Health and medtech dominated the boardroom pitches at Jane Morgan Management’s 20th anniversary East Coast Investor Lunch this week, with 11 company leaders given ten minutes each to make their case to more than 130 investors at Sydney’s The Establishment.
The sector split told its own story: six health and medtech names against four resources companies and one defence player; a weighting that reflects where early-stage capital is currently finding a hearing on the ASX.
Setting the scene
Jason Segal, founder of independent research platform The Armchair Analyst, opened proceedings with a look back at the best-performing ASX-listed healthcare stock of the past five years: 4D Medical, up approximately 120% over the period. A nice reminder to the room of what sector-level conviction can return when a thesis plays out.
Freddie Cator, Vice President of Corporate Finance at trans-Tasman investment bank Jarden, followed at the midpoint of the pitches with a keynote on the state of the Australian investment market. His read was notably more upbeat than the general mood of caution currently pricing into small and mid-cap names. His positivity and optimism a nice bolster.
The pitches
Health & Medtech
- BlinkLab (Brian Leedman, Chairman, ASX:BB1) – developing a smartphone-based diagnostic platform for earlier, more accurate identification of neurological and neurodevelopmental conditions. Its lead product, BlinkLab Dx1, uses AI to capture objective, reflex-based responses as an aid in autism diagnosis.
- NeuroScientific Biopharmaceuticals (Nathan Smith, CEO, ASX:NSB) – an Australian biotech developing cellular therapies for immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, built around mesenchymal stem cells with the potential to reduce inflammation, repair damaged tissue and regulate immune response.
- Cleo Diagnostics (Dayna Louca, Head of Corporate Development, ASX:COV) – developing blood-based tests to improve detection of ovarian cancer. Its proprietary CXCL10-based diagnostic platform is initially being developed as a pre-surgical test to help clinicians distinguish benign from malignant ovarian masses.
- Identifai Genetics (Eyal Miller, CEO, proposed ASX:ID1) – a precision genomics company targeting an ASX listing. Its lead product, Windrose™, combines genetic analysis with proprietary AI to assess risk across more than 280 inherited genetic conditions from a single maternal blood sample.
- Botanix Pharmaceuticals (Dr Howie McKibbon, CEO, ASX:BOT) – commercialising Sofdra, the first FDA-approved new chemical entity for primary axillary hyperhidrosis (excessive underarm sweating). The pitch lands off the back of a strong Q4 FY26: Sofdra net revenue up 45% quarter-on-quarter to US$10.1 million, prescriptions shipped up 25%, and the company’s first full year of positive operating cash flow.
- Emyria(Greg Hutchinson, Executive Chairman, ASX:EMD) – an Australian healthcare company delivering and developing psychedelic-assisted therapies for PTSD and treatment-resistant depression, combining specialist psychiatric care across its clinic network with real-world patient data to inform its drug-development pipeline.
Mining & Resources
- Impact Minerals (Mike Jones, MD, ASX:IPT) – an exploration and development company focused on critical and strategic minerals. Its flagship Lake Hope Project in Western Australia is being advanced as a potential source of high-purity alumina, potash and hydrochloric acid, underpinned by the company’s HiPura processing technology.
- Power Minerals (Alistair Stephens, CEO, ASX:PNN) – building a South American critical minerals portfolio spanning rare earths, niobium and lithium. Its flagship Morro do Ferro Project in Brazil is emerging as a potentially significant source of high-grade magnet rare earths for electrification, robotics, AI and advanced manufacturing.
- Kaiser Reef (Brad Valiukas, MD, ASX:KAU) – an Australian gold producer operating the Henty Gold Mine in Tasmania, with the Maldon Gold Project in Victoria under development as its next growth leg alongside existing processing infrastructure.
- Lava Blue (Michael McCann, MD, pre-IPO) – a Brisbane-based advanced materials and critical minerals processing company developing technology to produce high-purity materials from mineral resources and industrial waste streams, with an initial commercial focus on high-purity alumina for batteries, semiconductors, advanced ceramics and sapphire glass.
Defence
- Boresight Targeting (Justin Olde, MD/CEO, ASX:BST) – develops aerial target drones and supporting technology for counter-drone training and testing. Its integrated platform combines attritable drones, mission-planning software and scalable ground-control systems, helping government and industry customers replicate evolving aerial threats.
Twenty years in the room
Jane Morgan’s IR and media relations firm marked its 20th year at the lunch. Michael McCann, of Lava Blue, offered this great insight: two decades ago, “investor relations” meant a few mates and a bottle of red; this week it meant 130 investors and a plated lunch at one of Sydney’s better addresses.
