Life sciences companies nabbed nine of the 10 largest private equity deals in the Boston area in 2009, a year when investors were called on to fund biotechs and medical devices companies in late stages of product development, according to a recent survey by Dow Jones VentureSource.
The survey data indicate that private equity investors such as venture firms are pumping money into companies that may have considered the public markets in better times. For example, Woburn-based BioVex, which is developing a viral drug for skin cancer, closed one of the largest private financings in the Boston area last year, after scrapping plans for a $45 million initial public offering in 2006.
However, lithium-ion battery maker A123Systems, based in Watertown, managed to raise big bucks in private equity in the first half of 2009 and then follow up that performance with a $380 million IPO in September. Also, Cambridge-based cancer drug developer Aveo Pharmaceuticals, another firm that made the top-10 list, filed regulatory papers in December with the SEC to raise more than $86 million in an IPO.
You can find out more about all the companies on the list and their plans for the future by following the links below.
The list:
A123Systems, Watertown, MA — $99.9 million (Series F)
BioVex, Woburn, MA — $70 million (Series F)
ConforMIS, Burlington, MA, — $50 million (Series D)
Proteon Therapeutics, Waltham, MA — $50 million (Series B)
Virdante Pharmaceuticals, Cambridge, MA — $47.75 million (Series A)
Aveo Pharmaceuticals, Cambridge, MA — $45 million (Series E)
Synageva BioPharma, Waltham, MA — $45 million (5th Round)
Aileron Therapeutics, Cambridge, MA — $40.15 million (4th Round)
EpiZyme, Cambridge, MA — $40 million (Series B)
Still River Systems, Littleton, MA — $33 million (4th Round)
