Past Tuesday Talks: Adventures in the Start Up World
Tuesday, December 13th, 2022
Presented by Seema Kumar, CEO, Cure
Thank you for joining us for a panel discussion focused on the trials and tribulations of startups and the challenges entrepreneurs face when building and recruiting a team. Featuring Laura Katz, CEO of Helaina, Joseph La Barge, CEO of Apertura, and Matthew Alcalde, Director of People and Culture, Humanity Health. Moderated by Seema Kumar, CEO of Cure.
*Cure is an affiliate of Deerfield Management
**Deerfield Management affiliates have a financial interest in Humanity Health
Tuesday Talks: Adventures in the Start Up World
When: Tuesday, December 13th, 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm Where: Rooftop at Cure. 345 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10010
Topic: A panel discussion focused on the trials and tribulations of startups Speakers: Laura Katz, CEO of Helaina, Joseph La Barge, CEO of Apertura, and Matthew Alcalde, Director of People and Culture, Humanity Health. Moderated by Seema Kumar, CEO of Cure.
*Cure is an affiliate of Deerfield Management
**Deerfield Management affiliates have a financial interest in Humanity Health
Featured Speakers
About Seema Kumar
Ms. Kumar joins Cure from Johnson & Johnson where she spent nearly 20 years in senior leadership positions, most recently serving as Global Head of the Office of Innovation, Global Health and Scientific Engagement. During her tenure, she led the launch of the company’s Innovation Centers, JLABS and Global Public Health initiatives, as well as the CoLaboratory at the World Economic Forum at Davos and the award winning COVID-19 educational broadcast program, “The Road to a Vaccine.”
About Laura Katz
Laura Katz, a food scientist, is the Founder and CEO of Helaina. Founded in 2019, Helaina is the first company to bring the immune-nourishing proteins in breast milk to a new infant formula category.
Disrupting the infant formula category, which has been stagnant for decades, Helaina has raised more than $25 million, including $20 million in Series A funding (co-led by Spark Capital and Siam Capital) announced in November 2021. Helaina is based in New York City.
About Joseph La Barge
Mr. La Barge is CEO and serves on the Board of Managers of Apertura Gene Therapy. Previously, he was an executive at Spark Therapeutics, Inc., serving as Chief Business Officer from 2019 to 2021 and as Chief Legal Officer from 2013 to 2019. In these roles, he oversaw many areas of the company’s growth, including business development, patient advocacy, quality assurance, legal affairs, compliance, finance, public policy, and global pricing and reimbursement, growing the company to 830 employees over eight years. He led the negotiation of Spark’s acquisition by Roche, raised more than $1 billion in capital from private and public financings, and oversaw the in-license of numerous product candidates and platform technologies. Mr. La Barge also managed the acquisition and construction of Spark’s initial 180,000 square feet of office and laboratory space, including GMP suites, to manufacture the global supply of Luxturna.
About Matthew Alcalde
Matthew Alcalde is the Director of People & Culture at Humanity Health, where he builds and supports a team of dedicated professionals who are passionate about the career advancement of leaders that are BIPOC and/or women in the healthcare and life sciences industries. Prior to joining Humanity Health, Matthew led recruitment at several start-up biotechnology and healthcare companies as a Talent Acquisition Consultant for Deerfield Management, the nation’s largest dedicated healthcare investment firm. Previous roles Matthew has held include Vice President of Life Sciences and Healthcare at Coda Staffing, and Managing Director at Adecco Medical & Science.
