Investival ShowcaseMonday, 16 November 2026 - GMT (Greenwich Mean Time, GMTZ)

Signing a pharma partnership generates headlines and validates your science—but the hard work of making these collaborations truly successful often catches growth-stage biotechs off guard. The reality of joint governance, misaligned timelines, cultural clashes, and competing priorities can quickly turn a promising deal into a source of frustration and missed opportunities. This panel cuts through the celebration to deliver honest insights on what it actually takes to manage pharma partnerships effectively. Hear from biotech leaders who've navigated these relationships, pharma BD executives who've seen both sides, and investors who counsel companies through partnership challenges. Learn the practical strategies, governance frameworks, and communication approaches that separate high-performing collaborations from those that underdeliver

• Designing joint committees, decision rights, and escalation mechanisms that maintain speed and accountability without creating bottlenecks

• Managing the inevitable tensions between biotech agility and pharma processes while preserving your company's momentum

• Recognizing warning signs of partnership dysfunction, having difficult conversations constructively, and knowing when to renegotiate terms

• Leveraging the partnership for expanded opportunities, additional strategic support, and demonstrating progress that satisfies both pharma partners and your investors

In today's competitive life sciences funding environment, a compelling scientific hypothesis is no longer enough to secure growth-stage investment. Investors are increasingly scrutinizing clinical development strategies, demanding clear evidence of thoughtful trial design, realistic timelines, and capital-efficient pathways to value-creating milestones. This panel explores why a robust clinical strategy has become the critical differentiator between companies that successfully raise Series B+ rounds and those that stall out. Hear from seasoned experts on what constitutes a truly investor-ready clinical plan, common pitfalls that derail fundraising efforts, and how to position your clinical strategy as a competitive advantage in due diligence

• Exploring the essential elements of a clinical strategy that signals execution capability and de-risks investment at the growth stage

• Discussing how smart endpoint selection, patient population choices, and regulatory pathway planning directly impact valuation and fundability

• How to structure clinical programs to achieve meaningful inflection points within realistic budget constraints and timelines

• The red flags and missteps that cause investors to walk away, and how to proactively address them in your fundraising narrative