About Life Sciences
There are 80.2K companies in the Life Sciences sector across the world, with 32.3K funded companies having collectively raised $1.01T in venture capital money and private equity. Overall 16.5K of these are Series A+ funded and the sector has seen the creation of 85 Unicorns.
Life Sciences sector has seen 6.14K acquisitions and 3.58K IPOs. This represents almost 12.1% of all such companies - which is higher than the 4.4% exit rate of tech companies in general.
This sector includes companies providing disease specific and disease agnostic therapy, diagnostic solutions, drugs, and life science R7D.
Life Sciences sector is also known as Biotech or Biological Sciences.
Companies included in Life Sciences sector
It includes companies developing drugs, devices and diagnostic tests for various diseases, nutraceutical supplements, and solutions for life science researchCompanies excluded in Life Sciences sector
It excludes digital health platforms, assistive technology etc for the health industryReports related to Life Sciences
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There are more than 80.2K companies in Life Sciences. Medidata is the top Life Sciences company globally, ranked using Tracxn Score (what's this?).
Here are 5 of the top Life Sciences companies globally:
Company | Description | Location | Founded | Current Stage | Private Funding Raised |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AI-based clinical trial management software for researchers | New York City (United States) | 1999 | Acquired | $41.5M | |
A data platform and technology company purpose-built to power AI-enabled precision health | Dallas (United States) | 2015 | Series D | $2.8B | |
Developer of an array of connected products | Moulineaux (France) | 2008 | Acquired | $93.8M | |
Developer of novel biopharmaceutical medicines for unmet medical needs | Dublin (Ireland) | 2003 | Public | $265M | |
Manufacturer of pharmaceutical products | Rahway (United States) | 1891 | Public | - |
Companies founded year-on-year in the Life Sciences sector
606 new startups have been founded so far in 2026 in the Life Sciences sector. 4,033 Life Sciences startups were founded in 2019 - this is the most number of startups founded in any year in the last 10 years.
- Total Number of Companies
Year | No. of companies |
|---|---|
2026 | 606 |
2025 | 495 |
2024 | 989 |
2023 | 1,540 |
2022 | 1,964 |
2021 | 2,743 |
2020 | 3,914 |
2019 | 4,033 |
2018 | 4,027 |
2017 | 3,863 |
Companies founded across countries in the Life Sciences sector
United States has 30,711 Life Sciences startups, the most by any country, followed by India which has 7,844 startups and United Kingdom which has 4,989.
- Total Number of Companies
Country | No. of companies |
|---|---|
United States | 30,711 |
India | 7,844 |
United Kingdom | 4,989 |
China | 4,089 |
Germany | 3,518 |
Canada | 2,608 |
Israel | 1,732 |
France | 1,717 |
South Korea | 1,465 |
Switzerland | 1,361 |
Stage-wise distribution of the Life Sciences sector
Out of the total 80,233 Life Sciences companies, 32,280 have secured funding. Among them, 16,543 have reached Series A or higher, and 12,877 to Series B or beyond.
Founded - 80,233
Funded - 32,280
Series A+ - 16,543
Series B+ - 12,877
Series C+ - 11,113
Company Stage | No. of companies |
|---|---|
Founded | 80,233 |
Funded | 32,280 |
Series A+ | 16,543 |
Series B+ | 12,877 |
Series C+ | 11,113 |
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- 80.2K+ Total Companies
- $1.01T+ Total Funding
- 32.3K+ Funded Companies
- 3.6K+ IPOs
- 6.1K+ Acquisitions
- 1.1K+ Reports
Funding Trends in the Life Sciences sector
Total funding year-on-year in the Life Sciences sector
The Life Sciences sector saw a total funding of more than $677B in the last 10 years. The most amount of funding was in 2018 at more than $124B. There has been a total funding of $33.7B in 2026 till date.
- Total Funding
Year | Total Funding |
|---|---|
2026 | $33.7B |
2025 | $56.6B |
2024 | $51.1B |
2023 | $45B |
2022 | $64.1B |
2021 | $92.9B |
2020 | $88.8B |
2019 | $74B |
2018 | $124B |
2017 | $47B |
Total funding across countries in the Life Sciences sector
In the last 10 years, Life Sciences startups in United States have recieved the highest funding among all countries - $421B. China follows with $44.1B and United Kingdom with $34.8B.
- Total Funding
Country | Total Funding |
|---|---|
United States | $421B |
China | $44.1B |
United Kingdom | $34.8B |
Canada | $18.3B |
Switzerland | $16.8B |
France | $12.8B |
Germany | $11.4B |
Israel | $10.3B |
India | $7.2B |
Netherlands | $5.24B |
Total funding amount raised by stage in the Life Sciences sector
Over the last 10 years, the Life Sciences sector have seen $16.6B into Seed Stage funding rounds, $217B into Early Stage funding rounds and $158B go into Late Stage funding rounds.
