This panel discussion focuses on the benefits and challenges of operating a biotech startup in Los Angeles. The panel features Alice Jacobs, MD, of Third Rock Ventures, who acted as an insightful moderator and our panelists included: Andrew Bartynski, PhD, Trojan Alumni, CEO & Co-founder of Aescula Tech giving the perspective of a current entrepreneur, Amir Naiberg, LLB, LLM, Associate Vice Chancellor of the UCLA Technology Development Group, who was able to provide insight from an academic licensing point of view, Carlos Gutierrez, MBA, Chief Strategy Officer from the Larta Institute, provided perspective from a non-profit angle and Arye Lipman, founder of BioBuilt, LA's biomanufacturing accelerator. Biotech Connection Los Angeles (BCLA) - http://bc-la.org/ - is a project of the 501(c)(3) non-profit Community Partners, is an organization run by students, postdocs and young professionals from all over Los Angeles. ​ Our mission is to educate and facilitate the connection between various stakeholders in biotechnology, including academic researchers, industry and medical professionals, STEM students as well as patients and patient advocates, to foster innovation and positively impact healthcare. Combining all parties in the same room will help us increase diversity in this field and inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs, in our much talented LA community. This program was co-sponsored by the California Nanosystems Institute (https://cnsi.ucla.edu/). The CNSI is a hub of interdisciplinary research, translation, and education where scientists from diverse fields find common purpose in addressing grand challenges of the 21st century. With locations at the University of California’s Los Angeles and Santa Barbara campuses, the CNSI leverages public and private investment to drive collaborative nanoscience research across disciplines, translates discoveries into knowledge-driven commercial enterprises, and educates the next generation of scientists and engineers.