Women Startup Challenge

2019 Europe HealthTech

Sarah F. Fisher is a Senior Director, Global External Innovation, for Johnson & Johnson. She specializes in shaping the external environment and sourcing collaborative partners for global go-to-market strategy and execution of novel service and technology introductions. Sarah has a combined 17 years of cross-functional innovation and new venture experience across Medtech, Healthtech, and Lifesciences new ventures in global markets. She was awarded the first-ever Corporate Entrepreneur accolade by Corporate Entrepreneurs, LLC. and is the head of the healthcare arm of the international venture club based in the EU. She completed her Masters of Business Administration in Entrepreneurship at Babson College in Wellesley, MA and her post -graduate diploma in Global Business at the University of Oxford in Oxford, UK.

Since 2014, Jean-Louis Missika is a Paris councilor and Deputy Mayor of Paris, in charge of urban planning, architecture, Greater Paris projects, economic development and attractiveness. From 2008 to 2014 he served as Deputy Mayor of Paris in charge of innovation, research and higher education. Jean-Louis Missika is a media sociologist. He holds a PhD in management, a degree in philosophy and is graduated of Sciences Po Paris. He was head of the Information and Dissemination Service of the Prime Minister Michel Rocard and director of BVA, before setting up a consulting firm. He also served as Vice President of Iliad. He has taught media sociology at Sciences Po Paris. Jean-Louis Missika has written several books, notably on media and politics: La Folle du logis. Television in Democratic Societies, with Dominique Wolton (Gallimard, 1983), La Fin de la télévision (Le Seuil/La République des idées, 2006) and Parler pour gagner, sémiotique des discours de la campagne présidentielle de 2007, with Denis Bertrand and Alexandre Dézé (Presses de Sciences Po, 2007).

Anne joined Advent France Biotechnology, a VC firm specialising in early-stage investments in the Life Sciences, as Partner in September 2017. She was previously Senior Associate at Sofinnova Partners (2013-2017) and has over 15 years’ experience in the Life Sciences sector, acquired as Business Development Executive at Cancer Research Technology (2007-2013), the technology transfer arm of British charity Cancer Research UK, and Senior Medicinal Chemist at Cambridge Biotechnology Ltd (2003-2007). Anne's experience includes equity financing (seed and series A), tech transfer & scouting, business development, and biotech R&D.

Anne carried out postdoctoral research at Yale University after gaining her PhD in organic chemistry from the University of Bristol. She holds a diplôme d'ingénieur from the Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Rouen, specialising in Chemistry. She is an author on seven peer-reviewed papers and an inventor on eight patent families. As part of the investment team at Sofinnova Partners, Anne supported investments in 5 companies which have raised over $200M to date through seed, Series A & B financings and listing on EuroNext.