Women in Science R&D Division
Women in Science R&D Division
The pathway for women-led discovery to reach the market.
The pathway for women-led discovery to reach the market.
Women are shaping what comes next in life science. At InnovaSphere, your ambition meets the scientific expertise, commercial strategy and connections to turn discovery into opportunity.
We work alongside you to validate your innovation, strengthen your leadership and build a clear path to market, with a practical plan for your next milestone.
Advance your science from idea to market with the skills to lead it there.
Women are shaping what comes next in life science. At InnovaSphere, your ambition meets the scientific expertise, commercial strategy and connections to turn discovery into opportunity.
We work alongside you to validate your innovation, strengthen your leadership and build a clear path to market, with a practical plan for your next milestone.
The Pathway
Take your science further.
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Introduce your innovation.
Share your idea, innovation or company through our interest form below or a partner referral, and let’s explore your next step together.
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Sharpen your competitive edge.
Build the leadership skills and business strategy to advance your innovation, drawing on established programs, community networks and expert guidance.
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Validate.
Identify your highest-priority gaps and define the experiments, evidence and expert resources needed for your next milestone.
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Prepare for market or scale.
Translate your go-to-market strategy into action with commercial expertise that strengthens your market readiness and prepares you to engage partners and pursue capital.
ACCELERATE
Prepare for market or scale.
Translate your go-to-market strategy into action with commercial expertise that strengthens your market readiness and prepares you to engage partners and pursue capital.
ADVANCE
Validate.
Identify your highest-priority gaps and define the experiments, evidence, and expert resources needed for your next milestone.
DEVELOP
Sharpen your competitive edge.
Build the leadership skills and business strategy to advance your innovation, drawing on established programs, community networks and expert guidance.
ENGAGE
Introduce your innovation.
Share your idea, innovation or company through our interest form below or a partner referral, and let’s explore your next step together.
Start where you are.
Start where you are.
We welcome women in science who are based in South Carolina, with or without a company. You might have:
An idea or concept You’re early and exploring what’s possible
An idea or concept You’re early and exploring what’s possible
Emerging innovation Promising findings that could become something more.
We welcome women in science who are based in South Carolina, with or without a company. You might have:
A developing venture You’re building the team, the plan or the company.
An existing life science company You’re working toward your next milestone.
Our mission is to empower women developing new solutions for women's health, maternal and child health, global health and beyond.
Our mission is to empower women developing new solutions for women's health, maternal and child health, global health and beyond.
Women in Science Advisory Board
Meet the scientific and business leaders guiding the division’s work to advance women-led innovation.
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ADVISORAndria Balogh is an executive leader, entrepreneur, and strategic advisor with 23+ years of experience in life sciences and 12+ years working within the startup ecosystem. Her career spans global life science organizations, including Danaher, and emerging ventures, where she has led commercialization, product innovation, market strategy, business growth, and organizational transformation. She is the Founder of Signalpoint Strategic Partners, an advisory and fractional executive practice helping organizations navigate critical business inflection points, from early commercialization and product launches to scaling, strategic pivots, and business transformation. Andria holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from MIT, Master of Science in Immunology from UCLA, and an MBA from Rice University.
Beyond her corporate leadership, Andria is a serial entrepreneur and advocate for innovation, education, and entrepreneurship. She founded STEM·E, a global youth career development organization that provides students with real-world work experience, professional mentorship, and opportunities to develop transferable leadership, problem-solving, and professional skills through STEM and entrepreneurship. Andria is also developing WeWere, a technology startup focused on transforming how people collaboratively capture, share, and preserve meaningful life experiences. Passionate about bridging the gap between innovation and real-world impact, Andria supports founders in translating promising ideas into commercially viable, scalable businesses. She brings a combination of scientific understanding, entrepreneurial experience, commercial expertise, and hands-on executive leadership to her work with emerging and scaling companies.
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ADVISOREileen Isola spent a 40-year career crumbling barriers for women serving their country, first as a decorated US Air Force combat pilot, then as a squadron commander, and ultimately as a trailblazer who broke ground the military hadn't seen before her. She flew high-performance jets, trained combat pilots and instructors, evaded enemy threats, and airlifted humanitarian relief into war-torn regions, even resupplying radar sites on dirt airstrips deep in the Amazon jungle. She was a member of the inaugural cadre that stood up US Northern Command, the nation's first command charged with homeland defense following the attacks of 9/11, and she became the first woman ever to serve as an Advance Agent to the President of the United States.
