M&A may seem hot in the life sciences, but that and IPO activity is starting to cool across all sectors, according to a new report from the National Venture Capital Association. The first quarter of 2015 saw less than 20 venture-backed IPOs since the first quarter of 2013. Independent of sector, when it comes to deal size, this quarter was the slowest in M&A since the first quarter of 2013.
But the bulk of the IPOs completed were, of course, in the life sciences – 13 of the 17 exits were in the medical and biotech sectors. And
“With such a blistering pace for venture-backed exit activity in 2014, it was only a matter of time before we saw a drop activity,”said Bobby Franklin, President & CEO of National Venture Capitalists Association. “Despite the decline in venture-backed IPOs for the quarter, a lot of promising young companies made their debut on the public markets with many more waiting in the wings.”
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Here’s how they looked overall:
And here’s how M&A looked in the first quarter, when divided out by sector:
Still parsing this out as it specifically applies to the life sciences sector – stay tuned.