The high incidence of unmet medical needs in combination with the rising burden of chronic diseases, linked to an increasingly aging population, necessitates new approaches to therapeutic intervention. One potential class of health care innovation that may offer an alternative approach to addressing current shortfalls is stem cell therapies. The CASMI Translational Stem Cell Consortium (CTSCC) was formed to elucidate the key hurdles to the commercialization and clinical adoption of stem cell technologies, with a particular focus on pluripotent stem cell (PSC) technologies. As a global pre-competitive academic-industry consortium, the CTSCC unites thought leaders from a range of sectors and technical specialties in defining and discovering solutions to roadblocks that will impede the field. Targeted toward stakeholder requirements at the delivery end of the translational spectrum, the CTSCC aims to provide mechanisms for multidirectional dialogue and to produce academically rigorous and commercially practicable research outputs to accelerate industry progress. On the 30th and 31st of July, 2013, the CASMI Translational Stem Cell Consortium (CTSCC) held a launch event at the Saint James Club, Paris, France.