sdbn.org

When’s the last time you met, had a brief conversation and exchanged cards with 20 professionals in 60 minutes? As a scientist, do you find it difficult to talk your way through a crowd? When it comes to networking, do you have the need for speed? Then maybe speed networking is for you! At last week’s SDBN event our members had the opportunity to meet one potential customer, referral, collaborator, qualified candidate, possible employer after another. Here’s how it worked.

Prior to starting, we gave a brief presentation describing what the next hour was gong to look like. Tables were arranged into a large ‘U’ shape with chairs on each side (members facing each other, see photos on Flickr for more details).  A diagram explained that the people sitting on the outside of the ‘U’ were going to stay in their seats while those on the inside would move one seat to their right upon hearing a cue. The four basic guidelines were…

1. You have 3 minutes total – Why three? Two is too little and five… well that would be too much. We knew that participants would be fried after 60 minutes and we wanted everyone to connect with at least 20 other professionals so… we landed on 3 minutes.
2. Introduce yourself – Allow each person to introduce themselves before starting the conversation.
3. Refine your message – We asked the participants to think about what they wanted to walk away with that night. Was it a contact name at a company they are seeking employment with? A collaborative partner for a project they are working on? Maybe to increase their LinkedIn professional network? Whatever their goal, it needed to be the main message in these brief conversations.
4. Have fun – What’s the point if no one is having a good time!

With participants facing each other, guidelines in place and stopwatch in hand, we were ready to begin. “Your three minutes starts.. NOW!” The room was singing with energy and all 82 participants were engaged. As promised, at the end of the 3-minute cycle we prompted the room to “rotate”… 3 minutes later “rotate” and then again to “roooootate”… you get the picture.

One very short hour later we called the last “rotate” and asked participants to conclude their final conversation. So what ensued after the 60-minute speed networking session… more networking! Could it be that this type of exercise helps you feel more comfortable talking to strangers, communicating a business need and building your social capital? YES!

The post session comments have lead us to believe that this was a very successful event and one that our members would like to participate in again. What are your thoughts? Did you meet anyone that will help you further a professional goal? Did the overall event meet your expectations? How can we improve next time?

Special thanks to Fiona Godsman of Nexxus Scotland for the idea.

To share this post easily, cut and paste: Speed Networking for Life Scientists http://bit.ly/d3P1ls

Lab Automation 2010 is a somewhat self-explanatory conference which brings together diverse industries such as drug discovery and development, forensics and security, and clinical diagnostics. Next year it will be in Palm Springs January 23-27, and they have many affordable (or even free) options for attending. Here is a list of the options for those of you on a budget (aren’t we all these days):

1. Early Bird Discount. Register by Dec. 14th and get $200 off of the industry rate and $100 off of the academic rate. See details on the registration information page
2. Waivers. If you qualify, you can get free admission as an academic (PDF) or if you are unemployed (PDF).
3. Free exhibit hall pass. The exhibit hall is full and will have many interesting companies (and cool instruments of course) for you to network with. There is even some free food involved, see details on the registration information page.
4. Day Pass. You can attend for just one day for half the rate. Great for those of us who want to drive up and might not want to spend the night. See details on the registration information page.

In addition, ALA also provides free career counseling and great weekend short courses. It could be a very fruitful trip for you up the 15!

The September San Diego Biotechnology Network (SDBN) event will feature Intellikine, a leader in the development of innovative, small molecule drugs for the treatment of cancer, inflammation and autoimmune diseases, and recently in the news for raising $51M in VC funding. Troy Wilson, Ph.D., CEO, will give a short presentation, and as always there will be plenty of time to ask questions and interact with representatives from Intellikine.

Troy Wilson is the President, CEO and a founder of Intellikine, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of small molecule drugs that target the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway for the treatment of cancer, inflammation and other diseases. Dr. Wilson is a serial entrepreneur who previously has co-founded several San Diego based companies, including Ambrx and Phenomix. In his presentation, Dr. Wilson will describe Intellikine’s formation, the scientific and clinical rationale behind its drug discovery programs, its business development and corporate strategy, and how the company was able recently to raise $51 million in venture capital in a very challenging market. The presentation should be of interest to scientists, entrepreneurs, clinicians and anyone interested in how to translate world-class academic science into a leading biotech company.

