Dive Brief:
- According to a BIO survey, a total of 63 biopharma companies received a total of $1.2 billion in
Series A funding in 2013 . - 82% of all Series A money since 2004 has been directed towards novel R&D.
- In 2013, more than 2/3 of all Series A investments went to preclinical companies—the highest proportion in 10 years.
Dive Insight:
It seems that every day, there's another news story about a "superstar" emerging company receiving millions in venture capital through Series A funding. But even though start-ups like Revolution Medicines, Juno Therapeutics, and Moderna Therapeutics embody that stereotype, not all companies are being funded evenly.
In their survey, BIO found that preclinical companies receive more money than companies at later stages of development, for example. Overall, the three therapeutic areas with the most funding (in order) are oncology, neurology, and infectious diseases.
And BIO also revealed an important trend—for the first time ever, venture capital funding of companies focused on biologics (e.g., vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, and protein-based drugs) is comparable to small-molecule drugs.