Health Tech Startups Reach Unicorn, Other Milestones; UCSD Funding
Oct
13
These companies are a sign that the VC and investment community are taking the emerging health tech market seriously. Livongo and Health Catalyst are two notable health tech companies who had successful IPOs in July 2019. Livongo is a platform that helps people manage their diabetes. Health Catalyst is a health data research company.
While health tech companies have trended toward two key tech related research areas – genomics (e.g., Illumina, Helix, LAM Therapeutics) and microbiome gut research (e.g., Finch Therapeutics, Second Genome, Gingko Bioworks, and Viome) – there remains a high demand for tracking and implementing those and other trends.
Health entrepreneurs can lay the groundwork for successful runs by teaming up with the world’s leading health research institutions to incubate and provide for the ongoing breakthroughs and innovations happening in the industry. Fiscal year ending June 30, 2019, UC San Diego pulled in $1.35 billion in research contracts and grants, breaking funding records according to October 07, 2019 article by the San Diego Tribune (see https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/science/story/2019-10-07/uc-san-diego-shatters-record-for-research-funding-pulling-in-1-35-bi?_amp=true). Microbiome research was key to its success, according to the Tribune article quoting Dr. David Brenner, UCSD’s vice chancellor for health sciences. The hiring of world leading microbiome expert Rob Knight four years ago suggests UCSD aims to become a world leader in microbiome research and appears well on its way.