STARTUP MASTERY | Beyond Species: The Biotech Crossover

Discussing cross-sector innovation, dual-market IP, capital velocity in animal health. Featuring experts from Elanco and local startups.
About this Event

Innovation doesn't stop at the boundary of a single species. Today, the lines between human biotech, medtech, and animal health are blurring into a massive, interconnected marketplace. Founders who understand how to navigate this convergence are unlocking faster go-to-market timelines, maximizing the value of their intellectual property, and catching the eye of global corporate investors.

Join Launch Fishers and Plug and Play Indiana for our 3rd Startup Mastery program. This is a deep-dive masterclass designed for entrepreneurs, clinical innovators, and ecosystem leaders across the entire life sciences spectrum. We are bringing together an elite panel of veteran operators who have successfully built, commercialized, and scaled breakthrough innovations by operating fluidly at the intersection of human and animal healthcare.

What We Will Dissect

• The Cross-Over IP Playbook: How to maximize the value of technologies by leveraging dual-market potential across human and animal health.
• Corporate Spin-Ins & Licensing: The mechanics of identifying, buying back, or licensing IP out of big pharma to commercialize it independently.
• Navigating Corporate Venture Capital: Deep strategic insights into how corporate investment groups evaluate early-stage clinical and tech innovation.
• The One Health Ecosystem Advantage: How Midwest life sciences hubs are uniquely positioned to accelerate tech transfer and startup growth.

Meet the Mastermind Panelists

• Eric Steager, Managing Director at Ventures: Bringing an elite pedigree from both sides of corporate venture capital, Eric previously spearheaded investments at Anthem Ventures (human health). He is now pulling back the curtain on the newly announced $25M Elanco Ventures Fund, revealing exactly what strategic corporate investors look for when backing early-stage startups from Pre-Seed to Series A.
• Mark Schindel, Angel Investor & Exited Founder: Mark cracked the ultimate life-sciences playbook. Backed by a deep career in human MedTech, he identified a parallel market gap, developed high-value IP with a highly efficient commercialization footprint, and engineered a major exit to Zoetis — the largest animal health company on the planet. Mark also serves as Chief Commercial Officer and General Manager of Saint Roch Veterinary, which develops science-backed, veterinarian-evaluated products for companion animals.
• Tom Campi, DVM, Founder & CEO at : A master of cross-sector asset utilization. After leading global regulatory and technology acquisitions inside Elanco, Tom recognized a rare opportunity. He successfully negotiated and acquired the global animal health rights to Modulant’s IP from an enterprise holding the human health rights—creating an incredible blueprint for multi-market IP orchestration.
• Aaron Gilbertie, Co-Founder & CEO at : Aaron is another powerhouse operator who spun out of corporate leadership at Elanco to build from the ground up. His venture, Krishi, is disrupting point-of-care diagnostics for livestock, serving as a prime example of how highly skilled professionals recognize market gaps and rapidly deploy enterprise-level expertise into agile startups.

Agenda

🕑: 09:00 AM - 09:15 AM
Check-in + Networking + Light Breakfast
🕑: 09:20 AM - 10:00 AM
Moderated Panel Discussion
🕑: 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Q&A + Final Thoughts + Networking