David Hauser’s Post

“One success story can inspire 10 more, and those 10 could inspire a hundred more,” says Amr Abdelgawad, COO and Co-founder of FluidAI, reflecting on his entrepreneurial journey that began with an idea nearly a decade ago. It truly takes an ecosystem to build a business, and this Canadian Innovation Week, we'd like to inspire you with the stories of successful founders from our region. 👉Earlier this year, Hamilton-based Fusion Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage oncology company spun out of McMaster University was acquired by AstraZeneca for $2.4 billion. 🔗https://loom.ly/H7Q4aN0 👉In the same week, #iFinnovator and #LiONSLAIR finalist Koble was acquired by Dialogue Health Technologies. 🔗https://loom.ly/JYPd4oM 👉The announcement closely followed #LiONSLAIR2023 winner Noa Therapeutics closing an oversubscribed seed-round led by UCeed, with several VC and angel investors. 🔗 https://loom.ly/GzkE_HU In less than 6 months of participating in the LiONS LAIR pitch competition, and the support of a integrated regional ecosystem, both women-led companies propelled to success. “We can draw a direct line between the ecosystem’s support to companies that, a couple of years ago, were just ideas — little more than napkin scribbles — that have gone on to raise hundreds of millions, which is put back to work in [our] region,” said Alex Muggah, VP of Life Sciences and Director of the Synapse Life Science Consortium. He adds, “FluidAI is one of a constellation of companies that have been supported and nurtured to grow by leveraging the infrastructure and capabilities of [this] ecosystem, and then right next door we have Fusion as the shining star example of what [we] can accomplish on the global stage.” 💡Read more: https://loom.ly/6csqzqw #CIW24 #CanadianInnovationWeek #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #Startups #BusinessGrowth #Canada

Germany’s Earlybird Venture Capital raises €173m to invest in #healthtech. It will spend between €3-8m at Series A and B, for startups in the #biopharma, #medtech and #digitalhealth sectors. Good news for healthcare founders out here, however, not for everybody. The VC it’s not going to be investing is the digital therapeutics (#Dtx) sector — startups which provide app-based therapies. "Slower-than-expected adoption and a fragmented reimbursement system across Europe means that it’s difficult to build a venture case for startups in the space", says Dr. Christoph Massner. About half of the cash will be spent on biopharma startups, with the other half being split between medtech and digital health, says principal Massner. Pharma deal making is already beginning to ramp up. 2023 saw a record 105 acquisitions for biotech and pharma startups, according to DealRoom. https://lnkd.in/d2YyTFiX

Great insights here on the state of medtech VC funding, especially as we head into the second half of 2024! The 3% YoY growth and $3.3B deal value for Q2 2024 shows continued confidence in the space, with cardiovascular and diagnostics leading the way. 🚀 It's encouraging to see big deals like INSIGHTEC and BillionToOne making headlines, along with the Tempus AI IPO—a clear signal of optimism for the sector, even for companies still working toward profitability. While the drop in early-stage deals is a bit concerning, it’s good to remember that success at the later stages can eventually create more opportunities across the board. For those working on early-stage innovations: Keep pushing forward. The funding landscape is evolving, and with perseverance, opportunities will emerge. 💡 #Medtech #Innovation #Startup #VentureCapital #2024

Kristina Burow has a well-trained eye. That’s true of her work at ARCH Venture Partners, one of the drug industry’s largest and most active investment firms, and also outside of work — those who know her say Burow is a deadly shot with a pistol. Burow is a managing director at ARCH, where she has been influential in building bold and well-capitalized startups. Her role behind the scenes in biotech earned her a spot on the third annual STATUS List, which recognizes leaders in health, medicine, and science. STAT spoke with Burow about what’s getting her fired up in the health care industry and how she’d change the dynamics between the drug companies and government. Read on by clicking below! #biotech #biopharma #startups #venturecapital #investing #investmentstrategy #healthcare #vc #drugdevelopment

