Life Sciences Power Breakfast

Date:
Thursday, April 24, 2025
Location:
Westin Indianapolis
Address:
241 W. Washington Street, Indianapolis, IN 46204
Networking:
7:30 am
Program:
8:00 am
  • Presenting Sponsor
  • CAI
  • Underwriting Sponsors
  • Indiana Life Sciences Association
  • Project Farma
  • Indiana University
  • Contributing Sponsors
  • BioCrossroads
  • Heartland Bioworks Powered by ARI

Speaker

Guest Speaker

David Adams

David Adams

Secretary of Commerce
State of Indiana

Panelists

Panelist

Saeed Amidi

Saeed Amidi

CEO
Plug and Play Tech Center

Bio

Saeed Amidi is a seasoned investor and executive with over 30 years of experience growing businesses in numerous industries, including real estate, bottled water, packaging, and technology investing. Following the early success of his various businesses, The Amidi Group initially purchased a building in Palo Alto and decided to rent the extra office spaces to startups.

Once home to several of the first and most notable startups, the property, deemed the “Lucky Building,” has seen a surplus of successful startups and entrepreneurs come through its doors, including Larry Page and Sergey Brin from Google, Pierluigi Zappacosta from Logitech, Peter Thiel from PayPal, and Andy Rubin from Danger. Over the years, Saeed realized the unique position this building put his family and businesses in as investors.

As the CEO and founder of Plug and Play, Saeed applies his passion for the tech industry daily by working with forward-thinking partners and the best global startups to facilitate positive change worldwide. Since Plug and Play’s launch in 2006, the company has worked with over 90,000 startups, made over 2,000 investments, and boasts over 30 unicorns including Dropbox, PayPal, Lending Club, N26, and Honey. Similar to his unexpected success with the “Lucky Building,” Saeed considered himself lucky overall when he moved to Silicon Valley in the late 70s, where he was then unaware of the ecosystem it would become.

In the midst of all his entrepreneurial pursuits, Saeed never lost sight of what matters most: family. He has encouraged the importance of building strong relationships both personally and professionally. With Plug and Play being a family-owned business, he’s implemented a work culture that supports employees and makes them feel like they are part of the family.

Saeed is recognized in the community along with many successful serial entrepreneurs and veteran financial executives. His contributions to the technology industry and charitable efforts supporting disruptive startups have made him a notable professional in many circles. Out of the office, you can find him on the golf course or spending time with his family.

Panelist

Diana Caldwell

Diana Caldwell

CEO and CoFounder
Amplified Sciences

Bio

Diana is an accomplished and recognized serial life science entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience in both large corporate and small entrepreneurial environments. Throughout her career, she has successfully driven organizational growth, developed and implemented strategic business plans, raised capital, launched novel life science products, and directed successful teams. Prior to taking helm as CEO of Amplified Sciences, Diana served as an Entrepreneur in Residence at the Purdue Foundry supporting several early stage startups. Early in her career, she worked for Eli Lilly for over 15 years in a variety of general management leadership roles in product management, marketing, finance, sales, and operations. In 2010, Diana co-founded Pearl Pathways (exit to Versiti in 2023) where she led the company as President and CEO and oversaw all strategic plans and business operations. Pearl Pathways is a life science product development consulting company focused on expediting regulatory pathways, building and enhancing quality management systems, delivering AHHRPP accredited IRB clinical research review services, and executing clinical trials through a niche CRO offering. Under her leadership she was able to scale the company to a multimillion-dollar company with fifteen employees and dozens of consultant partners. In 2018 she sold her interest in Pearl Pathways to pursue the startup of another life science product company.

Panelist

David Rosenberg

David Rosenberg

President and CEO
Indiana University Launch Accelerator for Biosciences

Bio

David Rosenberg, the inaugural president and CEO of the Indiana University Launch Accelerator for Biosciences (IU LAB), most recently served as Secretary of Commerce for the state of Indiana and a member of Governor Eric J. Holcomb’s cabinet. In his role, Rosenberg led the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), guiding the strategy and growth of the state’s economy and its related economic development efforts. Rosenberg oversaw the IEDC’s 100+ person international team that achieved unprecedented success for Indiana’s economy. This includes record-breaking committed capital from companies at $39.4 billion in 2024 and securing historic economic funding from the state legislature.

As chief operating officer and chief of staff for the IEDC, Rosenberg oversaw the agency’s operations, cultural and young professional development team, as well as several strategic IEDC initiatives, including the Indiana Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI), and the LEAP Innovation and Research District in Boone County. Rosenberg helped build and lead the IEDC’s100+ person international team that, under the leadership of Gov. Holcomb, has achieved unprecedented success for Indiana’s economy. This includes record-breaking committed capital from companies at $39.4 billion in 2024 and securing historic economic funding from the state legislature.

Rosenberg is a proven leader within the state, boasting an impressive track record that includes a significant role as Deputy Chief of Staff under Mayor Greg Ballard where he oversaw the management of substantial development projects worth billions of dollars, optimizing operations across the enterprise, and represented the city in both the City-County Council and within the Statehouse.

His previous experience also extended to the education sector, where he served as the Operations Officer for Indianapolis Public Schools, the largest school district in the state. Rosenberg spearheaded the reorganization and modernization of transportation services, effectively directed the management of over 9 million square feet of real estate assets, and also led the sale and development of the Bottleworks District.

Rosenberg also served previously as a consultant for a versatile, multi-client firm, advising and advocating for clients across various levels of government. His areas of focus included K-12 education, facility financing, and operations enhancement. He currently serves on boards for the 2025 WNBA All-Star Host Committee and KIPP Indianapolis Schools.

Rosenberg was awarded the Sagamore of the Wabash in 2024. He has also been recognized as one of Howey Politics Indiana’s Power 50 and has twice been named one of Indiana’s 250 Most Influential Leaders by the Indiana Business Journal (IBJ). He is also a recipient of the IBJ’s ‘Forty under 40’ recognition. Rosenberg is a graduate of the Indiana University Maurer School of Law and resides in Zionsville with his wife, Ali, and their children Will, Lily, and Jack.

Panelist

Vince Wong

Vince Wong

President & Chief Executive Officer
BioCrossroads

Bio

Vince Wong brings significant valuable multi-national and start-up company experience to BioCrossroads. Vince, who became CEO on January 31, 2024, most recently was chief commercial officer at Geneoscopy, a venture-backed start-up company focused on developing gastrointestinal diagnostics. His responsibilities included business development, government affairs, market access, sales, marketing, and communications. He also helped raise over $100M in venture capital. Vince serves as a director on the board of Bionano Genomics (Nasdaq: BNGO) and Executive in Residence with IU Ventures. Prior to Geneoscopy, Vince enjoyed an 18-year career at Roche Diagnostics, where he held senior leadership roles in several functions across various disease areas.

A native Hoosier, Vince has deep Indiana roots and served on the boards of numerous civic and arts organizations, including the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, Dance Kaleidoscope, the Indy Chamber, Asian American Alliance, and the Indianapolis Museum of Art and was recognized as 40 Under Forty by the Indianapolis Business Journal. He earned a BA in economics and government from the University of Notre Dame, a JD from Indiana University's Maurer School of Law, and an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.