians, innovators, and startups to discuss the latest advancements in neuroscience.
Pitch Deck Help?
Are you a California startup developing a device, therapy, or diagnostic?
You may be eligible for 16 hours of complimentary Pitch Deck Consulting.
Agenda
11:30 AM
- Investor Forum (accredited investors only)
12:30 PM
- Check-In & Networking
1:00 PM
- Lost in Translation: Leveraging Human Brain Organoids for Therapeutic Discovery
- Speaker: Robert T. Fremeau, Jr., Ph.D.
1:30 PM
- The Autism Resource Project
- Speaker: Gilda Evans & Christopher Cope
2:00 PM
- Plasma Proteomics Unlock Novel Insights into Brain Aging and New Therapies for Neurodegenerative Diseases
- Speaker: Irit Rappley
2:30 PM
- Developing First-in-class Nanotherapeutics for the Treatment of Neurological Disorders
- Speaker: Dr. Elena Molokanova
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
- Startup Showcase
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
- Happy Hour & Networking & Startup Market
Prizes
- $20k in office/lab space
- Digital Marketing and Branding Services (worth $5,000)
- $25k custom UX design package from the largest femtech incubator in the US
- Exploratory biostatistics package: 3 reports
- Membership to Mayo Clinic Innovation Exchange
- Regulatory kit and Regulatory strategy consulting (Medical Device only)
- $5,000 Legal fees
- Two months campaign on startup program
- 3-day ticket to the upcoming 2025 RESI Conference
- Contingent Permanent Placement ($5,000 off); Retained Search services ($5,000 off)
- $5,000 of tax services
Learn from Subject Matter Experts
.jpg)
Robert T. Fremeau, Jr., Ph.D.
CEO/CSO of BrainStorm Therapeutics, Inc.
Dr. Fremeau, a molecular neuroscientist and biotech entrepreneur, leads BrainStorm Therapeutics in developing an AI-powered human brain organoid platform to address neurodegeneration. At Vyant Bio, he transitioned the company into a drug discovery platform, targeting genetic neurodevelopmental disorders like Rett syndrome and CDKL5 deficiency disorder. He has an academic background at UCSF and Duke, contributing to neurotransmitter research, and holds over 65 publications and multiple patents. Dr. Fremeau has served on the Editorial Board of “Molecular Pharmacology” and reviewed grants for NINDS and NSF. He completed his postdoc at Columbia University and earned his PhD at George Washington University.

Gilda Evans
Founder and President, Autism Resource Project
Coming from a background in media and entertainment, Gilda Evans is the founder of the Autism Resource Project (ARP) and host of the Autism Resource Podcast. With decades of experience advocating for neurodivergent and disabled individuals, and as a single mother to three children, the youngest son being autistic, she is passionate about helping others facing similar challenges. After navigating through schools, regional centers, and government offices to support her youngest son’s educational and life needs, Gilda recognized the necessity for a central knowledge hub. ARP was established to bring together the scattered supports and services and provide a reliable, 24/7 global community resource where people, whether neurodivergent/disabled or supporting someone who is, can find answers from trusted professionals and sources.

Christopher Cope
Vice President, Autism Resource Project
Chris has spent the past 30 years in marketing, business development and business strategy. His career spans across multiple industries including hotels, wines, live music and event production, and film production studios. In 2021 he co-founded a film and television production studio utilizing the Virtual Production technology. He now provides business plan development, marketing, and business strategy consulting services for a variety of companies. He lends his experience and knowledge of marketing strategy as a volunteer to ARP and as a mentor to entrepreneurs.

Irit Rappley
Chief Scientific Officer at Teal Omics
Irit is a scientific and strategic leader with demonstrated success developing and implementing organizational and drug discovery portfolio strategies. Throughout her previous leadership roles Irit has developed broad experience with all stages of drug discovery, from screening and target validation to translational biomarkers and first in human trials, with deep expertise in neurodegenerative diseases and protein homeostasis across multiple modalities. In addition to her role at Teal, Irit serves on the Board of Directors of ALZpath and on the Scientific Advisory Board of Alleo Labs. Prior to joining Teal, Irit served as VP Neuroscience & Translational Research at Recursion, and previously she helped build the Neuroscience group at Celgene/BMS from the ground up.