We’re thrilled to announce that our portfolio company, SPRY Therapeutics, has secured $15 million in a fresh funding round led by Flourish Ventures, with participation from existing investors Together Fund, Eight Roads, and F-Prime Capital! 🎉 SPRY, which focuses on building software for physical healthcare centres, is looking to ride the wave of software companies building products for the global market. Within 18 months of launch, SPRY Therapeutics has onboarded 105 clinics in the US. With the fresh funds, the startup will set up a sales and servicing team in that market and focus on expanding its client base. Speaking on the fundraise, Brijraj Bhuptani, CEO of Spry said “U.S. healthcare is not just one big $4 trillion monolith. It is a thousand $4 billion opportunity. Spry is changing how PTs will manage their practice by enabling them to go deep.” Co-founders Brijraj Bhuptani and Riyaz Rehman are leveraging India's tech talent to solve real challenges in the $4 trillion U.S. healthcare market — and we're proud to be a part of this journey! 🌍✨ #Funding #VentureCapital #HealthTech #PhysicalTherapy #Startups #SpryTherapeutics #TitanCapital #HealthcareInnovation #SaaS #DigitalHealth

Fund-Raised Global Digital Therapeutics (DTx) Startups - Investors Mapping Through an extensive search and review of publicly available information, 172 startups were selected for detailed analysis regarding their fundraising status. Among these, 94 Digital Therapeutics (DTx) startups have collectively raised $6.859 billion from global investors. These startups include Raft Digital Therapeutics, Mindable Health GmbH, MicroHealth, Vigo Health, SleepUp, Vitadio s.r.o., Neurolief, OPTT Health, Vivira Health, XR Therapeutics, and many others. They are supported by a diverse range of investors, such as aMoon Fund, Expansion Capital, UV-Cap, 7wireVentures, Accelmed Partners, Adage Capital Management, and BCG Digital Ventures, among others. This substantial funding highlights the growing investor confidence and interest in DTx innovations. #dtx #digitaltherapeutics #startup #vc #funding #fundraising #investment

We are delighted to share highlights from the recent CONNECTpreneur event, co-sponsored by the Technology Commercialization Office of the George Washington University (TCO) and GW Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (OIE). The September 19th CONNECTpreneur forum kicked off with an interactive networking session and featured Ellen Granberg, President of The George Washington University, as well as other distinguished speakers. The event also provided a platform for connecting entrepreneurs with seasoned investors. Two esteemed GW TCO licensees, Avstera Therapeutics Corp. and Polaris Semiconductor, took to the stage to present their solutions to an audience of industry professionals and investors. Avstera Theraputics is a specialty oncology-focused biopharmaceutical company based in Malvern, PA, aiming to offer revolutionary solutions targeting solid tumors and addressing a significant unmet need for advanced cancer patients. Polaris Semiconductor is a startup based in Northern Virginia, aiming to develop advanced, resilient electronic components that deliver unique DC power management performance in the most demanding applications. We thank The Big Idea CONNECTpreneur Community and Opus8, Inc. for hosting such a dynamic event that served as an incredible networking opportunity for innovative entrepreneurs, investors, and thought leaders in the startup ecosystem. It was inspiring to see the incredible potential these startups bring to the table. We're excited to see what's next for these promising ventures! #GW #TCO #OIE #TechTransfer #CONNECTpreneur #Startup #Fundraising #Innovation

Germany's Earlybird Venture Capital has announced a close of €173m for its second healthtech fund. Among its backers are British Patient Capital and BARMER — one of the largest public health insurers in Germany. A number of family offices, an endowment fund and a bank also invested. So where's the money going? The firm will invest between €3-8m at Series A and B, for startups in the biopharma, medtech and digital health sectors. Principal Dr. Christoph Massner tells Sifted that with big pharma companies facing an upcoming “patent cliff” — when a number of drug patents expire and the market opens up for anyone to produce them — in 2030, there's "unprecedented opportunity" in the biopharma space... with “loads more opportunities for exits”. Sifted's Kai Nicol-Schwarz digs into more below 👇 https://lnkd.in/e784T8Gm

Big money is back. Over the past 12 weeks, biotech startups have raised $100 million-plus megarounds from venture capitalists at a pace that could approach the market’s peak three years ago. This week alone, three startups announced major new financings. Engrail, a neuroscience company in Phase 2, took in $157 million. Two preclinical biotechs, T cell engager player Clasp and in vivo CAR-T startup Capstan, landed $150 million and $175 million, respectively. #biotech #financing #biotechnology #funding #capitalraise #capitalmarket #venturecapital #startupfunding #biotechstartups