Founder Fireside Chat: Will We Be Ready for the Next Pandemic?

Although many of the most devastating effects of COVID-19 are fading behind us, have you ever wondered what steps leaders around the world are taking to prepare for—and limit the human and economic damage from—the next pandemic? What can we do now to make sure a virus never catches us off guard again? How can the world be ready? Join the Founder’s Fireside Chat at the Innovate Carolina Junction to find out. On Wednesday, Sept. 25, Innovate Carolina will host a (bring your own!) lunch conversation featuring James Rosen, CEO and Director of the Rapidly Emerging Antiviral Drug Development Initiative (READDI). This nonprofit biotechnology company—which is headquartered in downtown Chapel Hill—is helping to lead the worldwide charge to prevent global catastrophes caused by viruses by ensuring broad-spectrum small molecule antiviral drugs are ready for immediate use at the first signs of future pandemics. Rosen discuss how READDI collaborates with a global network of professionals from academia, industry, government and philanthropy to accelerate the drug discovery and development process for medicines that work against the most dangerous families of viruses. Facilitated by Dedric Carter, PhD, MBA, Vice Chancellor for Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Economic Development and UNC Chief Innovation Officer, this conversation will give you a chance to hear from Rosen about leadership strategies and steps underway to help prepare the world for the emergence of the next viral outbreak.

About the Founder’s Fireside Chat
This series of monthly brown bag chats feature insightful conversations with the founders and leaders of startup and innovation-driven organizations connected with UNC-Chapel Hill. Moderated by Dr. Carter, they are perfect for anyone interested in entrepreneurship, innovation, and the dynamic world of UNC’s founding visionaries. Bring your lunch and enjoy a casual conversation while gaining valuable perspectives and inspiration from leaders who are shaping the future.

About the Featured Innovator
James Rosen (Jimmy) serves as READDI’s chief executive officer and a member of the Board of Directors. He has 35 years of research, finance and operational experience across the healthcare and life sciences sectors. Jimmy is focused on developing medicines and products that are affordable and accessible to everyone who needs them, including underserved communities and those living in remote geographies.

About READDI
The Rapidly Emerging Antiviral Drug Development Initiative — READDI — is a nonprofit biotechnology company dedicated to preventing global catastrophes caused by viruses. It plays a clear, specific — and central — role in the widely accepted three-pronged pandemic preparedness approach involving diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines. READDI develops therapeutics. Specifically, READDI’s mission is to ensure that broad-spectrum small molecule antiviral drugs are ready for immediate use at the first signs of future pandemics.
READDI was inspired by a prominent team of the world’s brightest research minds and began with a groundbreaking collaboration between the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Eshelman Institute for Innovation at UNC-Chapel Hill and the Structural Genomics Consortium.

Event Venue

Innovate Carolina Junction, 136 E. Rosemary St., Chapel Hill, United States