Dr. Elena Molokanova
Founder and CEO of NeurANO Biosciences
Dr. Elena Molokanova is the Founder and CEO of NeurANO Biosciences, a preclinical neuroscience drug discovery company developing first-in-class nanotherapeutics aimed at treating a broad range of neurological disorders. These include Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, traumatic brain injury, depression, opioid addiction, and pain. Dr. Molokanova holds an M.S. in Physics and a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences with a specialization in biophysics and neuroscience. She has pioneered several cutting-edge interdisciplinary innovations, such as ultra-fast quantum dot-based sensors for detecting electrical activity in cells, a graphene-mediated optical stimulation platform for cellular activation (an alternative to optogenetics), and multimodal graphene-based sensors for monitoring cellular functionality. Her research has spanned diverse fields, including the biophysics of ion channels (UC Berkeley), clinical neurology studies involving Parkinson's disease patients and astronauts from the Mir Space Station (Institute of Space Neurology, Austria), neuroscience drug discovery (Amgen), high-content imaging (Life Technologies), and neurodegenerative disorders (Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute).
MC/MODERATOR
STARTUP SHOWCASE
.png)











JUDGES

Ralph Morales III
Managing Director at Shokunin Ventures
Ralph Morales III is an accomplished leader in the wearables and health tech space, with over 15 years of experience driving innovation and market growth. He has held pivotal roles at companies like Oura, where he led the development of healthcare solutions that generated significant revenue and expanded digital health capabilities. Ralph is a solution advocate for integrating digital biomarkers and real-time health insights to improve therapeutic outcomes and advance health span.

CJ Hinshaw
CJ Hinshaw, General Partner at Bootstrap Venture Partners
CJ Hinshaw is a General Partner at Bootstrap Venture Partners, where he focuses on empowering early-stage healthcare and life sciences companies to achieve meaningful impact. With a strong foundation in finance and operations, CJ leverages his passion for financial analysis and strategic decision-making to drive business success. His experience spans various roles in the investment, health tech, and life science industries, supporting high-growth companies. CJ's expertise includes venture capital, market analysis, and operational leadership.

Daniela Di Iasio
Venture Partner, Maximus
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.

Hussain Ahamed
Founder
Hussain Ahamed is the founder of HuTech Ventures which advises (and occasionally invests in) deep tech startups, venture funds and corporates in health tracking & diagnostics (wearables, biowearables, point-of-care solutions, multi-omics…) and robotics & automation.
He has over a decade of experience in wearable technology launching various products and partnerships, including the Gucci x Oura Ring, the world’s first self-powered fitness trackers (PowerWatch, MOTHER bracelet), and world’s first smart watchbands for traditional timepieces.

Sachin Barot
VP, Business Development Seed Healthcare
Seasoned entrepreneur and executive with 25+ years of experience leading companies through growth and transformation. Today, I focus on businesses that advance preventative healthcare, expand access to underserved populations, and promote mental health and environmental conservation. As a former Wall Street professional and Founder/CEO of a leading plant science company, I’ve successfully scaled multiple ventures. My expertise includes streamlining operations, securing funding, and driving growth through strategic sales and marketing. I’m passionate about creating lasting positive change for people and the planet through innovative business solutions.
Judges





Sponsors
Startup Market
Catalyst Capital Symposia
Activating Startups
This monthly forum provides a unique opportunity for participants to gain valuable insights into emerging sectors and disruptive technologies that have the potential to revolutionize human health, the environment, and society.
Through engaging discussions, informative panels, and interactive workshops, aspiring and seasoned entrepreneurs and investors can learn about essential concepts, strategies, and best practices directly from industry experts.
By engaging the venture and startup ecosystem, the symposia encourages investors to be activists and empower startups with cutting-edge technology.
Investing in Startups
Join the ranks of investor-activists who not only provide financial backing but also lend their expertise, networks, and influence to nurture startups, catalyzing a collective effort towards a brighter, more innovative future.
Startups: Apply to Pitch
Pitch your startup to an audience of industry experts, colleagues, and seasoned investors to gain valuable insights and feedback, forge strategic partnerships and connections, secure vital funding for your pioneering project, and elevate your startup to the next level!
Apply to pitch at one of the upcoming symposiums.
Connecting with Potential Customers
Sponsorship at Catalyst Capital Symposia provides a range of advantages, such as heightened brand visibility, lead generation, networking opportunities, thought leadership, and early access to emerging technologies.
To explore the ways in which your company can benefit from sponsoring our event, reach out to us for more information.