WIB-Capital Region: Coffee Chat - Washington, DC

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 Women in Bio - Capital Region at Children's National Research & Innovation Campus for this event hosted in partnership with SOAR Bio and BioBuzz. Overview Start your morning with coffee, conversation, and connection. Women in Bio – Capital Region invites women across the life sciences community to an informal, intimate Coffee Chat during DC Startup & Tech Week. Whether you're a founder, scientist, investor, operator, or building your career in the industry, this is a chance to meet peers, share what you're working on, and build relationships that last well beyond the week. Space is limited to keep the conversation personal. Stay for more: After the Coffee Chat, stay on campus for The DC Advantage, hosted by SOAR Bio and BioBuzz. Leaders from Children's National, Virginia Tech, Georgetown, SOAR Bio, and the DC Deputy Mayor's office discuss the new company-building playbook: translating research, developing entrepreneurial talent, and doing more with less. Networking for The DC Advantage begins at 9:30 AM, with the program starting at 10:00. Separate registration required: https://luma.com/1y5fnnzx Agenda 8:00–8:10 AM | Arrival & Welcome 8:10–8:20 AM | WIB Welcome & Introduction Somy Hooshmand, PhD Richelle Wilson, MS 8:20–8:35 AM | Featured Speaker Kirsten Bowland, PhD 8:35–10:00 AM | Coffee & Connections Networking and informal conversation Optional: Attendees can stay afterward to continue with the Children’s National program. Hosted By Women In Bio (WIB) is a professional organization committed to promoting the careers, leadership, and entrepreneurship of women in the life sciences, and its membership and events are open to everyone who supports that mission. Founded in 2011, WIB-Capital Region was originally the national headquarters of WIB. The chapter creates opportunities for women in the life sciences and encourages them to turn new discoveries into products. Its members work at pharmaceutical, biotech, device, and diagnostics companies, as well as nonprofits, universities, government agencies, and service firms in finance, law, and consulting. The chapter's signature event, the annual HERstory Gala, honors women trailblazers making a significant impact in the region. Learn more at womeninbio.org. 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. Learn more at research.childrensnational.org. About the Collaborators BioBuzz Networks A Community of Communities for Life Sciences BioBuzz is on a mission to build the largest, most connected network of life sciences communities in the world to advance innovation. For nearly two decades, BioBuzz has connected the people and organizations driving the industry across the BioHealth Capital Region, Greater Philadelphia, and North Carolina through news, events, and workforce programs. As a community of communities, BioBuzz helps you build your career and make the most of the ecosystem around you. Learn more at biobuzz.io. SOAR Bio Washington, D.C.'s First Life Science Venture Studio SOAR Bio challenges the "raise big, spend big" habit in American life science. Its companies are led by experienced founders who run both the science and the business, supported by a small team shared across programs and AI built into research and operations. The studio funds only the experiments that change a decision (advance, revise, or stop) and measures progress by what each dollar achieves, not by headcount or the size of the last round. Founded by Murat Kalayoglu and Michael Singer, SOAR Bio builds companies across therapeutics, devices, and diagnostics, including Lysin, Klarify Bio, and Nightwatch Bio. Through its CEO Fellowship, it trains the next generation of founders to execute before they manage. Learn more at soar.bio. DCSTW The DMV's Flagship Startup and Tech Conference Now in its 11th year, DC Startup & Tech Week is the DMV's flagship startup and tech conference, running October 19–23, 2026. What started as a single week has grown into a genuine engine for the region's founders — bringing together entrepreneurs, investors, and innovators from across the DMV and beyond. The event draws founders from dozens of countries — 27 in 2025 alone — with 2026 attendance expected to reach 10,000 to 12,000, making it one of the largest gatherings of its kind on the East Coast. Across the week, attendees get access to investor connections, hands-on workshops, founder resources, and the kind of dense, high-signal networking that's hard to find anywhere else in the region. DC Startup & Tech Week exists to prove what founders here already know: that the nation's capital isn't just where policy gets made — it's where the next generation of great companies is being built. Learn more at dcstw.com.