Emerging Themes in the Global Healthcare Industry from the Venture Capital Perspective

Emerging Themes in the Global Healthcare Industry from the Venture Capital Perspective

Amir Nashat, Sc.D.

Managing Partner, Polaris Partners

Boston, MA

Healthcare is experiencing a season of dramatic innovation and reshaping. Last year marked a record for FDA approvals and venture capital investment in the U.S. This stands in contrast to a global atmosphere marked by uncertainty and volatility, across trade, geopolitical relations, and financial markets at large. Together these elements help create a fascinating context for the venture capital industry and its role in supporting innovation in healthcare. Several key themes have emerged to define the current environment. The first is the convergence of information tech and biotech, as evidenced by the entry of large tech giants into areas such as the delivery of care and the study of patient populations. In parallel, major pharma and biotech are all making increasing investments in data analytics. Secondly, rapid discovery of new biological insights has provided fundamental new pathways to treating a range of disease that have been largely considered intractable. In addition, new modalities such as gene therapy, gene editing, and cell therapy are all coming of age simultaneously. Lastly, this progress has been happening on a truly global basis, with the emergence of promising biotech talent and innovation in Asia and other geographies. Amir Nashat will weave together these themes, with key examples from his nearly 20 years in the venture capital industry, to share an investor perspective on the opportunities and areas for excitement from across the globe.

This year in MEDTEX 2019, we will witness the digital healthcare revolution in Asia, with Healthcare professionals and technology giants ...