Event Details

Who: Biotechnology professionals in the greater San Diego area
What: San Diego Biotechnology Network’s September Networking Event featuring Intellikine
When: Tuesday, September 22nd, 5:30-9:00 p.m.
Where: Tango Del Rey, 3567 Del Rey Street, San Diego 92109 (Directions below)
Cost: $20, including appetizers ($15 for Academics) +$5 at door (cash or check only)
Contact: http://sdbn.org/contact
For more information about the event: http://sdbn.org/september

Directions: From the North: South on Interstate 5, Exit Balboa Ave, Straight to 4th Traffic Light then left on Bunker Hill St. Building directly ahead 3 blks. From the South: North on Interstate 5, Exit Grand/ Garnet Ave, Straight to 3rd Traffic Light then right on Bunker Hill St. Building directly ahead 3 blks. Park on the street or in the structure just past Tango del Rey.

Pics from our August Transformation of the Biotech Business Model panel event have been posted on our Flickr group at http://flickr.com/groups/sdbn. Thanks to Steve Fouskarinis for taking them. We’re also working on video and writing some summaries that will help if you weren’t there. Stay tuned!

I once heard that people can only remember three things.  I also heard that good things come in threes.  So with that, here are three things to remember and three things to do.*

1 in 3

One in three people will get cancer at some point in their lives. 
Good news:advancements in early detection and new treatments over the past decade have been able to reduce the number of deaths annually from cancer by 16 percent.
Bad news: cancer is still the second leading cause of death in the United States.  
Good news: we can all do something about it – today.  Even if you do not surf, you can be part of our events because they celebrate the “aloha” spirit of surfing to bring together the community in the fight against cancer.  Together we are stronger than one, and only together can we beat this disease. 

$3 million and counting

The Luau & Longboard Invitational is the most successful surfing-related fundraiser in the world.
We’ve raised more than $3 million for San Diego’s own Moores UCSD Cancer Center to support the mission to translate promising scientific discoveries into new and better options for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer. 

3 events: 

Third Annual Survivor Beach (link)

Sunday, August 9th, 8-10 a.m., beach near Scripps Pier, free

• Help break a record for longest line of surfboards to raise cancer awareness and support cancer research
• Attendees will receive a free “Surfing for a Cure” souvenir and be registered to win a pair of tickets to the 16th annual Moores UCSD Cancer Center Luau & Longboard Invitational
• Prize will be given to the individual who brings the most surfboards

The Longboard Luau VIP Party (link)

Saturday, August 22nd, 6-9 pm, Birch Aquarium, $125

• San Diego’s premiere party that brings together some of the most respected men and women in surfing history with community and business leaders to celebrate surfing and raise much-needed funds for cancer research.

16th Annual Moores UCSD Cancer Center Luau & Longboard Invitational (link)

Sunday, August 23rd
7-11:30 a.m., Longboard Invitational, beach near Scripps Pier, free
12 -4 p.m., Luau, Pawka Green, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, $150

• The most successful surfing-related fundraiser with a unique international reputation for combining the “aloha” spirit of surfing and bringing together the community in the fight against cancer.

Come celebrate 16 years….Surfing for a Cure!

Twitter: @longboardluau
www.facebook.com/surfingforacure
www.active.com/donate/LongboardLuau

*Email longboardluau@gmail.com with the number of “threes” mentioned in this post and you will be registered for the Survivor Beach contest to win a pair of tickets to the 16th annual Moores UCSD Cancer Center Luau & Longboard Invitational.  The winner will be emailed the week of August 11th.

Posted by Jessica Yingling, Director, Corporate Communications & IP Development at Fate Therapeutics, and Event Chair for the Longboard Luau.

SDBN’s May Event: Building a network and using your knowledge to advance your career and science

Want access to a network of tens of thousands of scientists who you can help you advance your career? Learn about your peers’ work in real time, and discuss it with them? We’ll spend part of the night covering LinkedIn, Twitter, blogs, FriendFeed, and examples specific to life science and biotechnology during this networking event. We’ll introduce you to new resources and ideas which are revolutionizing science communication. This event will be customized to your needs: we’ll ask you what you want to learn about before (and even during!) this very interactive event. You’ll have time to ask questions and network throughout the event, and go home with resources and a plan to get a jump start with these exciting new tools. Sign up now to reserve your spot, and we’ll see you May 28th!

