Amplifying your competitive edge at J.P. Morgan 2024.

Selling your story at J.P. Morgan starts with a core positioning principle: It’s not enough to show how your company or product will be “better” than the competition—you have to show how it’s fundamentally different.

We’ve found that most C-suite teams are challenged to parse through the multiple factors that will set them apart in a competitive space. The tendency is to gravitate towards a category that’s already populated and understood. The result: they blend into a crowd.

At Waterhouse, we’ve worked with life sciences companies at every growth stage to find their unique and ownable competitive position. By being in the trenches with executives asking and answering the hard questions, we’ve seen firsthand that it’s often difficult—and scary—to put a clear stake in the ground. Committing to a white space opportunity that makes your company an n = 1 feels risky, yet the result means you can be positioned as a trailblazer.

The most successful positioning efforts begin with a holistic assessment of the market need and therapeutic category landscape and also factor in stakeholder perspectives to pinpoint a competitive edge.

As you prepare for J.P. Morgan, consider the universe of tangible and intangible factors that might set you apart:

• Your unique market insight
• How you’ll address an important or overlooked patient need
• Quantifiable differences in your science, platform or mechanism of action
• Your intellectual property advantage
• Your team’s proprietary expertise and track record of execution
• Your go-to-market strategy including your POV on pricing and access

Your proprietary mix of value drivers will help investors and partners know why they should get invested in your opportunity. So, whatever your company’s competitive difference is, be sure to name, own and amplify it throughout your corporate presentation.