Manatt’s Lisa Suennen, leader of the firm’s digital and technology group and the firm’s venture capital / emerging companies practice, spoke with Sharon Gabrielson on her TRUST Podcast about how venture capitalists choose to invest in startups.
Their conversation covered how venture capitalists and equity groups choose companies for investments, how a company gets the attention of a venture capitalist and when a company should consider taking venture capital.
Suennen noted that healthcare is a significant field in venture investing. She said she has spent over 30 years in the industry and “on a national level, for a long time, healthcare has been the number two category of venture investing,” with technology and software ranking first. Suennen also noted that pharmaceutical and biotechnology are the largest portions of the healthcare segment.
Suennen said she has seen a shift in venture capital funding over time toward larger companies rather than individual investors.
“Corporate venture capital has become a powerful player—almost a third of venture capital funding,” she said.
Listen to the podcast here.