Author: Michael A. Greeley

Michael is a General Partner at Flare Capital Partners. Prior to co-founding Flare Capital Partners, Michael was the founding General Partner of Flybridge Capital Partners where he led the firm’s healthcare investments. Current and prior board seats include BlueTarp Financial, Circulation, EndoGastric Solutions, Explorys, Functional Neuromodulation, HealthVerity, Iora Health, MicroCHIPS, Nuvesse, PolyRemedy, Predictive Biosciences, Predilytics, T2 Biosystems, TARIS Biomedical, VidSys and Welltok. Previously, Michael focused on emerging-growth company financings with Polaris Venture Partners, was a senior vice president and founding partner of GCC Investments, and held positions at Wasserstein Perella & Co., Morgan Stanley & Co. and Credit Suisse First Boston. Michael currently serves as chairman of the Entrepreneurship Committee of the Massachusetts Information Collaborative and on the Investment Committee for the Partners Innovation Fund and Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary. Michael also serves on the Industry Advisory Board of the Cleveland Clinic and Boston Children’s Hospital, as well as serving on several other boards including the New England Investors’ Committee of Capital Innovation. He was the former chairman of the New England Venture Capital Association and on the Executive Committee of the board of the National Venture Capital Association. Named by the Boston Globe as the “Go-To” investor for life sciences, healthcare and medical devices and a Mass High Tech All-Star, Michael earned a B.A. with honors in chemistry from Williams College and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. Michael authors a blog focused on venture capital, innovation and healthcare at www.ontheflyingbridge.com.

Healthcare Technology Bubble Concerns Are Likely Overblown

By nearly every measure, 2018 was a banner year for the venture capital industry, particularly in the healthcare technology sector. Over $130 billion of venture capital was invested across all sectors in the U.S., easily eclipsing the prior high-water mark in 2000 and nearly 4.8 times what was invested a decade ago. While certain sectors … Continue reading “Healthcare Technology Bubble Concerns Are Likely Overblown”

Dramatic Capital Inflows Continue in 2Q17… Trouble Ahead?

In an environment of microscopic interest rates, it is particularly interesting to read the Preqin 2Q17 Quarterly Update, which exhaustively tracks all things private equity and venture capital. At the end of June 2017 there were 1,998 funds in market raising a total of $676 billion – a staggering sum – indicative of global investors … Continue reading “Dramatic Capital Inflows Continue in 2Q17… Trouble Ahead?”

Latest Data Show Venture Capital Industry on Pins and Needles

Given the obvious anxiety and frustration that surrounds us all, the U.S. venture industry is also exhibiting some fatigue as we finish the 88th month since the last recession. This is the fourth-longest period of economic growth in U.S. history (admittedly, at 2.1 percent, the growth over this period of time is the slowest since … Continue reading “Latest Data Show Venture Capital Industry on Pins and Needles”

Wider Venture Funding Gap Raises Troubling Questions

This week, Oxfam released its annual study of inequality around the world, which showed that there are actually 62 people who possess as much wealth as the 3.5 billion people in the bottom half of the world’s income scale. Five years ago, that number was 388 people. And all of this is against a backdrop … Continue reading “Wider Venture Funding Gap Raises Troubling Questions”

Rock the House—from Silicon Valley to China

It’s that time of the quarter, when venture capital fundraising data are released by the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA), possibly leaving all the sophisticated investors across the industry wringing their collective hands about frothiness. The latest data shows that VCs in 2Q15 raised over $10.4 billion (slightly revised upward from the amount first announced … Continue reading “Rock the House—from Silicon Valley to China”

The Incredible Shrinking Seed Stage and Other Venture Trends of 2014

By now the 2014 data for venture capital investments from the most important regions of the world have been compiled and disseminated. When laid out next to each other, some fascinating themes emerge. It’s no surprise that the U.S. continues to set the pace with over $48 billion invested in 4,356 companies, compared to 2013, … Continue reading “The Incredible Shrinking Seed Stage and Other Venture Trends of 2014”

