UH College of Business Administration's Kipapa Lecture Series Brings Top Biotech Venture Capitalists to Hawaii

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Contact:
Tracy Taira, (808) 956-8780
Development Assistant
Posted: Nov 12, 2002

On Tuesday, November 19, 2002, the Kipapa i ke Ala Lecture Series, sponsored by the University of Hawaiʻi College of Business Administration, will feature a panel of veteran Silicon Valley biotech venture capitalists in a wide-ranging discussion on the future of the life sciences industry and the opportunities for the state of Hawaii in this burgeoning sector. The future of life sciences in Hawaiʻi will be viewed from the perspective of some of the top VCs in the nation who have been instrumental in financing leading companies on the mainland and abroad.

The topic of the panel will be "The Life Sciences/Biotech Industry: Today‘s Challenges and Opportunities." Panelists will include Robert Bellas of Morgenthaler Ventures, Samuel Colella of Institutional Venture Partners, and Roger Quy of Technology Partners. The panel will be moderated by biotech attorney Richard Sherman of Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel and Hawaii Biotech.

The lecture is free of charge and will be held from 5 to 6 p.m. at the UH Manoa School of Architecture Auditorium. To RSVP, call 956-8780 or e-mail ttaira@cba.hawaii.edu. Parking will be available on campus for $3. For more information, visit www.uhcbakipapa.com.

The panel will begin with a discussion of the state of the life sciences industry and then examine where the hot medical technology investments will be going over the next five years. According to moderator Richard Sherman, the panel will be valuable for a local audience because it will also look at themes such as what biotech bets make the most sense for Hawaiʻi, how the state can bring in mainland capital, how best can Hawaiʻi groom its own pool of scientific talent, and what benefits the new UH medical school and research center in Kakaako will bring. Sherman says, "If you look at the depth of experience and sophistication of the people on this panel, you begin to understand what a terrific opportunity it will be to hear what they have to say about the future of life sciences businesses in our State."

Biographical Sketches of Biotech Panelists

Robert Bellas joined Morgenthaler in 1983, bringing with him 10 years of general management experience in venture-backed and emerging growth companies. Bellas was general manager of the electronics division of Harshaw Corporation, until its sale to Kaiser in 1983. He served as director of marketing and sales of Acurex Corporation until 1980. Between 1973 and 1977, he was vice president of marketing and sales at SHM Nuclear Corporation (acquired by EMI Medical), and earlier served as a line officer on nuclear submarines. Bellas has been responsible for Morgenthaler's involvement in numerous information technology and health care companies that have completed public offerings or successful mergers. He is a past director of the Western Association of Venture Capitalists (WAVC), and currently serves as a director of the Stanford Business School Trust.

Samuel Colella co-founded Versant Ventures following 20 years of successful operational roles in high technology industries and more than 17 years with Institutional Venture Partners (IVP). Colella joined IVP as a general partner in 1984 and launched the firm's Life Science Group in 1985, one of the first such focused groups within a venture capital firm in the industry. With investments focused in medical devices, biotechnology and e-Health companies, Colella is credited with an extensive list of successful public life sciences companies, including Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Vivus, Pharmacopoeia, CV Therapeutics, Symyx Technologies, Aviron, Tularik and Argonaut Technologies. His professional affiliations include a term as an officer in the National Venture Capital Association, the Western Association of Venture Capitalists and the American Entrepreneurs for Economic Growth. Colella has a BS in Business and Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and an MBA from Stanford University.

Roger Quy joined Technology Partners in 1989, where he has been responsible for building the life sciences practice of the firm. Previously, he led an artificial intelligence research group at Hewlett Packard Laboratories. Prior to that, he managed the development of medical devices at Oxford Instruments Group in England. Quy began his career as a post-doctoral Research Fellow of the Medical Research Council at the Institute of Neurology in London, where he developed new techniques and devices for the diagnosis and treatment of neurological, cardiac and sleep disorders. Quy‘s involvement as a director of several public and private companies includes Calypte Biomedical, Cell Pathways, Cryogen, InnerCool Therapies, Iridex Medical, Leptos Biomedical, Medwave, Rinat NeuroScience, and Spinal Dynamics. Quy has published a number of scientific papers and contributed to a textbook on epilepsy. He has four patents issued and one pending. Quy earned a BA with honors in psychology and law and a PhD in neuroscience from the University of Keele, England. He received an MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. Quy is a director of the Western Association of Venture Capitalists, is a member of the advisory council of the Lester Entrepreneurial Center at the University of California, Berkeley, and served on the steering committee of the Hiller Aviation Educational Institute.

Richard Sherman joined Goodsill Anderson Quinn and Stifel as Counsel in 2000, bringing his experience as an attorney and consultant in the areas of licensing, corporate structuring, mergers and acquisitions, financing and other complex transactions for clients which include pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device/products/services companies. He also provides strategic support and advice to life sciences companies, research institutions and investors. Sherman has served as director of IBAH, Inc., Sparta Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Cytomed, Inc. and Hawaii Biotech, Inc. He has also held such positions as president, Delaware Valley Chapter of the American Corporate Counsel Association; president and vice-chairman, American Music Theater Festival; trustee of the Stepfamily Association of America; executive committee member, START Technology Partnership; and investment review committee member, Ben Franklin Technology Center. Sherman is currently a member of the boards of Mera Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Kenna Technologies, Inc., Biophage, Inc., The Sbarro Health Research Institute and the HiBEAM business accelerator. He serves on advisory boards for UH Connections and MarBec.

Kipapa i ke Ala Lecture Series

The biotech panel talk is the first talk of the 2002-2003 series of lectures funded by the Emmett R. Quady Foundation and sponsored by the University of Hawaiʻi College of Business Administration. The Kipapa i ke Ala forum, which translates to "paving the way," brings the best and brightest from the world of international business to share their knowledge with students, faculty, alumni and members of the greater Hawaiʻi community. Participants include top venture capitalists, venture attorneys, CEOs, academics and high-tech visionaries.

For more information, visit: http://www.uhcbakipapa.com