Welcome To 2027 CABS Investor Forum
Date: January 13, 2027 @ 8:00 am – @ 3:00 pm
Location: Morrison & Foerster LLP, 425 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94105
Join us in person for the 2027 CABS Investor Forum during JPM Healthcare Conference week for a day of insightful discussions, industry perspectives, and valuable networking opportunities across the life sciences and biotechnology ecosystem.
Click the "Click here to register!" link to register on our Eventbrite page!About CABS
CABS is a volunteer-driven, nonprofit organization headquartered in San Francisco, dedicated to advancing the life sciences and biotechnology industries through education, collaboration, and networking.
About the Investor Forum
Held in conjunction with the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, the annual CABS Investor Forum has been a signature event for more than 16 years, bringing together leaders, investors, entrepreneurs, and innovators to exchange ideas and explore opportunities shaping the future of life sciences.
Event Details
Date: Wednesday, January 13, 2027
Time: 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Format: Hybrid (In-person and Virtual)
Featured Program
The forum will feature a keynote presentation and two thought-provoking panel discussions exploring key trends and opportunities in the global life sciences industry:
Beyond Borders, Beyond Deals: The Future of Global Biopharma Partnerships
AI in Life Sciences: Where Is the Value — Technology, Platforms, or Assets?
Join us for an engaging day of expert insights, meaningful conversations, and connections with leaders across the life sciences investment and innovation community.
Partial list of confirmed speakers
Cheni Kwok, PhD (moderator)
Managing Partner and Founder, Linear Dreams
Dr. Cheni Kwok is a senior biopharmaceutical executive with broad operational expertise who is specialized in
corporate strategy, business development (such as merger & acquisition, licensing, project financing) and alliance management. She has initiated, negotiated and executed over 200 transactions, including 20 cross-
border partnerships. Dr. Kwok is the Founder and Managing Partner of Linear Dreams LLC.
Prior to founding Linear Dreams, Dr. Kwok served as Senior Vice President, Corporate Development at Poniard Pharmaceuticals Inc., Director of Business Development at Celera Genomics Inc., Associate Director of Business Development at Exelixis Inc.. and in various research management, technology assessment and alliance management roles at SmithKline Beecham plc (now GlaxoSmithKline plc). Dr. Kwok received a bachelor's degree with first class honors in biotechnology from Imperial College London, UK; a Ph.D. in human molecular genetics from the University of Cambridge, UK and has earned the Certified Licensing Professional (CLP) credential. At present, Dr. Kwok is serving on the Board of Directors of the Chinese-American Biopharmaceutical Society (CABS).
Franck Le Deu, MBA
Managing Partner KerZheng Ventures, Venture Partner Aulis Capital and Sr Partner Emeritus McKinsey.
Franck Le Deu is founder and managing partner of KerZheng Ventures, where he builds strategic bridges in biopharma between the East and the West. He also serves as Venture Partner at Aulis Capital, an early-stage VC fund focused on seeding and nurturing biotechs that capitalize on China-West collaborations. He is senior partner emeritus at McKinsey & Company, having led the China Life Sciences practice and co-led the Asia Life Sciences practice.
A recognized thought leader, he authors a quarterly guest column for BioCentury, including “China biopharma still faces a long road to globalization”, “Europe’s narrow path between the US and China in biopharma”, “ In support of a multipolar p “China biopharma - enter the Oktagon” (BioCentury, 2025), “Vision 2028: How China could impact the global biopharma industry” (McKinsey, 2022), He curates a blog on the China biopharma market on LinkedIn.
Franck is a frequent speaker at major conferences such as the PhRMA forum, CHIC, BioCentury China Summit, BioEquity Europe, and Goldman Sachs Asia forum. He serves on the organizing committee of the BioCentury-BayHelix China Summit since 2014, and is a member of BayHelix since 2014.
A French citizen, he holds an MBA from Kellogg and an MM from AUDENCIA.
Lesley Stolz, PhD
Head West North America, External Scientific Innovation at Johnson & Johnson
Lesley is Head West North America, External Scientific Innovation at Johnson & Johnson. In this role, she leads identification, incubation, due diligence, negotiation, execution and on-boarding for high-impact partnerships and collaborations. Lesley also oversees the region’s partnership portfolio and scientific engagements across West North America.
She is a member of the Immunology therapeutic area leadership team. Lesley’s career includes over 25 years of corporate development, deal structuring and negotiation, and organizational leadership in small and large companies in the biopharma industry. Shehas a PhD in organic chemistry from the University of Rochester and did her post-doctoral research in biochemistry at Harvard Medical School.
Sherwin Kuo, MD, MBA
Investor | Fusion Fund
Dr. Sherwin Kuo is a healthcare investor at Fusion Fund and a practicing physician at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles. He combines clinical expertise with investment acumen, focusing on healthcare AI, AI-driven drug discovery, and healthcare robotics. He was an early investor in CG Oncology (NASDAQ: CGON). Sherwin completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Mount Sinai Health System and a Clinical Informatics fellowship at UC Irvine, and holds an MBA from UC Berkeley.
Weian Zhao, PhD
Founder and CEO of Aureka Biotechnologies
Dr. Weian Zhao is the founder and CEO of Aureka Biotechnologies. Aureka aims to transform the unsustainable pharmaceutical industry by digitalizing therapeutic discovery through generative AI and high-throughput biology. Dr. Zhao is a serial entrepreneur and a leader in immunotherapeutic discovery technologies and has co-authored approx. 100 articles in respected journals, including Science Translational Medicine, Nature Communications and PNAS. Dr. Zhao has received numerous awards, including MIT’s Technology Review TR35 Award, NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, and UCI Innovator of the Year. Dr. Zhao was trained as a bioengineer and pharmaceutical scientist at Harvard Medical School, MIT, and McMaster University.
Stephanie Sharron, JD
Partner, Morrison Foerster
Stephanie Sharron is a partner in Morrison Foerster’s Palo Alto office, where she advises public and private companies, ranging from emerging growth businesses to Fortune 50 corporations, on technology and life sciences transactions. She focuses on helping companies that leverage data and technology structure complex business and commercial transactions. Her experience spans a range of industries, including artificial intelligence (AI), financial technology (FinTech), healthcare technology (HealthTech), and life sciences. Stephanie also advises on the commercial technology and intellectual property aspects of mergers, acquisitions, asset spin-offs, and private equity investments.
Startup Pitch Opportunities
Selected startups will also have the opportunity to pitch their companies to an audience of investors and life sciences industry leaders. Pitching opportunities are limited, so interested startups are encouraged to reach out early to learn more.
Contacrt us at: CABS_BCD@cabsweb.org
Sponsorship Opportunities
Interested in partnering with us? For sponsorship inquiries, please contact fundraising@cabsweb.org
Media Passes
For complimentary media pass inquiries, please contact CABS_BCD@cabsweb.org
Scan the QR code to register:
We look forward to welcoming you to the 2027 CABS Investor Forum!
Discounted combo, membership is $60 per year
.