The Founder’s Edge: Winning in Complex Markets - A Fireside Chat with Dave Whelan
In this fireside chat, Stephanie Melodia sits down with David J. Whelan, a seasoned executive who has spent his career transforming complex technologies into business realities. From biotech to wearables to regional innovation hubs, Dave has operated across the full lifecycle of company building—with deep expertise in business strategy, product development, venture creation, and team scaling.
Why Dave?
• Serial Venture Builder: Dave was a key architect behind the New York Genome Center, helping raise $115M and turn a whiteboard concept into a globally recognised biotech institution.
• Innovation Catalyst: As CEO of BioscienceLA, he led one of the most ambitious efforts to transform Los Angeles into a top-tier life sciences hub—bridging research, policy, investment, and commercialization.
• Health Tech Pioneer: He helped launch one of the first commercial fitness wearables with 24 Hour Fitness—long before Fitbits and smartwatches were mainstream.
• VC Advisor + Exec Search Pro: Dave has built leadership teams for startups, scale-ups, and Fortune 500s. His earlier work in retained executive search gave him a unique lens into what makes founders and leadership teams thrive (or fail).
• Global Perspective: With degrees from Stanford, UCLA, and time at London Business School and Carnegie Mellon, Dave’s cross-cultural experience includes launching tech across 12+ countries.
What You’ll Learn:
✅ How to turn an abstract idea or scientific concept into something fundable and scalable
✅ What it really takes to raise significant capital and win trust in regulated or technical markets
✅ How to build the right founding team—beyond just skills
✅ Lessons from working with governments, Fortune 500s, and mission-driven ventures
✅ When to say no, when to pivot, and how to stay in love with the problem
It’s rare to get the behind-the-scenes take from someone who’s played every role in the innovation journey—from strategy to storytelling to scaling. Don’t miss this one.