Description:

This interactive webinar will explore the realities of failure in life science innovation, including why even “great” ideas sometimes stall, falter, or never make it to market. Participants will examine the many possible causes of failure, from scientific and technical hurdles to market misalignment, team dynamics, and investor skepticism. The session will highlight how to identify early warning signs, strategies to troubleshoot and potentially resuscitate promising concepts, and how to capture valuable lessons from ventures that don’t move forward. Far from being purely pessimistic, the conversation will underscore how failure can provide unique opportunities for growth, sharpen future decision-making, and strengthen resilience for founders and teams navigating the high-risk world of entrepreneurship.

Speaker Bio
Steven R. Deitcher, M.D., FSM ’86, FSM ’88 is the Founder, CEO, and Chairman of Bespoke Biotherapeutics, a Bay Area company developing genome-engineered B-cell therapeutics for hemophilia A and HER2+ breast cancer, and co-founder of a stealth clinical-stage cell therapy company focused on brain regeneration. He previously held executive roles at Radimmune Therapeutics, Medeor Therapeutics, and Talon Therapeutics, where he led Marqibo® from IND to FDA accelerated approval and eventual acquisition by Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, as well as at Nuvelo. Earlier in his career, he was Chief of Hematology and Coagulation Medicine as well as Director of Thrombosis and Vascular Medicine Research at the Cleveland Clinic, with prior academic posts at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. A graduate of Northwestern’s Honors Program in Medical Education (B.S., M.D.), he trained in internal medicine at Barnes Hospital/Washington University and completed hematology/oncology fellowships and post-doctoral protein chemistry work at Tufts University School of Medicine.