Last year may have been a good year for health tech funding — but 2013 is shaping up to be even better.
The amount of funding put toward health tech companies in January was up 172 percent over the same time last year, according to Startup Health Insights, the database run by New York-based Startup Health Academy, Investors poured nearly $ 272 million into 47 deals, with the biggest deal topping $ 45 million.
Here is a graphical snapshot of some of the January highlights:
Key takeaways:
- About a third of the funding went to seed stage and A-round companies, and more incubators and strategic investors are moving in at the early rounds — not just venture capitalists, who traditionally invest early on.
- The hottest sectors were data and analytics, mobile health and telehealth — all areas that are attracting attention as industry players look for ways to reduce costs, engage consumers and show outcomes.
- The most active investor was the Merck Global Health Innovation Fund, which made three investments in January.
- On average, Series D rounds are 154 percent larger than they were at the same time last year, which Startup Health says is consistent with a recent trend of many venture capitalists in the sector taking less risk by investing at later stages.
What new trends will we see in 2013? DNA laser printing and more sophisticated connected sensor technology, for example, are both new, says Unity Stoakes, president and co-founder of Startup Health. ”One interesting thing to watch for will be the sources of funding for these early stage companies as capital shifts from life sciences and biotech to health tech and strategic investors become more active.”
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