Contract research organizations make good money providing critical services to young biotech and drug development companies early on. But often, those companies are cash-strapped at the stage when they need a CRO. That’s why some CROs are becoming stakeholders in the companies they work with, offering cash or services for equity in life science startups. […]
It was nice to hear one healthcare executive and investor after another respond to the question, “what are your key priorities when evaluating a deal?” with the answer, “really compelling science.” I’ve often heard VCs and angel investors cite the importance of large addressable markets and talented executive teams as key considerations to a deal, […]
Munck Wilson Mandala Partner Greg Howison shared his perspective on some of the legal ramifications around AI, IP, connected devices and the data they generate, in response to emailed questions.
Venrock Healthcare Capital Partners is looking to pull together a $200 million fund to invest in life sciences and health IT companies, a newly filed regulatory document suggests. This will be the second healthcare-specific fund that Venrock has raised; the first netted $194 million in 2009. Through other funds, the firm also backs technology companies […]
Malay Gandhi’s take on Castlight Health’s IPO registration raises some interesting points about the value of price transparency and particularly, the agreements companies have to forge to obtain it. In a blog post on Rock Health, Gandhi makes clear just how overvalued the $2 billion figure is. With projected revenues in 2014 of $40 million, […]
Greg Simon has a very straight-forward answer to the question of what problem his new company, Poliwogg, is solving: “Underinvestment in healthcare. “And we’re solving it by letting more people have the opportunity to invest in individual companies,” he adds. New York-based financial firm Poliwogg is leveraging provisions of the JOBS Act and the rise […]
Brian Reid knows how to have fun when conferences get boring. Inspired by JP Morgan 2014, he created a drinking game and invited his Twitter followers to go ice skating with him.
At the Abarca Forward conference earlier this year, George Van Antwerp, managing director at Deloitte, discussed how social determinants of health and a personalized member experience can improve medication adherence and health outcomes.
By Rock Health’s count, 302 investment firms and “notable angels” put money into a digital health startup in 2013. Twenty-seven of them did it three or more times. That’s a big jump from the eight who did three or more deals in 2012. An influx of digital health exits, final guidance from the FDA on […]
Digital health funding didn’t grow quite as much in 2013 as it did in 2012, but even so, Rock Health‘s calculations predict that funding for the sector will top venture funding for medical devices next year. Investors pumped $1.97 billion into digital health startups this year, according to Rock’s end-of-year funding roundup – 39 percent […]
2014 will be a better year for venture capital than 2013, but that won’t necessarily mean it will be easier for entrepreneurs to raise money. And the life science IPO boom likely won’t be sustained. That’s the sentiment captured by the National Venture Capital Association and Dow Jones’ DJX VentureSource’s annual Venture View survey, which […]
Frazier Healthcare’s newest venture partner is approaching her new gig with the smarts of a scientist, the gusto of an entrepreneur and the wisdom of a CEO who has both exited and shut down a company. Carol Gallagher joined the firm’s Menlo Park office this fall and told me it was a great opportunity to […]
Gabby Everett, the site director for BioLabs Pegasus Park, offered a tour of the space and shared some examples of why early-stage life science companies should choose North Texas.
When something like three in four venture-backed startups fail, picking the ones that won’t is definitely not an easy feat. In search of what they call the “unicorn VCs” of healthcare – investors who have consistently invested in companies with the biggest of the big exits – analysts at research firm CB Insights combed through […]
Despite a downward slide over the last several quarters, things seem to be looking up for venture capital investments in the life sciences — at least anecdotally. The latest example is a new $250 million fund raised by 5AM Ventures, which invests in early-stage life science companies, primarily those focused on the discovery and development […]
With so much pressure on entrepreneurs to put together the right management team, create the perfect pitch and get all of the company’s ducks in a row before going to look for an investment, it’s easy to overlook the fact that a CEO should be just as critical of investors when deciding whether an investment […]
Womp womp. Though Q3 saw 13 healthcare industry IPOs–a five-quarter high, the past quarter also had the lowest financing amount for healthcare in the last five quarters, according to CB Insights. Funding declined 36 percent from Q2. Medical devices represented 33 percent of healthcare venture capital financing. Surprisingly, Series A and seed funding combined pulled […]
Sharecare, the health and wellness social media brainchild of Jeff Arnold and Dr. Mehmet Oz, announced an investment from Nashville-based Heritage Group brings its total funding to $91 million. As part of the agreement, Rock Morphis, managing director at Heritage Group, is joining Sharecare’s board. The Atlanta-based company, which launched in 2010, includes the health risk […]