About the Presenters

Mary Canady began 20 years ago as a bench scientist in biochemistry and moved to the business side of biotechnology 10 years later, working at life science companies including Invitrogen and Calbiochem. In 2008 she founded Comprendia, a company specializing in helping biotechnology and life science companies grow through strategic marketing and business development. She recently started the San Diego Biotechnology Network (SDBN) a ‘2.0’ generation networking group, facilitating interactions through monthly events combined with online media such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and blogs. (Mary’s LinkedIn Profile)

William Gunn did his doctoral studies at Tulane University on Bone Repair Using Human Multipotent Stromal Stem Cells. During his studies he explored social media and helped found the Friendfeed Life Scientists room, where over 700 scientists share information and collaborate to solve problems daily. He moved to San Diego in 2008 to pursue science and social media, and works for Genalyte developing molecular diagnostics assays. He also works with Mendeley, an academic reference management service, where he helps researchers leverage social media tools for collaboration and discovery.(William’s LinkedIn Profile)

Sponsored by

About Proven

PROVEN is an employee owned Consulting, Staffing and Solutions firm based in San Diego, CA. Our customer centric approach focuses on the needs of our clients and candidates. We provide flexible consulting and contingent staffing solutions in the areas of Scientific, Clinical, Information Technology, Engineering and Finance & Accounting on a direct-hire, contract-to-hire, and contract basis.

May Event Flyer (PDF)

Event Details
Who: Biotechnology professionals in the greater San Diego area
What:Social Media for Scientists: San Diego Biotechnology Network’s May Networking Event
When: Thursday, May 28th, 5:30-9:00 p.m.
Where: Tango Del Rey, 3567 Del Rey Street, San Diego 92109 (Directions below)
Cost: $20, including appetizers ($15 for Academics) +$5 at door
Contact: http://sdbn.org/contact
For more information about the event: http://sdbn.org/may

Directions: From the North: South on Interstate 5, Exit Balboa Ave, Straight to 4th Traffic Light then left on Bunker Hill St. Building directly ahead 3 blks. From the South: North on Interstate 5, Exit Grand/ Garnet Ave, Straight to 3rd Traffic Light then right on Bunker Hill St. Building directly ahead 3 blks.

Looking forward to seeing everyone tonight. We’ll have onsite registration ($25, $20 for academics with ID), so feel free to stop by. You’ll be able to network with people from 50+ companies at the event, and we always do our best to ensure that you make as many contacts as possible. Also, Regulus Therapeutics will be giving a presentation on microRNA therapeutics, a very hot drug discovery topic. We’ll also be giving away some shwag from Labarmor, including a stylish black labcoat!

Event details: http://sdbn.org/april

See you there!

People from the following companies will be in attendance tonight:

Want more details about these companies? Many are listed on our San Diego Biotechnology Company Directory: http://sdbn.org/directory

Thanks to the 100+ people who came to our November 11th event featuring Sapphire Energy–you can view all of the photos on the Flickr group we set up (feel free to add comments). We had a few glitches at the event, and got some good feedback on what you’d like to see next time. We had about 15 Sapphire employees in attendance, and people had a good time chatting with them and learning more about the company. They also presented at a Biocom breakfast the next day, and both events were covered on Xconomy, a “next generation” news organization. Our name tag color-based networking “system” worked–perhaps not exactly as we had planned, but it served to break the ice among the participants and to facilitate networking, here are some comments we heard:

• “I handed out so many business cards that I ran out and had to go get more out of my car.”




• “By far and away, last night I connected with more scientists and executives than I have ever before.”




• “When is the next event? You should hold these every month!” (echoed many times)

If you’ve got a comment to share, leave it below (just remember how shy and sensitive we are before being critical ;). We gave away a few small prizes from our SDBN Cafe Press store, and Comprendia provided USB keys with biotechnology career resources. Blue Horse and Trumpet helped with planning, PR, provided the marketing materials, and took pictures. Thanks to everyone who helped and participated (esp. our volunteers–not sure if they want to be called out here ;). With your help, we feel like we’re really on to something here, and it was exciting to see everyone connecting both in person and on-line using the LinkedIn group.

When and where will the next event be? We will likely move to another venue because we expect the turnout to continue to be larger than the Rock Bottom will accommodate. We’ll likely have the next event in January, and we are very actively looking for a new and/or exciting companies to cover, please give us your feedback on who you’d like us to feature. We do plan to ask the featured company to give a short presentation, as many of you commented that it would add value to the event. Thanks to everyone, and we’ll let you know as soon as we schedule the next event. If you didn’t attend the event, be sure to sign up for updates.