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Wednesday
September 3rd

9:15 AM - 12:30 PM

Breakfast Provided

Park James Hotel

1400 El Camino Real
Menlo Park, CA 94025

Join Us

There are a variety of pathways to achieving liquidity. IPOs remain just one route. Many leading companies are now considering alternative liquidity strategies that better fit their long-term vision.

Join us for our exclusive, executive-level event, designed to help life science senior executives explore the best liquidity path for their business. Hear firsthand from leading experts and executives who have successfully navigated the capital crossroads and liquidity events.

Event Agenda

9:15 AM

Registration & Breakfast

Start your day with networking and refreshments.

9:45 AM

Welcome and Introduction

• Alex Porter, Sr. Managing Director of New Listing & Capital Markets | Nasdaq

10:00 AM

Capital Markets Update

Get the latest on the rapidly changing capital markets landscape and what it means for you as a life science leader.

• David Choi, Executive Director, Healthcare Investment Banking | J.P. Morgan

10:25 AM

Choosing the Right Exit: M&A, Reverse Mergers, & IPOs

Gain insights from experts and executives who’ve recently led successful liquidity events on what goes into choosing the right path—and what each option means for your company and preparation.

Panelists
•Nabeel Ahmed, Former CFO | Outset Medical
• Frank Tang, Managing Director, Healthcare Investment Banking | Morgan Stanley
•Sanam Pangali, Chief Legal Officer | Alumis

Moderator:
• Kristin VanderPas, Partner | Cooley

11:20 AM

From Private to Public: Laying the Groundwork for Success

Hear from experts and CFOs who’ve successfully navigated the public company journey as they share practical guidance on what it means to be public company ready—and how to evaluate the right path based on your company’s goals and stage of readiness.

Panelists:
• Brian Dow, CFO | SAGA Diagnostics
Moderators:
• Priya Cherian Huskins, SVP & Partner | Woodruff Sawyer
• Ravi Kumar, Partner, National Market Leader | Connor Group

12:10 PM

Closing Remarks

Speakers

Nabeel

Nabeel Ahmed

Former CFO
Outset Medical



Coming Soon

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priya

Priya Cherian Huskins

SVP & Partner
Woodruff Sawyer



Priya Cherian Huskins is a partner at Woodruff Sawyer, a full-service insurance brokerage that services clients worldwide. She is a recognized expert in D&O liability risk and ¬¬its mitigation. In addition to consulting on D&O insurance matters, she counsels clients on corporate governance, including ways to reduce their exposure to shareholder lawsuits and regulatory investigations.
Priya is a frequent speaker on D&O issues. She has appeared on CNBC and been quoted in publications including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and the Financial Times. She is also t¬¬he editor of the D&O Notebook, a blog that analyzes issues as they arise in the areas of D&O liability, insurance, and corporate governance.
Priya serves on the board of directors of Realty Income Corporation (NYSE: O) and NMI Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: NMIH). She also serves on the boards of Woodruff Sawyer and the Long Term Stock Exchange. In 2024, Priya was named an NACD Directorship 100 honoree.
Priya is a member of the advisory board of the Stanford Rock Center for Corporate Governance and is an active participant in their programs such as Stanford’s Directors College.
Prior to joining Woodruff Sawyer, Priya practiced corporate and securities law at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. Priya has worked with both public and private technology companies through all stages of their development, including IPOs and M&A transactions.
Priya was awarded her juris doctorate with honors from the Law School at the University of Chicago. She earned her undergraduate degree with high honors from Harvard University. .

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David

David Choi

Executive Director, Healthcare Investment Banking
J.P. Morgan


Coming Soon.

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Brian

Brian Dow

CFO
SAGA Diagnostics



Brian Dow is Chief Financial Officer at SAGA Diagnostics.
Brian joined SAGA Diagnostics in February 2024 as Chief Financial Officer and oversees the Company’s financial operations and serves as a member of the Executive Leadership Team. Brian is a senior financial executive with over 30 years of experience leading financial operations for both U.S. and international organizations. He joined SAGA Diagnostics from ProSomnus Sleep Technologies, a multi-national medical device company, where he held the role of Chief Financial Officer.
Earlier in his career Brian has held executive financial roles at Agendia N.V., Pulse Biosciences, Pacific Biosciences, and Northstar Neuroscience. Prior to this Brian had 14 years of increasing responsibilities in financial management of publicly traded companies and in public accounting as a manager with Ernst and Young. He is recognized as a licensed Certified Public Accountant by the Washington State Board of Accountancy and holds a Bachelor of Science in Management from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

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ravi

Ravi Kumar

Partner, National Markets Leader
Connor Group


Ravi is a Partner and U.S. National Market Leader at Connor Group, advising companies on complex, structured transactions and helping clients achieve IPO readiness. Ravi has extensive experience helping companies navigate through liquidity events and is Connor Group’s venture capital and private equity leader.
Prior to joining Connor Group, Ravi was a Senior Manager in EY’s Financial Accounting Advisory Services practice. Ravi’s career background includes cross-functional and multi-national Big 4 experience consisting of new accounting standards implementation, financial due diligence, audit and IPO readiness.
Ravi is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the state of California, a member of the AICPA, and has passed Level I of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exam.

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Sanam

Sanam Pangali

Chief Legal Officer
Alumis



Sanam Pangali is the Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary of Alumis. She joined the company in September 2024 as Senior Vice President, Legal, and was promoted to her current role in July 2025. Prior to Alumis, Sanam held several leadership roles at ACELYRIN, Inc., most recently serving as Chief Legal Officer and Head of People. She brings broad in-house experience across the biopharma, technology, and renewable energy sectors, including roles as General Counsel at Snapdocs, Inc. and Senior Director & Associate General Counsel at Principia Biopharma Inc. Sanam began her legal career in the Business & Finance practice groups at Morrison & Foerster LLP. She earned her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and holds a B.A. in Political Science, with a minor in Economics, from the University of California, San Diego.

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Alex

Alex Porter

Sr. Managing Director of New Listing & Capital Markets
Nasdaq



Alex Porter is Sr. Managing Director, New Listings & Capital Markets at Nasdaq with over 13 years of experience working with corporate clients on capital markets strategy, investor relations, and IPOs. Alex has a proven track record of guiding companies through complex financial landscapes, leveraging deep industry knowledge to drive successful outcomes. His expertise in capital markets and strategic advisory has made him a trusted partner for businesses looking to operate effective public companies.

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Frank

Frank Tang

Managing Director, Healthcare Investment Banking
Morgan Stanley


Coming Soon.

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Kristin

Kristin VanderPas

Partner
Cooley



Kristin VanderPas' practice focuses on public and private security offerings. She has represented both issuers and investment banks in a variety of equity and debt transactions, including initial public offerings, secondary offerings of common stock and convertible note offerings. Kristin is also a market leader in SPAC M&A transactions, representing both target companies and investors in the de-SPAC process in transactions ranging in value up to $5 billion. Kristin also counsels clients in general corporate and securities law matters.

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Meet our sponsors

Connor Group is proud to be partnering with industry-leading companies to deliver top-tier content and insights.