MOFO Series Part 1- IP Essentials and Investor Perspectives in Life Sciences

Date: May 14, 2025 @ 4:00 pm – @ 7:30 pm
Location: Morrison Foerster Palo Alto office: 755 Page Mill Rd A, Palo Alto, CA 94304

Morrison Foerster and CABS invite you to two exclusive events that discuss Intellectual Property (IP) essentials and startup strategies for Life Sciences Innovators!

• Do you ever find IP concepts overwhelming and difficult to navigate?

• Are you considering or currently in the process of launching a company but not 100% where to begin?

• Are you a business developer, investor, or exploring a transition into these roles? 

• Or are you simply curious about the behind-the-scenes – how to license a IP from academia, what to watch out for, and what is the step-by-step process of building a company with the IP. 

Two expert-led, hands-on workshops will provide a clear roadmap for understanding IP fundamentals and strategic consideration in the step-by-step process of company formation, fundraising and exit planning. Successful entrepreneurs and seasoned investors will share their stories, key lessons, and insights into today’s evolving landscape. 

Whether you're an entrepreneur, scientist, or industry professional, this series will equip you with the essential knowledge to build and protect innovation in the life sciences sector.

Join us to gain practical insights, real-world strategies, and expert guidance to navigate the intersection of intellectual property and biotech entrepreneurship.

Wednesday, May 14, 2025 | 4:00 p.m.–7:30 p.m.: IP Essentials and Investor Perspectives in Life Sciences

Discover the keys to protecting and growing your life sciences innovations and startups! Morrison Foerster partner Lisa Silverman will discuss patent essentials and share strategies for securing strong protection for life sciences inventions ranging from novel therapeutics to AI-based technologies, while partner Janet Xiao will explore IP due diligence and unique and critical considerations for cross-border deals. Join a dynamic panel discussion, moderated by MoFo associate Kate You, featuring two seasoned investor panelists Sue Xu, Alexis Ji, as well as Janet Xiao, Lisa Silverman, and Anna Yuan—will explore what investors and potential partners look for.

Agenda

4:00-4:30        Check-in and Introduction

4:30-5:15        Patent Strategy for Life Sciences Companies: Building a Strong IP Foundation - Lisa Silverman

5:15-6:00        IP due diligence and unique considerations for cross-border deals - Janet Xiao

6:00-6:30        Break 

6:30-7:30        Panel discussion (Panelist: Sue Xu, Alexis Ji, Janet Xiao, Lisa Silverman, Anna Yuan, Moderator: Kate You)

 

Janet Xiao, Partner, Morrison Foerster

Dr. Janet Xiao focuses her practice on worldwide patent procurement, patent portfolio management, and strategic planning for life sciences companies. Janet’s clients range from large multinational biopharmaceutical companies to emerging startup companies. Recognized as being highly sought after for patent prosecution and strategy mandates, Janet develops and strengthens her clients’ complex patent portfolios to maximize commercial value. She is instrumental in developing strategies for multibillion-dollar patent portfolios for pharmaceutical clients. She also works extensively in performing IP due diligence reviews in the contexts of VC investments, technology transactions, mergers and acquisitions, and marketing and manufacturing clearance for biopharmaceutical products.

Lisa Silverman, Partner, Morrison Foerster

Dr. Lisa Silverman’s practice focuses on patent portfolio management and strategic patent counseling in the areas of life sciences, pharmaceuticals, and chemistry. She has extensive experience in securing U.S. and global patent protection for pharmaceutical products and a deep understanding of patent lifecycle management and strategies for maximizing patent term and product exclusivity. She currently leads the firm’s Pharma Subgroup within the Patent Strategy + Prosecution practice group, and she is a member of the firm’s Life Sciences + Healthcare Leadership Team. Dr. Silverman works with clients on diverse technologies including small molecule pharmaceuticals, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), peptide therapeutics, pharmaceutical formulations and uses, drug-device combinations, clean technology, bioassays, and medical devices.

Alexis Ji, Founder and Managing Partner, Primer Ventures

Dr. Alexis Ji is the founder and managing partner of Primer Ventures, a life science venture capital firm focused on investing in disruptive early-stage companies in life science tools and therapeutics. Founded in 2023 in Silicon Valley, Primer Ventures has rapidly made its mark in backing exceptional entrepreneurs and startups to transform innovative science and technologies into groundbreaking products and therapies.

