LongeVC’s Post

So far in 2024, 115 funding rounds have surpassed the $100 million mark, meaning that the amount of megadeals this year is already above last year’s 73. Of those funding rounds, biotech and healthcare startups have dominated. Speaking to Labiotech.eu, Marion Jeng, associate at DAI Magister, identified two main reasons why biotech companies are attracting most of the deals above $100 million at the moment. “Firstly, investors are sitting on significant amounts of capital that need to be deployed; secondly, there is a cliff looming ahead for pharmaceutical companies as several major patents are due to expire. As a result, for the most promising companies, the exit potential is significant," she explained. Read more at: https://lnkd.in/dSUv6kWS #Biotech #FundingRounds #TechPR

2023 set a record for number of biotech closures, a by product of an industry that has been doubling every 7 years for the last two decades. A greater number of failures gives us better statistical data to learn from. As the start up mantra goes: fail fast, fail often, but always fail forward. We are trying to improve methods to more effectively fail in vitro before it gets to the patient. One of the side effects of these refined methods is that you may see promising companies fizzle out in only a few years. That may seem scary from an investment perspective but it costs less per venture and allows more possible ideas to move forward. Ideally patients will end up in trials that have greater chance of success.

Formation Bio, a startup using AI for drug development and backed by #OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, has raised $372 million in a Series D funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz. This brings its total funding to over $600 million. The #funds will primarily #support partnership acquisitions and R&D. Founded in 2016 by Benjamine Liu and Linhao Zhang, the company, formerly known as TrialSpark, aims to streamline clinical trials and drug #development using AI. Benjamine Liu Formation's new #funding round includes participation from Sanofi, Sequoia, Thrive, Emerson Collective, Lachy Groom, SV Angel Growth, and FPV Ventures. Despite not revealing its new valuation, the #company confirmed a significant increase from its previous $1 billion valuation. The company is leveraging #AI to improve the efficiency of #clinical trials by optimizing processes like study #startup, participant recruitment, and data #management. It is also fine-tuning AI models to enhance R&D decisions and predict drug toxicity, tolerability, and efficacy. In a recent collaboration with OpenAI and Sanofi, Formation is developing AI #solutions for drug development. OpenAI provides AI expertise, while Sanofi contributes proprietary #data. Despite concerns about potential conflicts of interest due to Altman's involvement in previous fundraising, OpenAI clarified that the deal was led by COO Brad Lightcap and the board. Formation has three drug #candidates in its pipeline, including treatments for chronic hand eczema, sensory neuropathy, and knee osteoarthritis, with the eczema treatment recently reaching phase 3 trials. The startup is competing in a growing market for AI in #drug discovery, expected to be worth $4.9 billion by 2028, alongside companies like EvolutionaryScale, Xaira, Isomorphic, Insilico, Profluent, Enveda, and Causaly. #Startups #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #DigitalMarketing #TechTrends  #AI #VentureCapital #Ecommerce #Leadership #BusinessGrowth If you spot any inaccuracies, please let us know so we can correct them. Your feedback helps us improve. Thanks!

Despite rocky 2023 market conditions, investor enthusiasm persisted for early-stage biotechs incorporating #AI capabilities. While overall biopharma venture funding dipped from pandemic highs, VCs favored quality over quantity - prioritizing companies with clinically validated, AI-driven platforms to accelerate drug discovery. As the industry embraces AI as a force multiplier, the molecular glue market and AI-powered biotechs commanded excitement amid the volatility. https://lnkd.in/gJ2byTYu #Biotech #CellTherapy #GeneTherapy

In this week’s Pro Briefing, we look at the highly adventurous end of the healthcare spectrum: the world of cutting-edge biology. 🧬 2023 has seen a flurry of dealmaking, with an uptick in M&As and some big raises and approvals of new drugs for vexing diseases. 🌎 13 countries have attracted 74% of biotech funding from 2020 to 2021 💸 $85bn is the global biopharma spend on acquisitions in first five months of 2023 👀 40k patents have been granted for biotechs in Europe in last five years ⭐ The industry’s rising stars? Engimmune Therapeutics, MicrofluidX, Nostos Genomics and Finnadvance. Inside you’ll also find 151 early-stage startups to watch — selected by our Intelligence team after extensive scouting of the ecosystem. Discover more: https://hubs.ly/Q022cXVz0 — —  What are Briefings? Exclusive to our Pro subscribers, we provide investment-grade research on over 95 sectors and geographies — so you can stay up to speed, fast. ➡️ Learn more: https://hubs.ly/Q022d09y0 #biotech #startups #investors #SiftedPro #biotechnologyindustry #biotechnews

