Ray's Retreat

 Ray’s Retreat – Day 1 Recap (August 19, 2025)

We kicked off the Retreat tonight with an incredible dinner that set the perfect tone for the days ahead. After welcoming everyone with a few opening remarks, I was honored to introduce Dr. Brett Giroir, who shared his perspective on the differences and similarities between the Trump 1.0 and Trump 2.0 administrations.

Brett’s background is remarkable — he served as Acting Commissioner of the FDA and Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services, right in the middle of the nation’s COVID-19 response. Hearing his firsthand insights, combined with the perspective of Senator Richard Burr, made for one of the most stimulating and memorable discussions we’ve ever had at the Retreat.

The history and leadership experience that both Brett and Senator Burr bring to the table is simply incredible, and I’m grateful they joined us to launch this year’s program.

I’m looking forward to a full day tomorrow, highlighted by Senator Burr’s lunchtime presentation.

 Ray’s Retreat – Day 2 Recap (August 20, 2025)

The next day, Wednesday, August 20, we were all up early to see a group discussion led by my corporate partner Josh Kaufman, discussing when, where, and how to find investable targets in personalized medicine. Steve Tolman, an incredible pioneer in the Philadelphia biotech community, was joined by Greg Oakes and David Seemungal to provide the first session overview of this important financing aspect.

Session 2 included Christoph Bausch and Alexander Tova, who announced their recent success in financing our client SAB Biotherapeutics to the tune of $175 million. Rob Lynn of Avista Therapeutics also gave an impressive presentation, and Steve Isaacs described the work that he is conducting at Exbiotics, while also detailing his charitable efforts in Africa.

This incredible group of individuals attending the Retreat also were charitable in their contributions to the ABE Foundation.

The afternoon was eventful. Almost three-quarters of the attendees first had lunch with Senator Richard Burr, who provided his insights on national security and healthcare, and then followed that with tubing on the Little River. Yes, I said tubing — all ages enjoyed the lazy river. That’s not to say there weren’t any hiccups, because there surely were.

Sessions 3 and 4 focused on company presentations and the application of AI to enhance direction of life sciences research. One of the more memorable events was Andrew Powell’s wrap-up, where we learned two new approaches. The first was “astronomy” — a new term to me — which means swimming upstream with the instinct that there’s a greater lake feeding the stream that you are working against. (I can’t remember the other!)

For evening entertainment, we were joined by Mike Clemer, a musician and dulcimer player, and our local entertainment from Barry Spruce, who gave us a preview of the photography tour that we would take the next day. We again retired to the Rocky Top Cabin and were joined by most attendees.

 Ray’s Retreat – Day 3 Recap (August 21, 2025)

The next morning, Thursday, we spent the morning touring the Great Smoky Mountains, finding the most scenic vistas you could imagine and actually learning how to take appropriate photography.

The morning session on Thursday was focused on legal counseling, and the insights that the DLA Council provided on managing issues in a tight corporate environment were instrumental in providing guidance to clients and prospective clients in attendance. That was followed by a panel that included Nicole Endejon and Paul Steadman, discussing strategies for trade secrets in the life sciences space.

After an incredibly delicious lunch, the afternoon sessions focused on company presentations. We learned about UPMC Enterprises’ Life Science Fund, and we also had a very cool presentation on quantum computing and investing in the quantum space by Vivek Ramakrishnan.

The afternoon largely focused on company presentations, with a group discussion concluding the event. We all then enjoyed a whiskey pairing from a local distillery, led by a former Master Distiller from Jack Daniel’s, through a dinner that was truly remarkable.

We then concluded the official evening with the Fourth Annual Cornhole Tournament, which I must admit was once again won by the namesake of the event. There was close competition — at one point we were down 9–3 in a tournament played to 11 points — but we stormed back, and Rob Lynn and I became the champions of the Fourth Annual Ray’s Retreat Cornhole Tournament.

 Ray’s Retreat – Day 4 Recap (August 22, 2025)

The final day was about reflection and closing conversations. By the end, we had 47 attendees, representing more than three dozen companies across every level of the C-suite.

The buzz that began with Admiral Brett Giroir’s keynote and carried through Senator Burr’s lunchtime insights set the tone for the entire Retreat. From personalized medicine financing to AI, trade secrets, and quantum computing, the breadth and depth of content was truly remarkable.

As we wrapped up, I couldn’t help but reflect on how unmatched the energy of this year’s gathering was. The history, the innovation, the friendships, and the unforgettable experiences in the Smokies made Ray’s Retreat 2025 not only a success — but our most inspiring and stimulating retreat yet.