On November 13, 2025, Albert Einstein College of Medicine welcomed more than 100 attendees to its inaugural Start-Up Showcase. The event brought together representatives from biotech companies founded on Einstein discoveries with potential investors, industry leaders, faculty, board members, alumni, and other interested parties. The showcase highlighted the College of Medicine’s growing momentum in commercialization, building on decades of innovation, and ongoing commitment to supporting faculty and partners.

Yaron Tomer, M.D., the Marilyn and Stanley M. Katz Dean, and Marla Keller, M.D., executive dean at Einstein

Yaron Tomer, M.D., the Marilyn and Stanley M. Katz Dean at Einstein and chief academic officer at Montefiore Einstein, opened the afternoon by emphasizing the institution's role in fostering innovation. "Einstein serves as a crucial pipeline for breakthrough discoveries. Today’s showcase is not merely an event. It is a celebration of ingenuity, determination, and the potential to change lives for the better.”

The showcase featured seven high-potential start-ups, each presenting their novel therapies or platforms, many of which have already progressed to clinical trials. From immunotherapies to treat cancer and autoimmune diseases to novel drug delivery platforms, the range of technologies exemplified the strength of translational research at Einstein.

“Today marks an exciting milestone in our vision for the future,” said Marla Keller, M.D., executive dean at Einstein. “By partnering with industry and investors, we aim to propel our groundbreaking research to impactful therapies. We are thrilled to see the innovative spirit of our brilliant investigators come to life in these start-ups."

Making Connections

Janis Paradiso, MBA, director of Einstein's office of biotechnology and business development (OBBD), spearheaded the event. "This is the first time our institution has hosted a gathering like this, and we launched it with a clear purpose – to further support our start-ups, create new pathways for partnership, and accelerate the translation of our technologies into clinical impact," Ms. Paradiso noted, highlighting that just days after the event, it had already led to a meeting with a venture capital firm with one of the presenting companies.

Mani Mohindru, co-founder and CEO of Roshon Therapeutics, was among the presenters.

Mani Mohindru, Ph.D., co-founder and CEO of Roshon Therapeutics, was among the presenters. The company is creating first-in-class monoclonal antibodies that target blood cancers and solid tumors, based on the research of Amit Verma, M.D., professor and chair of oncology and co-director of the Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center’s (MECCC) Blood Cancer Institute. “It was a thoughtful, well-organized, and intimate event,” said Dr. Mohindru. “It was great to see all the companies that have emerged from Einstein and to connect with potential investors.”

An integral component of Einstein’s strategic plan involves expanding partnerships with industry, venture capital, and biotechnology investors to advance its scientific discoveries. Co-sponsored by OBBD, Einstein Strategic Plan 2030, MECCC, and the office of development and alumni relations, the showcase was an opportunity to further that goal. Faculty participants also touted the event, noting the importance of the ongoing institutional support for success.

“Establishing a start-up isn’t the end of the road,” said David Sharp, Ph.D., professor of molecular pharmacology, of ophthalmology & visual sciences, and of neuroscience at Einstein and CEO of the start-up MicroCures, which is developing siRNA therapeutics to enhance tissue repair. “It’s a very competitive environment; it requires a lot of dedication over many years to bring a drug to market. The Start-Up Showcase was a great opportunity to garner interest from potential investors who will help further our research and move forward in bringing our treatment to patients."

The Expanding Start-Up Ecosystem

The other start-ups that presented (and associated faculty members) were:

• BaxGen Therapeutics (Evripidis Gavathiotis, Ph.D.), focusing on personalized cancer treatment using a genetic and molecular tumor profile
• Cue Biopharma (Steven Almo, Ph.D.), advancing immuno-oncology through targeted drug delivery within the immune system
• Matter Bio (Claudia Gravekamp, Ph.D.), developing biopharmaceuticals for cancer
• NextPoint Therapeutics (Xingxing Zang, Ph.D.), specializing in next-generation immunotherapies for chronic conditions
• Vascarta (Joel Friedman, M.D.), creating a novel drug delivery platform for chronic pain and inflammation

Einstein researcher Evripidis Gavathiotis, Ph.D., speaks with Elizabeth Stoner, M.D., from MPM BioImpact, and former Einstein faculty member Irfan Qureshi, M.D., now at Biohaven, about his research during the poster session.

In addition to the oral presentations, a poster session was held in Lubin Dining Hall, where faculty members, primarily awardees of the College of Medicine’s Acceleration Fund, showcased their promising discoveries to potential investors and partners. The 15 posters covered a range of opportunities, including research targeting chronic diseases, such as diabetes and cancer, as well as age-related neurodegeneration. These posters will be displayed on Main Street in Forchheimer from Dec.1 to 11.

Among the attendees was Noah Jacobs, a second-year M.D.-Ph.D. student who co-leads the Einstein Innovation Group, a student group focused on innovation and entrepreneurship at the College of Medicine. “I'm deeply motivated by the potential to translate lab discoveries into therapeutics that meaningfully impact patients,” he said. “Seeing researchers I look up to at Einstein actively driving the frontier of biotechnology innovation, especially this early in my training, means a lot to me."