The DC Advantage

This event is part of DC Startup & Tech Week (DCSTW), the DMV’s largest Startup & Tech Conference and Community. Think SXSW, but for DC — five days, 9,000+ attendees. Join life sciences leaders and ecosystem builders for this curated event at Children's National Research & Innovation Campus hosted by SOAR Bio and BioBuzz. Overview Great science needs great company builders. DC is bringing them together. Step inside the Children’s National Research & Innovation Campus and you’ll find pediatric research, a cancer research center, and a life sciences venture studio pairing seasoned entrepreneurs with emerging founders. Here, the journey from discovery to company starts with people who can meet face to face, share expertise, and get to work. That proximity doesn’t stop at the door. Across Greater Washington, universities, federal agencies, investors, and entrepreneurs bring the science, talent, policy expertise, and capital that young companies need. The opportunity is turning those ingredients into companies that deliver. The DC Advantage puts the institutions, operators, and founders building that future in the same room. Join SOAR Bio and BioBuzz for a morning of conversation about the new company-building playbook: translating research, developing entrepreneurial talent, and doing more with less. Hear what’s working, what still gets in the way, and why these leaders are choosing to build here. Agenda 9:30 AM — Doors Open + Networking 10:00 AM — Under One Roof: From Discovery to Company A pediatric research hospital, a cancer research center, and a life sciences venture studio bring different strengths to the same challenge: getting promising science out of the lab and into the world. Leaders from Children’s National, Virginia Tech, and SOAR Bio will explore what happens when those strengths come together, how partnerships take shape, and what it takes to turn a discovery into a company. Nathan Kuppermann, MD, MPH, EVP & Chief Academic Officer, Children's National Chris Hourigan, DM, DPhil, FRCP, Director, Cancer Research Center–D.C., Virginia Tech Murat Kalayoglu, MD, PhD, Founding Partner, SOAR Bio 10:40 AM — The New Playbook: Build Companies. Build Founders. Founders learn by building. Hear from a startup CEO, a venture-studio Partner and CEO Fellow, and the educator preparing the talent that growing companies need. They’ll talk plainly about making the leap from scientist to entrepreneur, finding mentors, building teams, and stretching limited resources. This is a conversation about what building here really takes, and how to prepare the next generation to do it. Al Mashal, PhD, Co-Founder & CEO, Current Surgical Patrick McTamney, PhD, Partner & CEO Fellow, SOAR Bio Ivica Labuda, PhD, Program Director, Biotechnology Masters Program, Georgetown University 11:20 AM — Fueling What’s Next: DC and the BioHealth Capital Region Ambition needs infrastructure, investment, and connections. This panel explores what DC is building, what it’s funding, and why. Hear how local support and federal partnerships can create opportunities for founders, how DC connects with Maryland and Virginia, and what it will take to turn the region’s strengths into the next generation of life sciences companies. Adam Lattimore, MPA, Director, Technology & Innovation, Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Eric Van Gieson, PhD, Senior Advisor, The Conafay Group, former DARPA Program Manager, Biological Technologies Office Murat Kalayoglu, MD, PhD, Founding Partner, SOAR Bio 12:00 PM — Closing If you’re weighing where to build, looking for your next collaboration, or want to be better connected to the people shaping DC’s life sciences community, this is your room. Come early. Meet the people building here. Bring your questions. Networking begins at 9:30 AM. The program runs from 10:00 AM to noon. Venue Children's National Research & Innovation Campus Children’s National Hospital has created a one-of-a-kind research and innovation hub that drives discoveries that save and improve the lives of children. On a nearly 12-acre portion of the former, historic Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Northwest Washington, D.C., Children’s National has combined its strengths with those of public and private partners, including industry, universities, federal agencies, start-up companies and academic medical centers. Together, we have created an ecosystem that nurtures innovation from discovery to commercialization. Find out more at research.childrensnational.org/. About Children's National For 155 years, Children’s National has delivered expert pediatric care at every milestone. As the Washington, D.C., region’s only standalone children’s hospital, we provide comprehensive care for more than 250,000 kids each year. We are ranked one of the top 10 pediatric hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. We're also tied for #1 children's hospital in the Mid-Atlantic region. This recognition of our commitment to bringing health and well-being to all children continues to inspire our teams. As home to the Children’s National Research Institute and the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation, Children’s National receives more than 70% of its research funding from federal agencies, including 60% from the National Institutes of Health. In 2019, the HSC Health Care System became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Children's National. The system serves people with complex healthcare needs and eliminates barriers to health services. In 2024, its specialty hospital and therapy centers were renamed Children’s National Rehabilitation & Specialized Care. The health plan continues under the name Healthcare Services for Children with Special Needs. We’re recognized as committed advocates for children on local, state and federal health policy. In fact, we’re often the first at the table when pediatric healthcare legislation is being developed. Children and their families who come to Children’s National als