University Lab Partners Announces Lionheart Health as the Winner of Golden Passport Pitch Competition to Accelerate Aesthetics Start-Ups

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Dec 11, 2023, 16:53 ET

IRVINE, Calif., Dec. 11, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- University Lab Partners (ULP) announces Lionheart Health as the winner of the inaugural Golden Passport Pitch Competition, sponsored by Allergan Aesthetics, an AbbVie Company.

Lionheart Health will be awarded a 1-year sponsored lab bench at University Lab Partners, the premier wet lab incubator in Irvine, CA. In addition, Lionheart Health's team will have the opportunity to engage with industry mentors including scientific and business leaders from Allergan Aesthetics and ULP.

Golden Passport Pitch Competition sponsored by Allergan Aesthetics, an AbbVie Company. (L-R) Carrie Strom, Senior Vice President, AbbVie and President, Global Allergan Aesthetics; Dr. Jorge Genovese, Vice President Bioelectric Research, Lionheart Heath; Howard Leonhardt, Founder & CEO Lionheart Health; Dr. Darin Messina, Senior Vice President, Aesthetics R&D, AbbVie; and Adam Finegan, Director, Search and Evaluation, Allergan Aesthetics.

"Through our support of Lionheart Health, Allergan Aesthetics is continuing to drive innovation in aesthetics medicine forward and accelerating the growth and development of entrepreneurs and researchers in the field," said Darin Messina, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Allergan Aesthetics R&D, AbbVie. "We are committed to continued investment in early science and regenerative technologies and defining the future blueprint for the aesthetics industry."

Howard Leonhardt, Founder and CEO of Lionheart Health shared, "We are grateful for the Golden Passport opportunity offered through Allergan Aesthetics and University Lab Partners. This support is essential to scaling Lionheart Health's aesthetics applications, improving health span, and overall quality of life."

The 2023 winner was chosen among many worthy applicants by an expert panel of judges including Charlie Hee, Ph.D., Vice President, Device R&D Fillers and Device Sciences, Allergan Aesthetics, Dr. Sherly Soleiman, Founder of Cosmetic Injectables Center, Dr. Arisa E. Ortiz, Director of Laser and Cosmetic Dermatology and Associate Clinical Professor of Dermatology at UC San Diego, Dr. Hisham Seify from Newport Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Associates and Prestige Surgery Center, and Michael Hill, Managing Director at Octane Capital Markets.

Life science startups at ULP benefit from professional mentoring and consulting with Experts-in-Residence, networking events, and unique access to technical core facilities. Since 2019, ULP has incubated a total 64 companies with over $535M raised and successfully graduated 8 startups.

For more information about The Golden Passport, visit https://www.universitylabpartners.org/our-events/golden-passport-demo-day

About University Lab Partners
University Lab Partners (ULP) is a premier, nonprofit, wet lab incubator located in Orange County, CA. ULP operates 2 facilities in Irvine and Aliso Viejo, CA. ULP offers highly equipped wet lab facilities along with the benefits of peer-to-peer interactions among a life science-focused entrepreneurial community. For more information, visit www.universitylabpartners.org

About Allergan Aesthetics
At Allergan Aesthetics, an AbbVie company, we develop, manufacture, and market a portfolio of leading aesthetics brands and products. Our aesthetics portfolio includes facial injectables, body contouring, plastics, skin care, and more. Our goal is to consistently provide our customers with innovation, education, exceptional service, and a commitment to excellence, all with a personal touch. For more information, visit www.allerganaesthetics.com

SOURCE University Lab Partners