Report: Digital well being funding falls after booming 2021
Digital well being funding has declined from the blockbuster funding seen in 2021, however a Rock Well being report on the primary half of the 12 months notes it is not all doom and gloom for the sector.
The report discovered U.S. startups raised $10.3 billion throughout 329 offers within the first half of 2022, with a mean deal measurement of $31.2 million. Although funding within the first quarter of the 12 months was much like Q1 2021, solely $4.1 billion was raised in Q2, making it the bottom funding quarter since Q2 2020.
In the meantime, zero startups hit the general public markets within the first half of the 12 months, in contrast with 23 exits in 2021. However report authors Ashwini Nagappan and Adriana Krasniansky argue the market slowdown could say extra concerning the intense funding surroundings final 12 months.
“Although this 12 months’s funding will fall far in need of final 12 months, 2022 digital well being funding is nonetheless on monitor to outpace funding in 2020. This multi-year pattern signifies continued funding development, with funding in 2021 maybe standing out as an anomaly,” they wrote.
The funding dip between the primary and second quarters this 12 months could show bigger financial traits. Many offers that made information early within the 12 months have been put collectively within the booming funding surroundings on the finish of 2021, whereas the conflict in Ukraine and inflation considerations have put a damper on investor confidence to this point in 2022.
However specialised digital well being buyers have been much less prone to pull again from the sector, which might be excellent news for his or her startups.
“In mild of continued market volatility, we anticipate that the better presence of veteran versus new digital well being buyers will stay a near-term pattern,” Nagappan and Krasniansky wrote.
“Moreover, as a result of veteran digital well being buyers seem prepared to remain the course and assist their current portfolio corporations, we anticipate that this pattern will disproportionately favor corporations that have already got dedicated veteran digital well being buyers on their cap desk. That’s a possible silver lining for each the buyers and their portfolio corporations.”
Nevertheless, development stage corporations could wrestle within the 2022 funding surroundings. Sequence C deal measurement on common declined by 22% within the first half of the 12 months in contrast with 2021, whereas D+ checks declined by 12%. The report notes these startups raised money on excessive valuations searching for development which may be tougher to return by, they usually could must rethink their plans, as evidenced by the spate of latest layoffs.
However this might depart a gap for early-stage corporations, unburdened by these sky-high valuations. On common, startups elevating their Sequence A introduced in $18 million throughout the first half of the 12 months, on par with 2021.
Digital well being can also be seeing a slowdown on the merger and acquisition entrance. The primary half of 2022 averaged solely 16 offers per 30 days, whereas 2021 noticed practically 23 digital well being exits by M&A month-to-month.
The report notes that might be one other signal of financial nervousness, however excessive costs for M&As play a component too. These valuations from 2021 could not match up with the corporate’s monetary efficiency.
“Like funding numbers, we don’t foresee a return to 2021 M&A tempo, although we anticipate 2022’s M&A exercise to develop steadily from 2020 baselines,” the report’s authors wrote. “We’ll be watching to see if well-positioned digital well being corporations in more and more saturated segments of digital well being begin to purchase smaller opponents – which may imply the most important waves of digital well being consolidation are simply getting began.”
In the meantime, digital psychological well being startups stored their high spot when it comes to highest-funded medical space, bringing in $1.3 billion throughout the first half of the 12 months. Oncology got here in subsequent with $0.8 billion, whereas cardiovascular well being, diabetes, and reproductive and maternal well being scooped up $0.6 billion.
In highest-funded worth propositions, startups centered on analysis and improvement in biopharma and medtech raised $1.6 billion, with on-demand healthcare and illness monitoring bringing in $1.4 billion. Nevertheless, the report notes that startups innovating administrative duties and medical workflow are additionally common worth propositions, reflecting the strained healthcare workforce within the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Authorities coverage and regulation can also be taking part in a bigger function within the digital well being sector, which the report chalks as much as a post-COVID-19 tech focus in healthcare and the variety of bigger gamers which are drawing regulatory scrutiny. However, as a Rock Well being research revealed in JMIR discovered final month, many corporations lack medical trials or regulatory filings.
The Supreme Courtroom’s resolution to overturn Roe v. Wade marks one other coverage change that would have an effect on the digital well being sector, however the messy authorized panorama makes subsequent steps unclear.
“Whereas it’s possible that digital well being startups supporting abortion care will obtain nationwide consideration and curiosity, now we have but to see how the post-Roe world will influence funding in reproductive well being,” Nagappan and Krasniansky wrote. “Whereas some buyers could also be extra motivated than ever to spend money on ladies’s healthcare and entry, others could also be hesitant to speculate till extra readability exists surrounding political, authorized and regulatory ramifications.”
