Jun 3, 2026
From Academia to Venture Capital: Investing in Life Science Innovation
Topics of discussion: What do you look for in a team, technology or timing of investment? How does pre-covid investment compare to post-covid? How do you think about the use of AI in businesses? How did you make the transition from academia to industry to investing?
This event is Free !
Date and Time
June 3, 2026, 4:30 pm - 7:00 pmLocation
10578 Science Center Drive, Ste 113, San Diego, CA 92121About this Event
Will Alaynick is a San Diego–based life science investor, entrepreneur, and author with extensive experience founding and scaling biotechnology, diagnostics, and life science tools companies. Currently, he is Founder and VP International at NanoCellect Biomedical and Founder of Phase Two Ventures, an investment firm focused on life science tools and early-stage startups. He also advises founders and emerging companies on commercialization, fundraising, and business strategy.
Previously, Will co-founded Arima Genomics and Defined Bioscience, developing technologies in genome analysis, stem-cell biology, and microfluidic cell sorting for research and drug discovery applications. Earlier in his career, he founded ScholarNexus, an incubator supporting early-stage biotech ventures. Across these companies, he has raised more than $25 million in grants and venture capital to support product development, manufacturing, and global commercialization.
Before transitioning into entrepreneurship and venture investing, Will trained as a neuroscientist and conducted postdoctoral research at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the University of Washington. He earned his PhD in Biomedical Sciences from University of California San Diego. He is the author of Venture Capital for Life Scientists and has published 29 peer-reviewed papers and holds multiple patents in biomedical instrumentation and flow cytometry.
