At this year’s Sixth Annual iC3 Life Sciences Summit, investment and innovation catalyst Dr. Hubert Zajicek will be presented with the 2020 Dennis K. Stone Award.
Zajicek, who is a co-founder, partner, and CEO of Health Wildcatters, is being honored by the BionorthTX Foundation because he has positively affected quality of life by raising life science research awareness and funds, impacted innovation to bring discoveries to commercial relevance, and gave back to his community and those in the scientific field, according to a statement.
“Dr. Zajicek’s focus on providing mentorship, capital, and guidance to early stage healthcare companies has directly contributed to North Texas being recognized internationally for its growing life sciences industry,” BionorthTX CEO Jorge Varela said in a statement.
Zajicek is most known for his work through Health Wildcatters, a Dallas-based seed stage healthcare fund and accelerator. The organization has invested in over 70 healthcare startups to date, which have attracted over $100 million in capital, according to a statement.
“His efforts have resulted in companies and talent relocating to this area and in significant startup funding,” Varela said.
Earlier this year, Zajicek launched the Health Hacking Crisis Network, in response to COVID-19, to activate the network of resources and innovators and bring aid during the ongoing crisis.
Zajicek was previously the managing director of medical technology at the North Texas Enterprise Center for Medical Technology and created what BionorthTX calls the Southwest’s largest medical technology investment conference, MedVentures.
Now, BionorthTX is honoring his efforts through the Dennis K. Stone Award.
“The list of previous recipients is very impressive, and I have had the good fortune to have met or worked with each of the recipients over the course of my career. The recognition is especially touching, as Dennis Stone was one the first people with whom I discussed a career move out of academia while I was still on faculty at UT Southwestern,” Zajicek said in a statement.
Past award recipients include Phil Ralston, Dennis K. Stone, Lyda Hill, Darlene Boudreaux, and Paul Dorman.
“I would not have been in the position to receive this award were it not for the generous support of Dennis and others like him who helped me find my true calling,” said Zajicek.
BionorthTX puts on the iC3 Life Sciences Summit annually, although this year’s event will be slightly different in light of the ongoing pandemic. The summit will be held virtually for the first time ever on November 5-6, with the Dennis K. Stone Award being presented on the second day.
The biotech event will still feature networking through its new conference platform, with summit attendees ranging from the startup community to large multinationals. To find more information on the iC3 Life Sciences Summit, go here.
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