The 2026 BIO International Convention is one of the most anticipated events on the global life sciences calendar — and for good reason. Every year, thousands of biotech and pharmaceutical professionals converge to forge partnerships, advance licensing discussions, and build the relationships that ultimately drive drug development forward. But for many attending companies, particularly smaller biotechs, the difference between a productive BIO and a week of inconclusive meetings comes down to one thing: preparation.
A new pre-event webinar aims to close that gap by bringing together experienced pharma and biotech executives to share practical, actionable guidance on how to approach BIO Partnering™ with purpose.
About the Webinar
Event: Driven by Purpose: Partnering Strategies from Pharma & Biotech Leaders — How to Succeed in BD at BIO 2026
Date: May 6, 2026
Time: 2:00 PM ET | Zoom
This focused panel discussion features pharmaceutical business development executives and biotech leaders who are actively involved in licensing deals and partnering at BIO 2026. Rather than offering theoretical frameworks, the session is designed to deliver grounded, experience-based insights from professionals who operate on both sides of the partnering table.
The Partnering Challenge at BIO
BIO International Convention hosts one of the largest partnering systems in the industry — BIO Partnering™ — which facilitates tens of thousands of one-on-one meetings between companies seeking licensing deals, co-development agreements, and investment opportunities. The sheer scale of the event is both its greatest asset and its greatest challenge.
With hundreds of companies competing for attention from the same pool of pharmaceutical business development teams, standing out requires more than a compelling scientific story. It requires understanding how pharma evaluates opportunities, how to structure a licensing narrative that resonates with what those teams are actually looking for, and how to use the BIO Partnering™ system strategically rather than reactively.
For biotech companies that have invested years and significant capital into developing their assets, poorly prepared BIO meetings represent a missed opportunity that can set back business development timelines by months. This webinar addresses that risk head-on.
What Attendees Will Learn
The session covers the full arc of a successful BIO partnering experience — from preparation through execution to follow-up:
- Pre-event strategy: How to define a clear partnering objective before arriving at BIO, including which types of partners to prioritize and how to filter the partner universe within BIO Partnering™.
- The pharma perspective: What pharmaceutical business development teams are genuinely looking for when they review incoming partnering requests — and what causes them to decline meetings or disengage quickly.
- Positioning science for licensing: How to present preclinical or clinical data in a way that maps to pharma’s internal evaluation criteria, including how to frame stage-of-development, differentiation, and unmet medical need.
- Strategic use of BIO Partnering™: Practical tips for structuring your meeting schedule to maximize quality over quantity, and how to prepare meeting briefs that communicate value efficiently within the 25-minute format.
- Turning meetings into outcomes: How to follow up effectively after BIO to maintain momentum, advance conversations, and ultimately move from introductory meeting to term sheet.
Featured Speakers
The panel brings together a diverse group of leaders with direct, current experience in pharmaceutical licensing and biotech business development:
- Moderator — Carlos N. Velez, PhD: Managing Partner, Lacerta Bio, Inc. Dr. Velez brings deep experience in biotech strategy and partnerships, and will guide the discussion to ensure practical takeaways for attendees.
- Anjan “AJ” Aralihalli: CEO, Raya Therapeutic. As a biotech chief executive actively pursuing licensing discussions, AJ brings the perspective of a company in the thick of BD execution.
- Juan Cueva, PhD, MBA: Senior Director, Search & Evaluation, Johnson & Johnson. Juan’s role places him directly in the flow of pharma’s inbound opportunity evaluation — his insights reflect what J&J’s teams are looking for when they sit down for a BIO meeting.
- Jennifer Halbleib: U.S. Partnering Transactions Head, Roche and Genentech Corporate Business Development. Jennifer oversees partnering transactions for two of the industry’s most active licensing organizations, offering a perspective shaped by high volumes of deal activity.
- Jennifer O’Cain: Vice President, Business Development — Search, Evaluation & Scientific Competitive Intelligence, Catalyst Pharmaceuticals. Jennifer’s role spanning both scientific evaluation and competitive intelligence provides a uniquely integrated view of how pharma assesses biotech assets.
- Christian Rohlff, PhD: CEO and Founder, Oxford BioTherapeutics. As a founder-CEO of a clinical-stage company, Christian offers the perspective of a biotech that has navigated multiple partnering cycles and built relationships with major pharmaceutical partners.
The BIO 2026 Context
The 2026 BIO International Convention carries the theme Driven by Purpose — a reflection of the industry’s collective commitment to developing innovations that improve patient lives. Against a backdrop of continued pressure on drug development economics, increased scrutiny of biotech valuations, and evolving pharma priorities around therapeutic modalities, the stakes of effective partnering have never been higher.
For biotechs seeking to license assets or establish co-development agreements, BIO 2026 represents a concentrated window of access to decision-makers at major pharmaceutical companies. Making the most of that window requires the kind of preparation that this webinar is designed to provide.
Who Should Attend
This session is most relevant for:
- Biotech CEOs, CSOs, and business development leaders actively seeking pharma licensing partnerships
- BD professionals preparing their company’s BIO 2026 strategy and meeting schedule
- Investor relations and corporate development teams managing pharma relationships
- Early-stage founders exploring their first BIO partnering experience
- Anyone looking to understand how pharmaceutical companies evaluate and advance licensing opportunities
Attendees will leave with concrete strategies they can implement immediately — both in their BIO preparation and in their broader business development approach. The session offers a rare opportunity to hear directly from the pharma side of the table before entering the room.