Carlsbad, CA; San Francisco, CA and New York, NY – October 12, 2009:  EBD Group and Demy-Colton Life Science Advisors, the producers of Biotech Showcase™, and Astia today announced a strategic collaboration designed to ensure that women-led biotech companies gain the investor and industry relationships needed to successfully grow their businesses. Under this agreement, Astia’s biotech clients participating in the Astia Silicon Valley Doing it Right Program will have the opportunity to present at the second annual Biotech Showcase 2010 held on January 12–13, 2010 at the Marines’ Memorial Club and Hotel, San Francisco, CA.

Astia is a global network of over 700 experts whose goal is to ensure the success of women in high-growth start-ups, primarily in high tech, clean tech and life science sectors. Co-produced by EBD Group and Demy-Colton Life Science Advisors, the Biotech Showcase is a forum providing private and public companies an opportunity to present to an audience of investors and biopharmaceutical business development executives.

“The Biotech Showcase has quickly established itself as a premier venue for companies to present their innovations to potential private and institutional investors and business development teams from pharmaceutical and large biotech firms,” said Sharon Vosmek, CEO, Astia.  “Being featured at the Biotech Showcase has the potential to catapult a company several step forward toward achieving its business goals, and this is why we view it as ‘the forum’ for the Astia companies to be showcased.”

Astia's Silicon Valley Doing it Right program provides unprecedented access to funding, markets and expertise resulting in an exceptional success rate for its clients.  Since 2003, greater than 60 per cent of the companies who have presented at the Astia Investor Forums have achieved funding or an exit within one year.  During this same period, 12 companies have exited, including two IPS, both in the biotech space.   

Chris Meda, president and CEO of Astia supported company, Arcxis Biotechnologies, remarked, “As CEO of a biotech start up and an Astia alumna I am excited about the announcement of the partnership with Biotech Showcase – this will allow Astia entrepreneurs to benefit from the power of the Astia community while ensuring we are being showcased in one of the premier forums for our industry. Astia has always reached out for the best opportunities for its entrepreneurs and this is another illustration”

“Astia is an organization we are excited to be working with,” said Carola Schropp, President, EBD Group.  “By working with exceptional women entrepreneurs as they drive innovation and build successful biotech companies, Astia plays an important role in the long-term success of our bio-economy.”

“I am very excited about this opportunity to work with Astia. Building a successful life science company takes great science, access to capital and, above all, a great management team. We are very impressed with the community that Astia offers up and coming management teams and the fact that advisors are there for the long-term,” said Sara Jane Demy, President of Demy-Colton Life Science Advisors.

About Astia
Astia is a global non-profit organization that provides innovative programs to exceptional women-led start-ups.  Head-quartered in San Francisco, Astia delivers programs for entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley, New York, London and, from 2010, India.  Astia is well-positioned to work with start-ups around the world as they access capital, grow their businesses, and develop the leadership of the founding team.  The Astia model of engaging a community of experts to the benefit of the select start-ups it serves has resulted in an exceptional success rate; since 2003, 60% of companies that have participated in the Astia Investor Forums have secured funding or an exit within one year of presenting.  For more information: www.astia.org.