Alexis brings two decades of expertise in venture capital and R&D in the biotech and genomics sectors. Before founding Primer Ventures, she spent over a decade at leading venture capital firms, including six years as a partner at Illumina Ventures, preceded by WuXi Ventures and ARCH Venture Partners. Her investment portfolio included early bets on industry disruptors such as Twist Bioscience (TWST) and Juno Therapeutics (JUNO, acquired by Celgene).  Alexis began her professional journey in biotech R&D at major companies including Merck, Roche, and Life Technologies (Thermo Fisher). 

Alexis was featured by CNBC in its report on “11 women health tech VC investors” in 2017 and named a Rising Star by Global Corporate Venture in 2018 and 2019.  She holds a Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics from Washington University in St. Louis and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Sue Xu, Managing Partner, Amino Capital

Dr. Sue Xu is Managing Partner at Amino Capital, having joined the firm in 2012. She was the founding CEO of CandyHouse and CyteSi, both Stanford lab spin-offs. Since 2012, Sue has been actively involved in seed and Series A funding rounds, contributing to the success of around 20 unicorns and over 45 companies valued at more than $100 million. These include Chime, Rippling, Grail (acquired by Illumina), Webflow, Weee, DFINITY, Replit, Oasis Labs, OmiseGo, Turing, Wyze, GetAccept, Guesty, Instawork, Wetravel, StarRocks, Karbon Card, Unbabel, and WriteSonic.

Sue has also addressed the United Nations on the role of AI in combating human trafficking and promoting the welfare of women and children. Her entrepreneurial journey began as the founding scientist of GlycoMira, and she has been involved in multiple lab spin-offs during her undergraduate and Ph.D. studies. Sue holds three patents, has authored over 20 journal articles, and was previously a medical researcher at Stanford University.

Her investment focus spans data moats, network effects, and domain-agnostic opportunities. She has successfully guided startups from inception to unicorn status across sectors such as Generative AI, Consumer, SaaS, and Frontier tech.

Sue has been featured on the Harvard HBS Women in VC Podcast and has guest lectured at Cornell’s MBA program on "Demystifying Big Data and FinTech." She is also a Visiting Professor at the University of Hong Kong for "Global Wealth Management" and has lectured at Georgetown University McDonough School of Business MBA program on “Myths and Truths: Entrepreneurship and Tech Development in China and the US.”

Anna Yuan, Of Counsel 

Anna Yuan’s practice focuses on patent prosecution, IP due diligence, post-grant proceedings, and IP litigation support. She has been recognized as one of the “Ones to Watch” in America by Best Lawyer and a Rising Star in Intellectual Property by Americas Women in Business Law. Anna is the co-founder and co-chair of the firm’s Life Sciences + AI patent practice. She leverages her experience in software development and product design gained as a product manager at Microsoft to build valuable patent portfolios covering highly complex technologies to maximize their commercial value. 

Anna’s practice spans a wide array of technologies, including artificial intelligence, autonomous driving, blockchain, robotics, electronic devices, data analytics, virtual reality, wireless communications, network security, medical devices, diagnostics, health care, and genomics. She has developed and managed clients’ core portfolios in the United States, China, Canada, Europe, Japan, Korea, Mexico, and Australia. Anna’s clients include emerging companies, multinational corporations, and universities.

Kate You, Associate 

Dr. Kate You is a member of the firm’s Patent Group and focuses her practice on patent prosecution and counseling, including domestic and international patent preparation and prosecution, and litigation support. Dr. You’s experience includes diagnostic assays and she has expertise in neurology, microbiology, and immunology.

Prior to joining the firm, Dr. Kate You was postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University, School of Medicine, Department of Neurology, where she worked on multiple clinical research projects, established several international and domestic collaborations, and developed a novel diagnostic assay for an autoimmune neurological disease. During her Ph.D. study at University of Alabama at Birmingham in the department of microbiology, Dr. You conducted two research projects on basic immunology, both published in peer-review journals. Dr. You received the Hiramoto Travel Award and was invited to orally present her findings at three international conferences.

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