Corporate VCs Step Up Carefully to Fill VC Void

As institutional venture firms gird themselves for difficult times ahead in raising new funds, investment programs at pharmaceutical companies and large medical device companies are at least partially filling the gap by committing corporate dollars into private life sciences companies, even in earlier stages.

When Entellus Medical Inc. set out to raise its Series E financing, the company solicited offers from both institutional and corporate investors, looking for the capital necessary to sell its line of products used in ear, nose and throat procedures. ( See "Entellus: Helping The Interventional Revolution Balloon In Sinus Therapy," IN VIVO, June 2011 Also see "Entellus: Helping The Interventional Revolution Balloon In Sinus Therapy" - In Vivo, 1 June, 2011..) Guido Neels, managing director at Essex Woodlands Health Ventures, declined to give details on the financing but said Covidien Ventures, the corporate arm of Covidien Ltd., beat out both institutional and corporate investors looking to lead the financing. Covidien Ventures led the $35 million Series E investment with the participation of prior investors Split Rock Partners, SV Life Sciences and Greenspring Associates. [See Deal]

Corporate venture programs clearly are playing a larger role in the ecosystem of early-stage life science companies. As institutional venture...

Read the full article – start your free trial today!

Join thousands of industry professionals who rely on In Vivo for daily insights

  • Start your 7-day free trial
  • Explore trusted news, analysis, and insights
  • Access comprehensive global coverage
  • Enjoy instant access – no credit card required

More from Archive

Final Chance To Have Your Say: Take Our Reader Survey This Week

 

Editor’s note: This is your final call to participate in the survey to better understand our subscribers’ content and delivery needs. The deadline is 20 September.

Early Development Deals: Ipsen's Strategy For Biomarker-Driven Success

 

Mary Jane Hinrichs, Ipsen’s head of early development, talks to In Vivo about getting ahead of the competition by securing deals for candidates before they enter Phase I trials.   

Shape Our Content: Take The Reader Survey

 

Editor’s note: We are conducting a survey to better understand our subscribers’ content and delivery needs. If there are any changes you’d like to see in the coverage topics, content format or the method in which you receive and access In Vivo, or if you love it how it is, now is the time to have your voice heard.

In Partnership with Cerba Research

Prioritizing Safety in CAR-T Therapy: Patient Monitoring with Cerba Research’s Testing Portfolio

The cell and gene therapy (CGT) clinical trial landscape in general and CAR-T cell clinical trials in particular are a special focus for the FDA, EMA, and other regulatory agencies. The whole industry is thus aware of the recent FDA safety investigation and requirements for labeling CAR therapy products.

More from In Vivo

Deals Shaping The Industry, May 2025

 
• By 

An interactive look at pharma, medtech and diagnostics deals made during May 2025. Data courtesy of Biomedtracker.

Podcast: Flagship’s Vision To Predict And Prevent Illness, With Raj Panjabi

 
• By 

Flagship Pioneering senior partner Raj Panjabi discusses shifting health care from reactive treatment to AI-powered prediction and prevention of disease before symptoms emerge.

Rising Leaders 2025: Namrata Saroj On The Importance Of Authenticity In Ophthalmology

 

Namrata Saroj, chief business officer of Ocular Therapeutix, is highly respected in the retina community for her contributions to drug development. She talked to In Vivo about her journey in ophthalmology, leadership philosophy and the importance of authenticity in a close-knit specialty.