Dave Whelan

Chief Business Officer / Venture Consultant
Big4Bio / Wavemaker Three-Sixty Health
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Based in LA for nearly 25 years, Dave works with organizations and entrepreneurs across the country and around the world, through his consultancy Bespoke Strategy (bespokestrategy.com). He is currently leading an international development strategy for Wavemaker Three-Sixty Health (wavemaker360.com), a leading healthcare venture capital firm, as well as growing ecosystem connectivity as the Chief Business Officer of Big4Bio (big4bio.com). Working across multiple industries, Dave has a passion for the intersection of technology, health, and wellness, with an emphasis on business and organizational strategy.
 
Most recently, he served as the first permanent Chief Executive Officer of BioscienceLA, the non-profit innovation catalyst for life sciences in the greater Los Angeles region. He was an integral part of the creation of New York Genome Center, where he served as Chief Strategy Officer and collaborated on development of the business plan, fundraising of $115 million, and operational launch. He launched one of the first fitness tracking wearables with 24 Hour Fitness. Earlier, he spent over six years as a retained executive search consultant. Dave began his career with a biotechnology venture studio in San Francisco.
 
Dave holds an MBA with Honors from the UCLA Anderson School and a BS in Symbolic Systems from Stanford University, and he remains very involved in alumni activities with both schools. He also studied at London Business School and Carnegie Mellon University. He has held a Top Secret Security Clearance.


 

Taiwan to LA: Catalyzing the Future of Biotech and AI-Driven Health Innovation

As healthcare rapidly converges with artificial intelligence, genomics, and digital platforms, a new wave of innovation is reshaping the future of medicine. This transformation is not happening in isolation – it is being propelled by a dynamic cross-border investment ecosystem, with Los Angeles emerging as a strategic gateway for Taiwanese innovation entering the U.S. market.
 
David J. Whelan, Venture Consultant at Wavemaker Three-Sixty Health and Chief Business Officer at Big4Bio, explores how global capital, particularly from Asia-Pacific, is increasingly focused on precision health, personalized medicine, and data-driven care. Drawing from his work with startups, accelerators, and venture ecosystems across both coasts, Whelan highlights how the intersection of Taiwan’s world-class biomedical R&D and the U.S.’s commercialization and capital infrastructure – especially through Southern California – presents a unique opportunity for global health impact.
 
What strategic advantages does Los Angeles offer as a soft landing zone for Taiwanese startups in biotech and digital health? How are investors evaluating opportunities across borders, balancing innovation with compliance in data governance and AI ethics? What successful models are emerging to bridge public health innovation with private capital?
 
This session will dive into how "precision capital" is not just about funding technologies but enabling platforms that scale responsibly, collaboratively, and globally. Taiwan, with its robust genomic initiatives, AI talent, and manufacturing strengths, is well-positioned to contribute significantly to the future of personalized healthcare – provided it can navigate the right partnerships and policy frameworks.
 
Attendees will gain actionable insights into cross-border collaboration strategies, investment trends, and how to position Taiwan-origin startups for sustainable success in the U.S. through Los Angeles. Researchers, founders, and policy leaders alike will walk away better equipped to shape the future of healthcare innovation on both sides of the Pacific.