What did the pandemic do to healthtech investing? | Marissa Bertorelli (Principal at Polaris Partners)

Apr 29, 2024

Marissa Bertorelli from Polaris Partners discusses the impact of the pandemic on healthtech investing, the surge in AI in healthcare, challenges for early-stage healthtech startups, pitching to specialized investors, the need for cofounders, and differences in healthtech and SaaS founder experiences.

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Introduction

00:00 • 2min

Exploring Healthcare Investing with Polaris Partners

01:39 • 1min

Impact of the Pandemic on Healthtech Investing

03:09 • 3min

Insights into Health Tech Investing Trends in 2024

06:26 • 18min

Health Tech Innovation and Academic Partnerships

24:07 • 9min

Exploring the Future of Healthcare Through Surgical Robotics and Telemedicine

33:00 • 2min

Even in turbulent times, early-stage investing has held up in one particular area: Healthcare. In fact: Biotech, pharmaceutical, and digital therapeutic startups are receiving more capital now than before the pandemic, in 2018 - 2019.

In this week’s episode of The Data Minute, join Peter Walker (Head of Insights at Carta) as he sits down with Marissa Bertorelli (Principal, Polaris Partners) for an illuminating conversation around trends they're seeing in early-stage healthcare investing.

In a wide-ranging discussion, they discuss how the pandemic changed investing in the sector, the transformative potential of AI in healthcare, the hurdles of early-stage healthtech startups, whether founders are wasting their time pitching "generalist funds," and much more.

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Chapters:
00:00 Intro
01:29 Marissa’s background and Polaris Partners
03:16 The pandemic’s impact on healthtech
06:12 Early 2024 trends
07:23 AI and the hurdles of early-stage healthtech companies
11:16 Investor specialization
12:57 Do healthtech founders waste time pitching generalist funds?
14:57 Is a cofounder needed?
18:10 Exit strategies and vision
21:32 Differences in the early-stage healthtech and SaSS founder experience
24:26 The Angel Investor community
25:40 Academia and entrepreneurship
29:00 Can you found a healthtech company without being a scientist?
32:42 Robots in healthtech?
33:51 Final thoughts

This presentation contains general information only and eShares, Inc. dba Carta, Inc. (“Carta”) is not, by means of this publication, rendering accounting, business, financial, investment, legal, tax, or other professional advice or services, and is for informational purposes only. This presentation is not a substitute for such professional advice or services nor should it be used as a basis for any decision or action that may affect your business or interests. © 2024 eShares, Inc., dba Carta, Inc. All rights reserved.