The MESH BDIR team fosters the bioscience entrepreneurial culture at USC. Whether you are an aspiring entrepreneur or a young startup company looking to expand, MESH BDIR is here to help. MESH BDIR supports USC student, faculty, staff, and alumni entrepreneurs through:

• Entrepreneurial Coaching
• Industry Expert Networking Opportunities
• Connections to Capital and Space

We work with startup CEOs to help perfect the content and delivery of their company pitches and consult with company founders to develop fundraising strategies.

We regularly organize events that bring together faculty, students, entrepreneurs, investors, and industry experts. Through our various partnerships with life sciences and industry organizations such as Larta Institute, Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute (SC CTSI), and Biocom, we offer numerous workshops, seminar series, and discussion forums centered on innovation and commercialization. (For upcoming events with our partners, see the MESH Events & Networking page.)

We support USC researchers by facilitating connections to capital and space opportunities. We collaborate with WaveMaker Three-Sixty Health, a LA-based healthcare-focused venture capital firm, to seek out USC-affiliated startups for investment. (Learn more here.) Where appropriate, we can provide introductions to bioscience/healthcare-focused venture capital firms with which USC has informal relationships. For companies seeking lab and/or office space, we can also provide introductions to several local options. (For a list of incubators located in the Los Angeles region, see the MESH BDIR Resources page.)

Bioscience Ecosystem Relationship Building

MESH actively participates in local and global innovation ecosystems; we are proud to have relationships with a variety of professional and industry organizations, such as Biocom; LA Bioscience Hub; BioLA; SoCalBio; CLSA; and BCLA.  We serve as members of the Biocom LA Startup Resources Committee and the Biocom AI Committee; we sit on the boards of Biocom and CLSA.

For more information, contact:
Vasiliki Anest, PhD, Senior Director
vasiliki.anest@med.usc.edu

Melissa Rodgers, PhD, Associate Director of Business Development and Industry Relations
rodgersm@usc.edu 

Camilo Ansarah-Sobrinho, PhD, Associate Director of Business Development and Industry Relations
camilo.ansarah@med.usc.edu