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ADVISORDr. Kandi Fredere, PhD, FACHE, MCHES, is an accomplished public health executive with over 25 years of experience in healthcare leadership, community engagement, health education, and population health. She currently serves as Director of Population Health and Partnership Development for the South Carolina Department of Public Health, advancing statewide initiatives to improve health outcomes and strengthen community partnerships. Her expertise includes maternal and child health, chronic disease prevention, health equity, and strategic public health programming. A Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, Dr. Fredere also serves as an adjunct professor at Anderson University and as a Board Director of Women, Life and Science. She is passionate about empowering communities, developing future healthcare leaders, and advancing initiatives that improve the health and well-being of women and families.
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ADVISORMonique Ravesloot is a Dutch-American strategic advisor with more than 25 years of international experience spanning organizational development, business strategy, leadership, and cross-border collaboration.
She is the founder of WIJS, a strategic advisory firm, and EquineFlow, where she has pioneered experiential leadership development since 2009. Her work combines systems thinking, organizational dynamics, and human-centered approaches to leadership, helping individuals and organizations navigate complexity, recognize patterns, and make more effective decisions.
Monique also serves as Director of External Affairs for AWL Automation USA and South Carolina Chair of the Netherlands American Chamber of Commerce Southeast (NACCSE). Through her work with the Dutch diplomatic network, including her role South Carolina liaison to the Consulate General of the Netherlands, she actively strengthens economic, business, and institutional connections between the Netherlands and the Southeastern United States.
Through ElevateHer, Monique brings together her expertise in leadership development, organizational strategy, and international business networks to support women entrepreneurs in the life sciences as they navigate the challenges of building and scaling innovative companies.
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ADVISORJoelle Thayer is the founder of Leadership TBD, where she works privately with CEOs around the world to sharpen their thinking, exercise judgment, and navigate decisions when the stakes are high and the answers are not obvious.
Her perspective is grounded in decades of leadership across world-class hospitality, enterprise operations, and business development. From leading high-performance culinary teams to serving as a senior executive in a nationally scaled food distribution company and co-founding an operational infrastructure firm, her career has been defined by responsibility for people, performance, and consequential outcomes.
A lifelong student and protégé of her father, leadership scholar Dr. Lee Thayer, Joelle brings his work on leadership, communication, and performance into her own distinctive practice of confidential, one-to-one strategic thought partnership.
Through ElevateHer, Joelle helps participants examine the assumptions and patterns shaping their decisions, translating insights from experiential learning into clearer judgment, greater ownership, and purposeful action.
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ADVISORDr. Leigh Holcomb, PhD, ELI-MP, is a neuroscientist, life sciences industry expert, executive career coach, and passionate advocate for women in STEM. Dr. Leigh’s career spans academic biomedical research, pharmaceutical Medical Affairs, executive recruiting, and leadership development. She brings a distinctive combination of scientific rigor, industry insight, and human-centered coaching to Palmetto InnovaSphere's Women in Science R&D Division.
As Founder and CEO of Career Catalyst Edge, LLC, she empowers life sciences professionals to recognize their expertise, strengthen their leadership influence, navigate career transitions, and pursue ambitious professional goals. She is a Career Transition coach, two-time international bestselling author, and active advocate for women's advancement in science.
As an InnovaSphere advisor, Dr. Leigh will help bridge the gap between scientific excellence, leadership development, and entrepreneurial readiness, supporting women as they transform innovative research into meaningful impact.
Her guiding philosophy: Own Your Expertise. Elevate Your Impact.
Get Started
What’s next for your innovation?
Bring us your idea, your innovation or the company you’re building. Take 3-5 minutes to introduce your work and where you want to go. Our team will review your submission and may invite you to complete a full application.
Advance women-led science with us.
Interested in sponsoring the division, sharing your expertise or resources, or exploring partnership or investment opportunities with participating companies? Let’s start a conversation.