With over 700 registered attendees at the conference, either at beautiful Balboa Bay Resort or tuning in virtually, Ophthalmology Tech Summit was a powerful example of the innovation potential when industry, physicians, entrepreneurs, and investors gather together.
The event began with targeted networking opportunities on Thursday. First was the Partnership Pursuit: Physician & Entrepreneur Reception - where 9 ophthalmic startups had the opportunity to meet with physicians in order to find an advisory or board connection. As a convening organization, providing the pathways for startups to succeed and find resources is at the core of Octane‘s mission.
Partnership Pursuit was followed by an outdoor Welcome Reception with physicians, speakers, and our Tier I Sponsors, Aerie, Alcon, Allergan, an AbbVie Company, Johnson & Johnson Vision, STAAR Surgical, and Visionary Ventures. It was a lively reception as friends and colleagues from around the country reconnected.
On Friday, the content began - a day jam-packed with valuable content from start to finish. Cara Parchment, Octane’s Senior Signature Event Manager for Aesthetics Tech Summit and Ophthalmology Tech Summit kicked off the day, thanking sponsors and the event committee. Industry powerhouse Erin Powers, Vice President, Global Marketing & Product Strategy, BVI Medical emceed.
Throughout Ophthalmology Tech Summit, there were exciting conversations between panelists, who each brought their own expertise to the table. This was evident in panels such as High Tech – Surgical Suite Integration, AI, Remote Training, Patient Communication Software, TeleHealth, and Current State and Future Outlook of the Ophthalmic Landscape. Additionally, in panels such as Advances in Retina, and Innovation Leadership Panel – Device, physicians presented on new technologies and innovations that have shaped their practice.
One of the most impactful sessions of the day was the Roger Steinert, MD Legacy Award Presented by The Gavin Herbert Eye Institute, where John Hovanesian, MD, FACS and Baruch Kuppermann, MD awarded their longtime colleague and friend, Dr. Richard Lindstrom. The award was accompanied by a heartfelt message from April Steinert, wife of Roger Steinert and 2017 award recipient.
The award was followed by an announcement from Octane’s CEO, Bill Carpou that Ophthalmology Tech Summit will be renamed to Ophthalmology Tech Forum. As the event grows, it will feature more auxiliary networking opportunities and events surrounding a day of content.
View this Healio Video Perspective as Bill Carpou, CEO of Octane, reveals the change of the Ophthalmology Technology Summit to the Ophthalmology Technology Forum.
LaunchPad SBDC Accelerator and Octane Capital & Growth client company presentations ended the day of content, with presentations from ForwardVue Pharma, Inc., IOPtic, Inc., and Kato Pharmaceuticals on the LaunchPad side and SalutarisMD and SmartLens from Capital & Growth. While LaunchPad SBDC assists earlier stage companies (approximately Series A stage), Octane Capital & Growth assists companies that are more established, typically that have already participated in the accelerator program. Where LaunchPad SBDC helps companies with their pitch and strategy, Octane Capital & Growth provides the capital connections and targeted investor introductions, as well as access to vetted professional service firms.
The LaunchPad SBDC companies were judged by industry experts Tara Capalbo, General Manager, Glaucoma, Allergan, an AbbVie Company, Sanjeev Ganatra, SVP, Sales & Marketing, CBCC Global Research, Sheri Rowen, MD,FACS, NVision Eye Centers, and Farrell “Toby” Tyson, MD, Tyson Eye. Attendees also were able to vote for their top presenting LaunchPad companies. ForwardVue Pharma Inc. came home with both awards.
Octane’s Ophthalmology Tech Summit 2022 wrapped up with a Closing Reception with Apellis, Flying L, Sun Ophthalmics, Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, and ZEISS.
Attendees get full access to the recorded content through our event platform!
Did you miss OTS 2022? For a limited time, you can still access the content purchasing a digital pass to unlock our content library. Purchase here.
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