Q1 record with 26 Medical Alley companies raising $112 million in capital and a pair of companies acquired for $1.6 billion.
Investors are backing Medical Alley companies leading a shift to a consumer- and patient-centric healthcare system. Building on a record 2017, Medical Alley’s leadership continued in a record Q1 that saw $112 million raised by 26 companies. Better than half of those companies are using novel tools and technologies that put the consumer at the center of health. Leading the pack of Medical Alley companies is Bind, which closed a $60 million round of funding to pioneer its on-demand health insurance offering.
With the global push to a consumer-centric healthcare industry, it’s no surprise that Medical Alley companies are leading the change by developing novel solutions to tackle the biggest disease challenges, lowering costs, and improving quality. Medical Alley entrepreneurs benefit from the presence of, and access to, many of healthcare’s leading companies as well as talent cross-pollination with national and global consumer brands like Target, Best Buy, and General Mills. Nowhere else do so many leaders from healthcare and the consumer sectors exist in such density and proximity.
Novel Solutions Transform Healthcare by Focusing on the Consumer
Among the records, two deals stand out for how they are driving a healthcare paradigm shift.
Bind is changing the game with on-demand health insurance; investors agree, fueling the company with $60 million, the largest investment of Q1. Using a model of core coverage for things like preventive health and ER visits, and add-ons for care that can be planned for, like carpal tunnel surgery, consumers pay for what they need, not what they don’t. Led by a team with deep experience in consumer-centric health, including veterans of Definity Health and Redbrick Health, Bind is pioneering a new healthcare experience.
Learn to Live is changing the way we address one of our greatest health challenges, mental health, by making quality therapy accessible to more people. Investors backed the digital health startup with $4.3 million to further develop their platform, which provides remote access to high-quality mental health services. Patients can now access care without the fear and stigma that may accompany traditional mental health services. Learn to Live is breaking down the unique barriers to mental health care by meeting potential patients where they are.
Strength in All Sectors
Digital Health continues to drive investment growth in Medical Alley and topped all sectors with $69 million from 8 companies, led by Bind’s $60 million. Medical Alley has emerged as one of the leading digital health hubs in the U.S., regularly appearing in top-10 rankings by Startup Health, Crunchbase, and others.
The Biotechnology sector is on a growth trajectory as well. Medical Alley biotech companies delivered a record Q1, raising $29 million from six companies. Biothera led the way with a raise of $13.5 million. Anchored by world-leading research institutions in the Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota, Medical Alley is a leading cluster for genetic, microbiotic, and regenerative medicine commercialization.
The Medical Device sector remains strong in Medical Alley. In Q1, a total of $14 million was raised by 12 companies, showing strength in early-stage investments on the heels of large mid- and late-stage investments in 2017. The world’s #1 medical technology innovation cluster has demonstrated tremendous staying power, raising nearly $1.5 billion in the last five years, consistently leading all Midwest states and being in the top five fundraisers nationally.
Strong Exits in Medical Alley are Returning Capital
Medical Alley produced $1.6B in two exits during Q1 2018: ABILITY Network was acquired by Inovalon for $1.2 billion and NxThera was acquired by Boston Scientific for up to $406 million. These exits highlight the diversity of Medical Alley companies creating value by bringing new digital health and medical technology solutions to improve outcomes and lower costs.
ABILITY Network is a SaaS company that simplifies administrative and clinical tasks in healthcare. Combined with Inovalon, they are delivering great efficiencies across healthcare, freeing up capital to improve quality and lower costs. An early pioneer in digital health in Medical Alley, the company grew to more than $100 million in revenue and hundreds of employees in downtown Minneapolis. After the acquisition, Inovalon announced that ABILITY Network would expand both its office and its Minnesota workforce.
NxThera, a urology startup commercializing a novel treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) (also called an enlarged prostate) was acquired by Boston Scientific, which was an early investor in the company. NxThera’s device offers a treatment option to patients that is minimally invasive, improves quality of life, and preserves sexual function post-procedure, making it a superior option for consumers. Following the acquisition, NxThera and Boston Scientific announced the spinout of a new company based on the core NxThera technology to develop a novel treatment for prostate cancer – continuing the cycle of innovation for the benefit of patients.
Medical Alley Leads the Way in Consumer Health
Want to know where health is going? Just follow the money: Since 2009, Medical Alley has led the Midwest in investments, with a total of $3.6 billion raised by 326 companies and led in exits with 44 since 2012. Increasingly, Medical Alley is the bellwether for where healthcare is going by leading the world in meaningful health innovation, driven by a focus on the largest disease states, creating real value throughout the healthcare community, and delivering better solutions and experiences for the health consumer.
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