Privately owned life science companies looking for funding still have a few days to apply for a chance to pitch their stories to potential investors and partners at the 2017 SEBIO Investor and Partnering Forum in Pinehurst this fall.

The extended deadline for applying closes at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, July 31.

Companies that are selected by a panel of judges will be able to pitch to regional and national investors at the 19th annual Forum, scheduled for Nov. 14-16 at the Pinehurst Resort.

The SEBIO event, held with the North Carolina Biotechnology Center as a not-for-profit partner, provides a showcase for promising bioscience and medical technology companies in the organization’s seven-state region of North Carolina, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

The Forum gives executives of young companies picked by a selection committee of regional and national venture capitalists a chance to collect advice, investment and strategic partners.

The Forum is expected to attract 300 industry participants, including representatives from close to 25 venture funds from the Southeast and across the nation. Other participants will include entrepreneurs and executives from bioscience companies, universities and service-provider firms.

Companies that want to present can learn more or apply at SEBIO’s website or email David L. Day at dday@sebio.org.

Individuals who want to attend the Forum can sign up now at a discounted early registration rate of $549.

Setting the stages

Companies can vie for a spot in the Early Stage event if they’re seeking early rounds of investment. They participate in an individual private advisory session led by early stage investors, entrepreneurs and experienced life science managers and service providers. Then the judges pick several finalists to present to the full conference audience. From the finalists, an overall winner is announced at the closing lunch.

Another group of participants, dubbed Main Stage presenting companies, have generally completed at least one round of institutional financing. They each make a 10-minute pitch to the full conference audience.

Since 1999, more than 200 venture-backed companies have presented on the Main Stage, and over 150 companies have participated in the Early Stage program. Public and private follow-on funding for companies presenting at the Forum has topped $2.5 billion, not including recent acquisitions valued at over $13 billion, according to SEBIO.

SEBIO is a regional nonprofit organization that fosters the growth of the life sciences industry in the Southeastern United States by promoting entrepreneurship and bringing together the key stakeholders active in the industry’s development.

(C) N.C. Biotechnology Center