Funding Stage | Total Funding |
|---|---|
Early Stage | $217B |
Late Stage | $158B |
Post IPO | $117B |
Debt | $113B |
Grant | $22.2B |
Seed Stage | $16.6B |
PE | $7.33B |
Other-Equity | $235M |
ICO | $35.2M |
Recent Funding Rounds in Life Sciences
In the year 2026, till August 2026, Life Sciences companies have raised $27.8B in equity funding across 999 rounds.
In the same period last year (i.e. till August 2025), Life Sciences companies had raised $24.5B across 1.2K rounds.
So, 2026 has seen a 13.08% rise in funding in Life Sciences companies as compared to 2025.
Here are some recent, important funding rounds in Life Sciences:
Company | Round Raised | Amount Raised | Funding Date | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Series B | 9342 | Aug 06, 2026 | ||
Series B | 6778 | Aug 06, 2026 | ||
Series B | 8664 | Aug 06, 2026 | ||
Series D | 9582 | Aug 06, 2026 | ||
Series E | 7504 | Aug 06, 2026 |
Top Investors in Life Sciences
HHS is the top investor in Life Sciences companies based on number of companies invested.
Here are some top investors in Life Sciences:
Investor | Location | Top Portfolio Companies |
|---|---|---|
Washington, DC (United States) | ||
Arlington (United States) | ||
Brussels (Belgium) | ||
M&A activity in Life Sciences
In the year 2026, till August 2026, 181 acquisitions happened in Life Sciences sector. Last year, in 2025, a total of 326 acquisitions happened in Life Sciences sector.
Here are some recent, important acquisitions in Life Sciences:
Company | Acquisition Type | Acquisition Date | Acquirers |
|---|---|---|---|
Business Acquisition | Aug 05, 2026 | ||
Business Acquisition | Aug 04, 2026 | ||
Business Acquisition | Aug 04, 2026 | ||
Business Acquisition | Aug 04, 2026 | ||
Business Acquisition | Jul 30, 2026 |
Acquisition trends in Life Sciences
Here are the acquisition trends in Life Sciences:
- Total Number of Acquisitions
Year | No. of companies |
|---|---|
2026 | 181 |
2025 | 326 |
2024 | 335 |
2023 | 377 |
2022 | 477 |
2021 | 535 |
2020 | 413 |
2019 | 429 |
2018 | 461 |
2017 | 424 |
IPOs in Life Sciences
In the year 2026, till August 2026, 55 IPOs happened in Life Sciences sector.
Here are some recent, important IPOs in Life Sciences:
Company | IPO Date | Exchange Symbol |
|---|---|---|
Aug 05, 2026 | National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ) | |
Jul 31, 2026 | National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ) | |
Jul 24, 2026 | National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ) | |
Jul 13, 2026 | Korea Exchange (KRX) | |
Jul 07, 2026 | Hong Kong Exchanges (HKG) |
Colleges which produce the most Life Sciences companies
Companies founded by alumni from top colleges in the Life Sciences sector
Most number of Life Sciences startups have been founded by alumni from Harvard University, Stanford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
College | No. of companies |
|---|---|
Harvard University | 583 |
Stanford University | 535 |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 523 |
University of California (Berkeley) | 352 |
University of Pennsylvania | 288 |
University of Cambridge | 278 |
University of Oxford | 245 |
Cornell University | 206 |
Columbia University | 200 |
Tel Aviv University | 195 |
Total funding in companies founded by alumni from top colleges in the the Life Sciences sector
In the last 10 years, Harvard University graduates' Life Sciences companies have raised the most funding among top colleges. Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni are second, and Yale University alumni are third.
College | Total Funding |
|---|---|
Harvard University | $69.5B |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology | $45.9B |
Yale University | $44.3B |
Stanford University | $39.2B |
University of Cambridge | $35.2B |
University of California (Berkeley) | $23.2B |
Cornell University | $15.1B |
University of Oxford | $13.4B |
University of California (Los Angeles) | $13.3B |
Stanford Business School | $12.6B |
Top News in Life Sciences
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BioInvent Receives FDA Fast Track Designation for BI-1808 for the Treatment of Ovarian CancerAccess Newswire•Aug 07, 2026•BioInvent
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Replimune's Tudriqev Receives FDA Approval for Advanced Melanoma TherapyBioSpace•Aug 07, 2026•Replimune
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Celsius Non-GAAP EPS of $0.36 misses by $0.06, revenue of $817.9M misses by $52.17M (CELH:NASDAQ)Seeking Alpha•Aug 06, 2026•Celsius
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Takeda's ORZEYFUL™ (oveporexton) Receives FDA Approval for Narcolepsy Type 1 TreatmentKorea Newswire•Aug 06, 2026•Takeda
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Tarsus Pharmaceuticals Reports Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results and Advances Next Phase of GrowthGlobeNewswire•Aug 06, 2026•Tarsus
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Kenvue second quarter results fall short of expectations, sending shares lowerProactive•Aug 06, 2026•Kenvue
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Pulse Biosciences GAAP EPS of -$0.36 in-line, revenue of $0.4M misses by $0.13MSeeking Alpha•Aug 06, 2026•Pulse Biosciences
