BioPharm Insight: Financing Climate Improving for Early-Stage Life Science Sector
Firms Should Remain ‘Optimistic But Realistic’
The financing climate for early-stage life science companies is expected to continue to see modest improvement in the near term, as discussed in a plenary session panel at the Life Sciences Summit 2013 in New York.
This improvement is seen as a trickle-down effect from fairly strong financing for the biotechnology sector as a whole, driven by growth funds, the panelists said. Entrepreneurs can be “optimistic but realistic” about the state of the financing climate for early-stage companies, said panelist Alex Zisson, partner, Thomas, McNerney & Partners, LLC.
The biotech sector has led the market overall compared to other sectors, driven by promising science in oncology and precision medicine, said panelist Barbara Ryan, managing director, FTI Consulting. Low interest rates have also forced the markets to take more risk, she added.