On September 10, LifeX Global welcomed Pennsylvania State Representative Arvind Venkat, MD to its offices for a roundtable discussion with life science founders, leaders from the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Alliance (PLSA), Women in Bio Pittsburgh, and members of the LifeX team. The session provided an opportunity to highlight both the promise and the challenges facing innovators in Pennsylvania, while connecting Rep. Venkat’s perspective as a physician and legislator with the realities faced by early-stage companies.
The conversation highlighted the strengths of the region’s life sciences ecosystem, including the collaborative nature of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, but also addressed persistent barriers. Founders spoke candidly about the need to educate patients and industry partners, the disparities in care that persist across communities, and the acute challenges of delivering care in rural areas. They also underscored the importance of sustainable funding models and supportive policy frameworks to help young companies move from concept to commercialization.
Company Spotlights
Derma Bio – Maura Rosenfeld
Maura Rosenfeld introduced Derma Bio, a company pioneering novel dermatology solutions to address chronic and complex skin conditions. Derma Bio’s innovations highlight how specialized biotech approaches can fill significant unmet needs in patient care, improving both treatment outcomes and quality of life for underserved populations.
Korion Health
Anna Li presented the mission of Korion Health, which is advancing in-home health solutions to improve patient engagement and outcomes. The company is tackling the critical challenge of educating both patients and partners to ensure adoption of these tools, demonstrating how innovation at the intersection of healthcare and the home can reduce costs and improve accessibility.
NOMA AI – Salim Malakouti, PhD
Salim Malakouti, PhD shared the vision of NOMA AI, which is developing artificial intelligence solutions for critical care and emergency medicine. His work addresses disparities in healthcare delivery by providing decision-support tools designed to improve outcomes in acute and rural settings. NOMA AI illustrates how cutting-edge technology can bridge systemic gaps in access and quality of care.
Rep. Venkat offered his perspective on medical innovation, underscoring three priorities for the community: (1) sustaining immigration to strengthen the healthcare and innovation workforce, (2) ensuring stable research funding at Pennsylvania’s universities, (3) building coalitions to advocate for policy change at the state and federal level. His comments resonated strongly with participants, especially given that several of the founders in the room had immigrated to the United States to pursue their work in healthcare and innovation.
Notably, Rep. Venkat had taken the time to review each company’s website and the founders’ LinkedIn profiles in advance of the session. This preparation allowed him to ask meaningful, tailored questions about their innovations and underscored both his genuine curiosity and his passion for strengthening the life sciences sector in Pennsylvania.
“Having the support of our state legislators is imperative to continuing to champion life science innovators and keep jobs in this region. The fact that Rep. Venkat took two hours out of his day, came prepared after reviewing company information, and never once looked at his phone says a lot about him as both a legislator and a physician. We look forward to continuing meaningful conversations with leaders who are as passionate about advancing the life sciences in Pittsburgh and across Pennsylvania as we are, said Alison Gerlach, Director of Marketing & Strategy, LifeX Global”
The themes raised during the roundtable connect directly to LifeX’s recent white paper, Propelling Early-Stage Life Science Innovation Forward, which outlines the widening funding gap faced by early-stage ventures in Pennsylvania as capital increasingly concentrates on later-stage, lower-risk opportunities. As the report notes, startups in this region face heightened challenges in advancing beyond the “valley of death,” making targeted support, expert networks, and aligned advocacy more critical than ever.
LifeX’s continuum model of programmatic support, curated networks, hands-on leadership, and strategic investment was designed to address these barriers and accelerate early-stage innovation. The conversation with Rep. Venkat underscored the importance of models like this and the role policymakers can play in strengthening Pennsylvania’s innovation economy.
LifeX is grateful to Rep. Venkat for his time and thoughtful engagement, and to the founders and ecosystem partners who shared their perspectives. The roundtable reinforced the power of connection: innovators, partners, and policymakers working together to advance life sciences innovation that improves patient outcomes and strengthens Pennsylvania’s bioeconomy.