Fastest Turtle: Healthcare Investing and the U.S. Economy

Given the investment horizons for venture capitalists, we do not necessarily try to time public markets when making new investments—although they obviously influence pre-money valuations, particularly for later rounds. Greater concerns revolve around portfolio companies’ ability to access capital on reasonable terms, and that the general macroeconomic environment is conducive to strong revenue growth. Notwithstanding … Continue reading “Fastest Turtle: Healthcare Investing and the U.S. Economy”

Bet the Jockey…and the Horse…and the Track

Earlier this month we announced a new investment in Iora Health, a fascinating company run by an extraordinary entrepreneur transforming an enormous sector of the healthcare economy: primary care. Rushika Fernandopulle (CEO and co-founder) is fundamentally re-architecting how many of us will buy and consume primary care—and in so doing, he has created a passionate, … Continue reading “Bet the Jockey…and the Horse…and the Track”

The Venture Funding Gap is Widening; What Does it Mean?

The National Venture Capital Association has just released the latest MoneyTree data on venture industry fund-raising, which always makes me sit up straight and take notice—it’s kind of an industry scorecard. In addition to being baffled by the fact that the amount the U.S. venture industry invests outstrips how much we raise (see below), I … Continue reading “The Venture Funding Gap is Widening; What Does it Mean?”

Implications of the Oil Price Collapse

Instead of developing a warmed over list of “Top 10 Predictions for 2015,” over the past few months I have been most interested in the implications from the collapse of oil prices around the world. We will see the obvious and direct benefit to the U.S. consumer (November retail sales were up a surprising 0.7 … Continue reading “Implications of the Oil Price Collapse”

Shanghai Report: Big Questions About China’s Growth Plans

It only took a few days after I returned from China for my eyes to stop burning, and maybe the slight cough was really due to the changing seasons in Boston and not the air pollution in Shanghai (now I better understand the amenity in my hotel room—see below). A small price to pay to … Continue reading “Shanghai Report: Big Questions About China’s Growth Plans”

1Q VC Data: What Just Happened?

The National Venture Capital Association recently released data on first-quarter investment activity, which always makes for an interesting read, at least on long plane rides. Point of fact, this past quarter was exceptional in many ways—and arguably somewhat unexpected. The headlines read that $9.5 billion was invested in 951 companies, an amount we have not … Continue reading “1Q VC Data: What Just Happened?”

Tech Bubble Leaks Air, Healthcare Bests Biotech, & More for 2014

The coming year will see some good news and some bad news in tech. Here are five predictions. • IPOs: This past year witnessed an extraordinary resurgence in IPO activity for venture-backed companies. It felt much like 1999 right before the crest of the wave. With modest growth, unsustainably high valuation multiples, little excess left for … Continue reading “Tech Bubble Leaks Air, Healthcare Bests Biotech, & More for 2014”

The Slog Continues…

Last week the National Venture Capital Association (where I am on the Executive Committee) and Thomson Reuters announced the 2Q12 fundraising data for venture firms—don’t worry, you are excused if you did not see the results. Not pretty. The data has some potentially troubling implications for entrepreneurs. While the headline looked encouraging with $5.9BN raised … Continue reading “The Slog Continues…”

Shrinkage—Expanded Upon….

Poor investment returns have had a similar effect to cold water – the VC industry is shrinking. As a follow-up to comments I posted this past weekend, I wanted to look deeper into recent fundraising data and see what other implications one might draw. Since 1980 the VC industry has raised $495 billion across 4,333 … Continue reading “Shrinkage—Expanded Upon….”

