For medtechs seeking deals, it’s hurry up and wait

Considering the pandemic was very much still rampaging, last year was surprisingly good for the medtech industry in terms of venture funding, flotations and M&A values. But a new Evaluate Vantage analysis points to one way in which the environment got worse.

With huge sums being disbursed by venture investors, medtechs have had little reason to seek liquidity via a listing or to give in to bids from potential buyers. Consequently the average time between a private company’s founding and its 2021 exit, via either an IPO or an acquisition, was longer than any time since 2014, at 12 years.