Event | Family offices and family foundations | Investing in innovation: a 'how to' guide| Singapore

Kareen is a serial entrepreneur with over twenty years of startup leadership in the field of vascular devices, raising over SGD20 million in startup funding from angels, family offices and venture capital firms.  Previously, she was CEO-founder of Setagon, a US coronary stent company acquired by Medtronic, and was previously an attorney at Drew & Napier, an establishment law firm in Singapore. She has consulted for government agencies and venture funds, and has spoken on medtech entrepreneurship at Darden (University of Virginia), Singapore-Stanford Biodesign, INSEAD Singapore, National University of Singapore and Singapore Management University.  Her current startup, Pedra Technology, is in the field of precision perfusion monitoring, with a FDA-designated breakthrough device that addresses the high rates of repeat procedures and amputation in the treatment of peripheral artery disease, including non-healing foot wounds amongst the elderly and/or diabetic.

Joseph is a co-founder and Managing Partner of Verge HealthTech Fund focusing on early-stage healthcare technology companies that make an impact on global health. Prior to this, Joseph was a scientist researching new cancer therapies, a medical device entrepreneur, and a management consultant for Oliver Wyman where he led life sciences and digital health across Asia. He has 19 scientific publications, 3 patents, and has made investments in 30 healthcare technology companies to date. Joseph has a PhD from the University of Toronto, and an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business.

Lisa is Director at Group CEO Office, Nan Fung Group and Portfolio Manager for Pivotal Life Sciences Public Equity. Prior to joining Pivotal Life Sciences, Lisa was a senior research analyst at NF Trinity, Nan Fung Group’s financial investment arm, where she was responsible for the fund’s investments in the global healthcare sector. Prior to NF Trinity, Lisa was a senior analyst at Agamemnon Capital, a global event–driven hedge fund, where she focused on the healthcare sector, and also an Assistant Vice President at SAFE, the Chinese sovereign wealth fund, managing its global healthcare holdings. She started her career in private equity with Morgan Stanley. Lisa has served as Board Observer at Navitor Pharmaceuticals and SomaLogic (acquired by Standard BioTools). Lisa earned her MBA from The Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania, and her Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees from University of California, Berkeley.

Dr. Widjaja earned her PhD in Biological Science from NTU, Singapore, after which she received training in molecular biology, biochemistry, and antibody therapeutics during her postdoctoral fellowship under the mentorship of Prof. Stuart Cook. She is currently an Assistant Professor at Duke-NUS Medical School. With extensive expertise in proof-of concept models of human diseases, her team focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms and pathways underlying organ injury and tissue regeneration with specific interests in unravelling the complexities of ageing and kidney diseases to develop new targeted therapies. Her work in the Interleukin 11 (IL11) biology has initiated development programs for IL11 inhibition in fibrotic diseases that have been licensed to Boehringer Ingelheim. In addition to her academic role, she holds a position as Faculty-Industry Liaison within the Business Development and Industry Alliance team. In this capacity, she bridges the gap between researchers and industry partners, fostering the translation of scientific discoveries into tangible, real-world applications.

Paul is an entrepreneur and recognized leader in global finance and investing, with a career spanning leadership positions over 30 years across the United States, Asia, and Europe. Paul is co-founding 22Health Ventures to pursue scaled global impact within the healthtech space in a way that combines his diverse experiences.

In his first entrepreneurial project, Paul was part of the founding team and raised seed capital for Homestead Capital, a private markets fund business based in San Francisco, California and focused on innovation in the agriculture sector. Homestead has grown to become a scaled leader in ownership and operation of institutional-quality farmland across the United States. Following the initial success of Homestead Capital, Paul created PacificBridge Capital to hold his Homestead Capital interest and to develop other startups within difficult-to-access world-changing themes. Examples of startups co-founded by Paul through PacificBridge Capital include: Brogent International, a genomics and bioinformatics company implementing precision medicine in Asia; ZiliNet, an AI-focused blockchain platform aiming to serve senior citizens in China; and Quiet Revolution, a neuroscience and psychology-focused business that provided personal development programs for corporations and schools (which Paul co-founded with New York Times best-selling author Susan Cain).

Paul previously held leadership positions with JPMorgan for 15 years. For a decade, Paul served on the Global Management Team of JPMorgan Asset Management and/or The JPMorgan Private Bank. He served (sequentially) as CEO of The JPMorgan Private Bank in Asia; the US Premium (high net worth) segment of The JPMorgan Private Bank in the United States; and JPMorgan Invest, JPMorgan's business dedicated to retirement planning and investment in the United States.