Fourth Quarter Venture Results—Shrinkage Comes in All Forms

The Q4 2010 VC funding data were released late last week—and the headline was quite upbeat. VCs invested $5 billion in 765 deals in this past quarter, which while essentially flat quarter-over-quarter, brought the full year totals to $21.8 billion invested in 3,277 companies. In 2009, VCs put $18.3 billion into 2,927 companies. It’s easy … Continue reading “Fourth Quarter Venture Results—Shrinkage Comes in All Forms”

Five Popular Predictions for 2011 That Are Wrong

1. Prediction in Vogue: 2011 will be the year of the “Super Angel” Reality: Given all the angel investment activity, and the fact that it has never been easier to start a new company (low cost of computer power, plenty of talented people, plenty of real estate, etc), too many “me too” companies will be … Continue reading “Five Popular Predictions for 2011 That Are Wrong”

A VC Re-Visits China: Vitality and Optimism, but What Lies Ahead?

What a fascinating week to be traveling in Asia. President Obama is here for the G20 Summit—as is Tiger Woods—and, frankly, I am surprised at how tough the local press is on both men (at least one is well deserving of the criticism, though). The juxtaposition to when I was here right after President Obama … Continue reading “A VC Re-Visits China: Vitality and Optimism, but What Lies Ahead?”

5 Things Michigan Can Do to Build a Sustainable Innovation Ecosystem

Building a sustainable innovation ecosystem is hard and will require patience married to a sense of real optimism. It will require numerous centers of innovation: academic settings, corporate research labs, world-class hospitals, all operating with an entrepreneurial culture. All this cannot simply be mandated, but rather it comes about over generations of startup success stories. … Continue reading “5 Things Michigan Can Do to Build a Sustainable Innovation Ecosystem”

2010 Venture Capital Oscar Predictions

Even though Oscar buzz is not yet in the air, it is pretty clear what film titles will rule in 2010. So sit back, grab your popcorn…the envelopes please. Precious: The statuette goes to this film about the Greenback, which continues to be really hard to come by. The venture industry weathered a swift-yet-painful contraction … Continue reading “2010 Venture Capital Oscar Predictions”

12 By 12 By 12 By 12 By 12

Yesterday, I participated in a very exciting event that culminated with the announcement by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick of an important funding program—a $1 million annual business plan competition called MassChallenge. The essence of this announcement is to match the next generation of young aspiring entrepreneurs with numerous sources of capital, most likely local venture … Continue reading “12 By 12 By 12 By 12 By 12”

What I Like About Innovation in New England

There is a lot of great stuff going on in Boston right now. Granted, there are still many signs of paralysis throughout the system, but there are also many high-quality entrepreneurs in the marketplace attempting to change the world with exciting, innovative solutions to some very large problems. June 2009 has been dubbed “Innovation Month … Continue reading “What I Like About Innovation in New England”

Things I Learned at the National Venture Capital Association Meeting

I am at the annual meeting of the National Venture Capital Association being held in Boston lastthis week. The tone was remarkably upbeat—but only for those firms with either a new fund or who somehow avoided making a lot of overvalued investments during the last few years. There was a lot of rhetoric about how/when/whether … Continue reading “Things I Learned at the National Venture Capital Association Meeting”

Down is the New Up: Two Suggestions for How CEOs Can Cope With the Downturn

For the last six months VCs thought they were really funny whenever they used the phrase “flat is the new up.” This crept into the VC lexicon at the beginning of the current crisis to refer to the small victories investors boasted about when raising capital for their portfolio companies. Actually the reality is quite … Continue reading “Down is the New Up: Two Suggestions for How CEOs Can Cope With the Downturn”

Pop Goes the (Venture) Weasel…

So the first quarter venture funding data were just released and the news for entrepreneurs was decidedly bad. It is pretty clear the party for “easy money”—particularly for cleantech companies–is emphatically over. Venture-backed companies raised only $3.9 billion in Q109, which is basically half what they raised this time a year ago. New England companies … Continue reading “Pop Goes the (Venture) Weasel…”

Ten 2008 Predictions from the VC Cheap Seats…

This will be a big year for us in the exponential economy—will we have a recession? Will oil stay above $100 a barrel? Republican or Democrat? Patriots, Celtics, and Red Sox all in one year? While all of these issues are of the utmost importance, I offer up a set of predictions about issues that … Continue reading “Ten 2008 Predictions from the VC Cheap Seats…”