Rockville, MD – Speed dating has reached the local biotech scene.
Scheer Partners Inc., a leading provider of commercial real estate services in the greater Washington metropolitan region, recently sponsored a “Bio Speed Dating” event, where top executives at area biotechnology companies networked and shared stories in a rapid-fire fashion.
About two-dozen biotech industry leaders attended “Bio Speed Dating” on Thursday, January 22, at La Tasca in Rockville, including Ed Rudnic, chairman of the Tech Council of Maryland’s board of directors; Paul Fisher, president and CEO of Gaithersburg-based GenVec Inc.; and Stephen Keith, president of Gaithersburg-based Panacea Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Also included in the group were professionals representing academia, the federal government and the venture capital community.
These and other biotech executives spent 10 minutes chatting with one another before moving on to the next participant. The “Bio Speed Dating” event focused on cancer-related topics.
Industry executives said the event proved quite valuable, as it allowed them to learn something about other participants that they might not ordinarily have learned in a networking environment.
Scheer Partners, which has three Washington-area offices, including a new location in Northern Virginia, hosted the event in partnership with Montgomery County – home to hundreds of biotech companies – and the Montgomery County Department of Economic Development.
Robert Scheer, president of Scheer Partners, remarked: “I think it is fair to say that many of us were apprehensive about the concept of Bio Speed Dating. However, after the event, we are true believers. Everyone enjoyed the event and felt they had quickly learned a lot about several companies and made important initial connections at a variety of levels. In particular, I want to thank officials with the Montgomery County Department of Economic Development for their leadership, creativity and support for this novel networking event.”