Every big company talks of how they want to be the preferred partner for the best drugs coming from smaller companies. How can they do that?

Tell us what you want: Some companies are clear in what kinds of things are of interest and what are not- very helpful. Ideally, this is information should be on the company webpage and be quite explicit.

Provide contacts: Many of us hate the forms or, even worse, the emails to an impersonal drop box bd@companyx.com. Providing a name to send information is a start to building real relationships. Again, best practice is to have these on the webpages.

Acknowledge receipt of an opportunity: It seems rude to not even acknowledge an email or partnering meeting request. I know (all too well) dropped emails happen and it can be overwhelming to keep up. But in recent years, many emails go unanswered. A form response is better than no response.

Explain the process: Many times, the company offering the opportunity has not done all this before. And even for old hands, it is good to hear what the next step and its time-frame.
Provide feedback: It is true that most of the time, big companies will be saying "no thanks" to what is offered. But giving some reasoning behind the decision helps guide us to come back with additional data or not, and makes us feel as if you do value your potential partners.

Handle CDAs with grace: It is inevitable that sometimes CDAs take time to negotiate. But the recipients of the big company CDA process often are judging that this is what it will feel like to be negotiating a contract. It is an opportunity to sell the big company as great to work with.

Use speed as a competitive advantage: The partnering process is horribly slow so any speed can be a huge advantage. If you can decide before others, you can get ahead and stay ahead. And once an offer is made, it is hard to ignore in favor of an uncertain offer yet to come.

Partnering is still a people business. Our opportunities have so much complexity that this is far from an automated process. To be a preferred partner, remember the courtesies and treat the smaller company with respect. Japanese pharma lose on speed but are often seen as good partners because they value the relationships. But the images of a company as a preferred partner are built one interaction at a time.

VCs raised big money but are in no hurry to spend it

VCs raised more money in the first 3 months of 2016 than in any quarter over the last decade, according to the National Venture Capital Association. Their investors do not see many good alternative places to invest, with low-interest rates and stocks down.
But because companies will once again need to stay private longer with the tougher IPO market, VCs are saving much of their funds to keep adding to their existing companies. This means that despite big funds, it is hard to get that first round.
http://qz.com/662738/vcs-raised-the-most-money-in-a-decade-last-quarter-but-are-in-no-rush-to-invest-it/