General Catalyst just announced its plans to acquire Summa Health, an Ohio-based health system. Leaders from across the healthcare industry aren't sure how the deal will play out, given the novel nature of the deal and the involvement of one of the country’s most prominent VC firms.
Healthcare's share of the global PE and VC deal count will likely continue decreasing in 2024, according to a new Pitchbook report. The report also predicted that generative AI and surgical robotics will continue to be hot areas of interest for investors, and that there will be at least three digital health IPOs next year.
A new PitchBook report listed several predictions for digital health companies in regards to weight loss drugs, including the potential for new weight loss startups and possible challenges for existing nutrition companies.
Healthcare IT companies raised $1 billion in venture capital in Q2 — down slightly from the $1.3 billion raised in Q1 but up significantly from the $451.3 million raised in Q4 2022. Unsurprisingly, a lot of these investments were made in companies offering generative AI products. Another key trend was increasing cash flow to remote patient monitoring startups, likely caused by expanded reimbursement for these services.
This week, Abbott announced its plans to acquire Bigfoot Biomedical — a startup selling a “smart” insulin pen cap, which collects data from a user’s CGM to help them calculate the right dose. Most analysts were unsurprised to hear of the acquisition given that the two companies have been collaborating for more than six years, but they said the deal reinforces the steady pace of digital innovation in the diabetes care space.
During past recessions, the healthcare sector remained relatively immune to economic downswings — but things are different now that a sweeping labor shortage and lower patient volumes have been added to the mix.
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
Medtech funding reached its low point in the first quarter but will slowly pick back up over the rest of 2023, according to a new Pitchbook report. It noted that this year’s medtech funding total will not come close to the $19.7 billion the sector raised in 2021, and it might even come in below last year’s funding total of $13.5 billion.
Biotech startups raised $2.6 billion globally in the second quarter of this year, but that’s down nearly 46% compared to the same period last year, according to a report from Pitchbook. Capital is harder to find, and the report projects an uptick in M&A activity as companies run out of cash.
The food as medicine movement is gaining momentum, but there are several challenges, according to a PitchBook report. These challenges include resistance to diet restrictions and difficulty in tracking compliance.
Last year’s digital health investment trends have left some startups feeling uneasy about their ability to raise capital in the new funding environment. Venture capitalists think companies that have a demonstrable return on investment and serve multiple stakeholders will probably have the easiest time securing capital, while point solutions and startups in crowded markets will face a tougher environment.
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.
It was a banner year for biopharma, with records broken in deal values, number of exited unicorns and the biggest-ever biotech IPO. But where do these unicorn valuations come from?
The report, by PitchBook, shows figures consistent with a similar report earlier this month by Silicon Valley Bank, which forecast more M&A deals this year.
Deals worth $50 million or more are becoming more frequent, even in Series A. But a VC investor said underlying drivers in life sciences are different from the technology sector.