Love this article! The intersection of technology and biological innovation is an exciting space for biotech firms to be in right now. Start-ups like these are capitalizing on the momentum of digital transformation to develop new solutions to old problems. If you’re interested in propelling your startup to new heights and strategize your business, message me, I’d love to talk. #biotech #healthcare #technology #startup

FAIR data policies can benefit biotech startups! I am pleased to see that our Signal Research Suit platform apply FAIR data policies and can assist biotech startups in their journey!  To the life science startup, data is arguably its most important asset. Establishing FAIR data practices from the start can provide direct benefits throughout the lifetime of the company. In contrast to big pharma, BIG pharma companies that must undertake costly retrospective efforts to ‘FAIRify’ legacy data, startups have a unique and short-lived opportunity to position themselves to reduce program delays, innovate faster, enhance security, and beyond. The main goal of Revvity Signals Research Suite is to help both Startup and large pharmaceutical companies establish FAIR data practices. Data within the Signals Research Suite is findable, accessible, interoperable, and reproducible (FAIR), aiding in data integrity and regulatory compliance. These makes it a suitable platform (especially for biotech startups) to accelerate drug development. #FAIR #data #dataanalysis #automation #Startup #drugdevelopment #biotech #RevvitySignals #SignalsResearchSuite https://lnkd.in/gcxmh_H9

𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐋𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐝 $𝟑𝟏𝟎 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐁𝐢𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬 Scion Life Sciences Scion Life Sciences, based in NYC and led by seasoned partners Samuel W. Hall Sam Hall, PhD, Aaron M. Kantoff Aaron Kantoff, and Tadd S. Wessel Tadd Wessel of Petrichor Petrichor, announces the final close of its inaugural fund. With a mission to develop transformative medicines, Scion is committed to founding and nurturing biotech startups. Scion's approach focuses on mature therapeutic modalities, deep scientific understanding, and addressing clinical needs with independent resources. The firm's strategic pillars mitigate risk and increase the likelihood of delivering life-changing treatments. "We're dedicated to solving critical clinical challenges and providing long-term support to build sustainable biotech companies," says Sam Hall Sam Hall, PhD. Scion has already initiated investments in four promising startups and established Scion Innovations to enhance R&D capabilities. This proactive, data-driven approach aims to create impactful medicines and sustainable companies. "We prioritize creating significant new medicines over exits," says Aaron Kantoff Aaron Kantoff. "Our approach, combined with a long-term fund structure, positions us to build biotech companies capable of transforming patient lives." "We're grateful for the trust of our partners who share our vision for impactful medicine creation," adds Tadd Wessel Tadd Wessel . #Biotech #VentureCapital #Investment #Medicine #ClinicalResearch #Biotechnology #Pharmaceuticals #TransformativeMedicine #DrugDevelopment #HealthTech #Entrepreneurship

📈📈📈 The biotech turndown has made it difficult for startups to gain traction, with IPOs in the sector at the lowest they've been for years. BiopharmDive posted an interesting article yesterday and I have collated some of the key takeaways below: DATA IS KING: “For new companies, you want to grow into the valuation and let the data speak for itself,” Eisele said. “Data is king and it’s something that is really standing true in this market.” - Kevin Eisele - Managing Director of William Blair Investment Bank NEW HOTSPOTS: Companies must also decide which assets are worth dedicating resources toward. Dee Datta, Ph. D., the co-founder and CEO of Switch Therapeutics, said some companies need to be more disciplined when it comes to research and development. “Not every new innovation can become a startup company, and neither can each new innovation become a product,” RIDE OUT THE CYCLE: In 2020 and early 2021, the success of Moderna and BioNTech in developing highly effective vaccines for COVID-19 drove a surge of investment from all corners of the market into biotech. That’s no longer the case, panelists said. “Right now, it still remains a market, at least on the IPO side from a demand perspective, that’s very much driven by the specialist investors,” _____________ Follow me for regular biotech & pharma business development & licensing news Mitch Simpson [email protected] #biotech #pharmaceuticals

If you are a scientist or a medical doctor who wants to start a company, here is a powerful resource to help you translate your scientific innovation into VC-language "Template for Pharma and Biotech Startup Pitch Deck (VC-reviewed) with Quick Guide”. (Reviewed by 21 VCs actively investing in biotech and pharma startups). #template #biotech #vc Go to https://lnkd.in/e-Wq_sAE