SAN MATEO, Calif., Oct. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Diabetes Association® (ADA) invites life science leaders, business professionals, angel investors and venture capitalists to the 23rd Annual Leaders Forum HealthTech Showcase on November 2, 2018 from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm PT at the Marriott in San Mateo, California. The Leaders Forum HealthTech Showcase connects investors and industry experts to healthcare startup companies, while benefitting the ADA's mission to prevent and cure diabetes, and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes.
Over 400 San Francisco Bay Area healthcare industry, venture capital, banking, legal, accounting and other executives will have the opportunity to meet with more than 50 startup companies focused on unmet medical needs. The event begins mid-morning with an Exhibitor Showcase where more than 50 participants display their technology or innovation in tabletop presentations, followed by a luncheon during which the top three companies present to a panel of judges and the event attendees. The attendees then vote for the most innovative startup of the day, and the winner receives a prize of $10,000. Though only one company wins the prize, any startup can potentially be funded by one or more of the many investors attending the event. While most of the companies are Silicon Valley/San Francisco Bay Area startups, the event draws applicants from across the country.
"The Leaders Forum HealthTech Showcase is what Silicon Valley is about: innovation, technology and progress. It offers healthcare investors and experts visibility into the newest concepts from entrepreneurs in any medical area, while contributing to an important cause," said Karen Talmadge, PhD, 2018 Chair of the ADA's National Board of Directors, an award-winning healthcare entrepreneur and a co-founder of the Leaders Forum HealthTech Showcase.
"Nearly half of American adults have diabetes or prediabetes, and the impact on the patient, their family, and our society is profoundly underestimated," she continued. "Many of the healthcare executives and entrepreneurs attending our HealthTech Showcase played a critical role in the creation of technologies that dramatically improved the ability of people with diabetes to manage their disease, because poorly controlled diabetes is a leading cause of heart attack, stroke, blindness, kidney failure, nerve damage and amputations. I am grateful to all the sponsors of the HealthTech Showcase who are helping the ADA fight this terrible disease, while also bringing expertise and possibly even funding to help the newest medical industry entrepreneurs pursue their innovations for all diseases. The pioneers at this Showcase may even have the next great win for diabetes or other diseases."
Leading sponsors of the HealthTech Showcase include Gynesonics, Life Science Angels, ABD Insurance and Financial Services, and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. Table sponsors include Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Connor Group, Deloitte, Emergent Medical Partners LLP, Ernst & Young, Evercore ISI, Grant Thornton, Greenstein, Rogoff, Olsen & Co. (GROCO) CPA's and Tax Advisors, Healthcare Royalty Partners, Knobbe Martens, KPMG, Latham and Watkins LLP, Moss Adams LLP, Murdock Martell, Perkins Coie LLP, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Shay Glenn LLP, and Sidley Austin LLP.
Information on sponsoring the event and purchasing tickets is available at www.diabetes.org/leadersforum18.
About the American Diabetes Association
Approximately every 21 seconds, someone in the United States is diagnosed with diabetes. Nearly half of the American adult population has diabetes or prediabetes, and more than 30 million adults and children are living with the disease. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is the nation's leading voluntary health organization on a mission to prevent and cure diabetes, as well as improve the lives of all people affected by the disease. For nearly 80 years, the ADA has driven discovery by funding research to treat, manage and prevent all types of diabetes, while working relentlessly for a cure. Magnifying the urgency of this epidemic, the ADA works to safeguard policies and programs that protect people with the illness, those at risk of developing diabetes and the health care professionals who serve them by initiating programs, advocacy and education efforts that can lead to improved health outcomes and quality of life. To learn more or to get involved, call 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383) or visit us at diabetes.org. Information is available in English and Spanish. Join the conversation with us on Facebook (American Diabetes Association), Twitter (@AmDiabetesAssn) and Instagram (@AmDiabetesAssn).
Contact: Jennifer Bryant, 408-241-1922 ext. 7470
jbryant@diabetes.org
SOURCE American Diabetes Association
