On April 22, I had the honor of joining a powerhouse panel to kick off the 2025 Big Dipper Innovation Summit at Main Street Station in Richmond, Virginia. Our session, The RVA Medicine Trail: Transforming Big Ideas into Market Reality, was a call to reimagine what innovation really looks like in a legacy industry like medicine.

Moderated by Jennifer Ginther of Memorial Hermann Health System, the panel brought together leaders actively shaping the future of healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and advanced manufacturing:

• Dr. Frank Gupton, Medicines for All Institute
• Joy Polefrone, PhD, Advanced Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Tech Hub
• Allan Coukell, Civica Rx
• Me, Kishau Rogers, Founder & CEO of Time Study

We explored the systems, cultural shifts, and bold strategies required to move innovation from concept to impact, especially in industries where lives are on the line and infrastructure is slow to change. Topics ranged from advanced manufacturing and pharmaceutical access to collaborative care models and data-driven transformation.

It was exciting to hear about the groundbreaking life sciences work happening right here in the Richmond region. I also shared a story close to home:

• I’m from Virginia (born and raised!)
• I’ve lived in Richmond for over two decades
• I’ve launched multiple businesses here
• My venture, Time Study, was launched here

But while Time Study was born in Richmond, our growth has come from working with healthcare systems, investors, and partners outside of the region. Their support helped us scale from a handful of early adopters to over 100 of the nation’s leading health organizations.

During the session, I challenged the region to build a muscle for being first. To become innovation leaders, we need to create conditions where a broader range of innovators can take action early and be supported early. Innovation isn’t simply about invention. It’s about creating the conditions that allow new ideas to launch, grow, and scale right here at home.

If a region wants to lead in innovation, it has to be willing to fund the future. That means putting real capital and commitment behind high-risk, high-reward ideas long before they’re market ready. It means giving startups room to experiment and fail forward, and creating the kind of infrastructure that doesn’t just attract talent but retains it. Without that muscle, a city may talk about innovation but it won’t be the one driving it.

It was a privilege to be part of this important conversation about the future of healthcare, talent, and innovation in Richmond. I hope it sparked new thinking about how we create open, scalable pathways for all innovators to make an impact from the inside out.