Agenda for Day 1 - Monday December 7, 2026Monday, 7 December 2026

Explore how leaders are navigating the complex capital environment of elevated interest rates, selective investor deployment, and scrutiny on cash efficiency and clinical milestones.

• Discuss how financing strategies have shifted since the 2020–2021 biotech boom

• Explore how companies are balancing clinical advancement, dilution risk, and operational growth

• Hear firsthand insights from executives who have navigated delayed IPOs, down rounds, restructurings, and shifting investor expectations
  
  
  

• Understand the critical operational and financial milestones finance teams must prepare for before launch

• Explore scenario planning for commercialization timelines, manufacturing readiness, and demand forecasting

• Learn how lean finance teams can prepare for launch without overbuilding infrastructure too early

• Discuss the biggest commercialization mistakes emerging biotech companies make and how to avoid them

• Explore frameworks for prioritizing spend across clinical operations, commercialization readiness, and infrastructure

• Discuss how companies determine whether to build internally versus outsource

• Examine how finance leaders evaluate “must-have” versus “nice-to-have” operational investments

• Learn approaches for aligning runway with clinical and regulatory inflection points

• Learn how finance and FP&A leaders translate operational complexity into compelling investor narratives

• Discuss communicating difficult news, delays, revised forecasts, and commercialization pivots

• Explore how boards and investors evaluate biotech finance teams in uncertain environments

• Hear how companies positioned themselves during challenging fundraising cycles

• Understand how commercialization fundamentally changes finance and accounting operations

• Explore practical considerations around order-to-cash, stakeholder relationships, reimbursement flows, and distribution

• Learn how finance teams should prepare for increased operational complexity post-launch

• Discuss common launch readiness gaps in systems, forecasting, and cross-functional alignment

• Discover how to apply practical lessons from ERP implementations and transitions to advanced systems as organizations grow

• Explore ways to align ERP tools with company size, operational needs, and cross-departmental IT requirements

• Master the process of selecting and integrating essential software, including equity administration platforms and procurement-to-payment systems

• Uncover strategies to address implementation pain points and optimize post-implementation efficiency and financial reporting accuracy

• Discuss the lack of reliable benchmarking data across biotech finance operations

• Explore how companies evaluate launch costs, commercial buildout expenses, and trial spending assumptions

• Learn how finance leaders leverage internal data, external advisors, and peer networks to inform decision-making

• Examine how benchmarking changes across development stages and therapeutic areas

Rotating discussion groups focused on:

• Launch readiness timelines

• Demand forecasting risk

• Capital allocation decisions

• Outsourcing versus internal build

• Commercial finance team design

• IPO versus M&A readiness

• Lessons from failed launches and restructurings