Levitation option still valid for Wile E. Coyote
Fresh from the Department of Whistling Past the Graveyard in today’s VentureWire:
Back in the real world, seven life-science IPOs have gone down in flames so far this year. An eighth startup, robotic-surgery maker MAKO Surgical, just slashed its offering price.
Brace yourselves for the SPAC attack
Life-science IPOs may be hitting the wall — so far this year, seven biotech and medical-device startups have yanked their offerings — but one part of the IPO market is booming. That’s the field of “special-purpose acquisition corporations,” or SPACs, which are essentially blank-check companies that raise money through initial offerings specifically for the purpose of acquiring other companies.
At Renaissance Capital’s IPOhome news page (partial screenshot here, as the flow of news will probably throw… Continue Reading
Life-science IPOs hit the skids
Last year was a tough one for IPOs, as Matt noted earlier, and so far this year looks even worse. Aptamer-drug maker Archemix today became the third life-science startup this month to withdraw or postpone an IPO, and the sixth so far this year. We take a closer look at the worsening IPO climate and the contrast with still-bullish venture funding in the sector, over at VentureBeat Life Sciences.
Life sciences briefing: Friday, Dec. 7, 2007
TODAY’S HEADLINES:
Essex Woodlands raising $1.25B for life-scences fund (VentureWire, sub req’d)
SCP VitaLife raises $122M for life sciences (VW)
Pantec Bio draws CHF 6.3M for laser-drug delivery (release)
Essex Woodlands raising $1.25B for life-scences fund — Essex Woodlands Health Ventures, a Palo Alto, Calif., VC firm, is in the process of raising a new $1.25 billion fund for life-sciences investments, VentureWire reports. The fund could close as early as this month, but might slip into early 2008, according… Continue Reading