TORONTO, February 17, 2026 — Zymewire, the leading sales intelligence management system for life sciences service providers, will host a live panel discussion on March 4, 2025, at 11:00 AM EST, titled "Commercial Readiness: Two Sides of the Exit Coin."
The virtual event will bring together Ryan Silvester, Pharma Services & Technology Investment Banker at Bourne Partners, and Elias Sayias, Founder of ILIKOS Consulting Group, for a discussion on how contract research organizations (CROs), CDMOs, clinical sites, and other pharma service providers are being evaluated in today's market, and why predictable, diversified revenue now carries more weight than historical growth when it comes to valuation.
With tightening capital markets and increased scrutiny during M&A diligence, life sciences service providers face mounting pressure to demonstrate commercial maturity beyond top-line revenue figures. Investors and acquirers are now evaluating pipeline quality, total addressable market (TAM) credibility, customer diversification, and the sophistication of business development methodologies.
"The companies that command premium valuations today aren't necessarily the ones with the highest revenue—they're the ones that can prove their commercial engine is repeatable, diversified, and built on defensible market intelligence," said Ali Babar, who will moderate the discussion. "We brought Ryan and Elias together because they work directly with service providers navigating these exact challenges. This conversation is about connecting what companies do day-to-day in business development to what actually moves the needle during an exit or capital event."
Ryan Silvester brings 25 years of M&A advisory experience through Bourne Partners, a healthcare-focused investment bank that has facilitated numerous transactions in the pharma services sector. His expertise centers on identifying the operational and financial benchmarks that differentiate premium acquisition targets from discounted transactions.
Elias Sayias has spent over 15 years building commercial frameworks for CROs and MedTech organizations, securing more than $250 million in new revenue through tactical, market-driven go-to-market strategies. His work focuses on helping service providers transition from reactive business development practices to sophisticated commercial engines.
The panel will address three core themes: understanding why commercial maturity directly impacts valuation in the current market environment; building exit-ready business development operations with diversified, high-quality pipelines; and mastering the key performance indicators (KPIs) that drive acquisition multiples, including backlog quality, net revenue retention, and credible market sizing.
Registration is open at https://welcome.zymewire.com/commercial-readiness
Attendees who cannot join the live session will receive a full recording and summary of key takeaways.
Zymewire is the leading sales intelligence management system built exclusively for service providers in the life sciences industry. Designed to simplify prospecting and accelerate revenue growth, Zymewire combines AI-powered, human-curated insights on thousands of global biopharma companies with a suite of tools to help organizations manage the flow of external insights into their organizations. From identifying emerging biotech opportunities through unique data sources to tracking clinical trial activity, Zymewire empowers commercial teams with accurate, up-to-date insights to fuel smarter outreach and build more meaningful relationships with global biotech customers. Headquartered in Toronto, Zymewire supports hundreds of clients in Europe, North America, and APAC in their mission to connect with the right opportunities, faster. Learn more at welcome.zymewire.com.
