2025 Life Sciences & HealthTech Alternative Financing Summit

Speaking Engagement | October.08.2025 | 1pm - 5pm (Pacific Daylight Time)

Orrick is hosting a half-day summit bringing together life sciences and healthtech companies to explore the evolving landscape of financing in today’s dynamic market. Through engaging discussions and leader insights, attendees will gain valuable perspectives on emerging trends, deal structures and new opportunities shaping the future of life sciences and healthtech funding.

This event is a unique opportunity to connect with industry leaders, exchange ideas and discover strategies to accelerate innovation and growth. Whether you’re seeking to expand your network or deepen your understanding of the latest financing approaches, you won’t want to miss this gathering of forward-thinking minds.

For event information or to RSVP, please contact your Orrick relationship partner or email us for more information. We look forward to seeing you.

Contacts

Stephen Thau Partner, Technology Companies Group, Life Sciences & HealthTech

New York; Silicon Valley

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D:+1 212 506 5076
E: [email protected]

Practice:

Technology & Innovation Sector
Technology Companies Group
Life Sciences & HealthTech
Mergers & Acquisitions
Corporate Governance
Capital Markets

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Stephen Thau Partner

New York; Silicon Valley

Stephen’s practice focuses on the representation of life science, medical device, health IT, and other technology companies in transactional matters, including public and private financings, licensing, collaborations and strategic alliances, and mergers and acquisitions. He also represents venture capital firms in public and private financing transactions.

Stephen is recognized as a Leading Life Sciences Lawyer by LMG Life Sciences in their 2021/2022 rankings and short-listed as Venture Capital Attorney of the Year. He has served as a member of the Board of Tech Council of Maryland, the leading technology and life science association in that state, and of BayBio, Northern California’s leading life sciences association. Stephen is a frequent speaker on venture capital financings and served on the faculty at the 2005 and 2007 Emerging Entrepreneurs workshops at Stanford University.

Prior to joining Orrick, Stephen was a partner at Morrison & Foerster, Venture Law Group and Heller Ehrman. He began his legal practice as a litigator, focusing on securities and intellectual property. He also served as a law clerk to the Hon. Vaughn R. Walker in the United States District Court in the Northern District of California. Stephen graduated Order of the Coif from Stanford Law School, where he was managing editor of the Stanford Law Review, and graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College in Biology.

Mike O'Donnell Partner, Technology Companies Group, Mergers & Acquisitions

Silicon Valley

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D:+1 650 614 7439
E: [email protected]

Practice:

Technology & Innovation Sector
Technology Companies Group
Mergers & Acquisitions
Life Sciences & HealthTech

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Mike O'Donnell Partner

Silicon Valley

Michael applies his broad experience in venture capital financings, public offerings, mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances, technology licensing, and corporate spin-out transactions to each engagement. He has undertaken over 300 venture capital financings raising an estimated $7 billion for his clients, recently assisting Auris Health to raise over $650 million in financings before its sale to J&J for up to $5.75 billion.

He also brings extensive experience negotiating strategic alliances, representing clients in significant collaborations with GSK, Amgen, Schering-Plough, J&J, Daiichi, Astellas, King Pharmaceuticals, and most recently Pfizer, Merck, Baxter and Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd.

Michael was the lead lawyer on the initial public offerings for Illumina, Neurocrine Biosciences, Cytokinetics, Pain Therapeutics, NeurogesX, Sequana Therapeutics, Ciphergen Biosystems, Argonaut Technologies, and Microcide Pharmaceuticals.

Michael was also the lead lawyer responsible for negotiating many notable biopharmaceutical spin-outs, including Onyx Pharmaceuticals (Chiron-Cetus), Tularik (Genentech), X-Ceptor (Ligand Pharmaceuticals), Metabasis (Gensia Sicor), and as well on the reverse merger of Transcept Pharmaceuticals with Novacea, creating a new publicly traded entity.

Thora Johnson Partner, Life Sciences & HealthTech, Cyber, Privacy & Data Innovation

Washington, D.C.

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Practice:

Technology & Innovation Sector
Life Sciences & HealthTech
Cyber, Privacy & Data Innovation
Strategic Advisory & Government Enforcement (SAGE)

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Thora Johnson Partner

Washington, D.C.

Thora works with medical device, pharmaceutical, biotech and digital health companies, helping them navigate the increasingly complex patchwork of state and federal health privacy laws. One client described her to the Legal 500 as a “very practical” advisor providing “exceptional guidance” on health information privacy and HIPAA compliance matters.

Her breadth and depth of experience enable Thora to assist clients in harnessing the power of artificial intelligence and executing data-sharing arrangements, all while protecting health data. As a result, Thora spends much of her time counseling pioneering startups and high-growth companies on responsible innovation in healthcare and life sciences.

Thora brings extensive experience counseling clients, including Fortune 500 companies and brick and mortar providers, on the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and other state and federal health privacy and regulatory compliance regimes including:

Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology’s interoperability and information blocking regulations
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service’s (CMS’s) interoperability and patient access regulations
Part 2 confidentiality requirements applicable to substance abuse records
State health information privacy laws
State consumer privacy laws with special controls for health data
Medicare/Medicaid compliance
Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA)
Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA)
Affordable Care Act (ACA) compliance
Regulatory requirements of the Employer Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), the Internal Revenue Code, HIPAA, and the ACA as they apply to employer health and wellness plans

Thora routinely helps companies and large employers prepare for and respond to privacy and security incidents involving health information. She also defends clients in government investigations initiated by the OCR, OIG, DOJ, FTC and State AGs, among others.

Tony Chan Partner, Life Sciences & HealthTech, Mergers & Acquisitions

Washington, D.C.; Boston; New York

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Practice:

Technology & Innovation Sector
Life Sciences & HealthTech
Mergers & Acquisitions
Private Equity
Fintech

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Tony Chan Partner

Washington, D.C.; Boston; New York

Tony regularly advises on mergers and acquisitions (M&A), private equity, growth equity, and venture capital transactions, as well as on corporate governance, joint ventures and corporate finance matters.

Tony has been recognized for his life sciences and M&A work by a number of notable publications, including The Legal 500 US, Law360, IFLR1000 and Legal Media Group. In particular, Law360 highlighted his work in navigating the complex life sciences industry and key partnership negotiations between biotechnology and drug companies.

In addition, Tony sustains an active pro bono practice, serving as counsel to nonprofit organizations such as Aequitas, APAI Vote, Chefs Stopping Asian American Hate, Rebuilding Together Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Film Society, and the Harvard Asian American Alumni Alliance. Tony also serves as an adjunct professor at Georgetown Law School where he has taught Takeovers, Mergers and Acquisitions since 2015.

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