About Life Sciences
There are 63.9K companies in the Life Sciences sector across the world, with 29.5K funded companies having collectively raised $810B in venture capital money and private equity. Overall 14.6K of these are Series A+ funded and the sector has seen the creation of 79 Unicorns.
Life Sciences sector has seen 5.39K acquisitions and 2.79K IPOs. This represents almost 12.8% of all such companies - which is higher than the 4.8% 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
Here is a report related to Life Sciences sector:
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There are more than 63.9K 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 | |
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 | |
Provider of an online genealogy platform offering a host of services | Lehi (United States) | 1996 | Acquired | $446M | |
Developer of therapeutics for the treatment of genetic diseases | Palo Alto (United States) | 2015 | Acquired | $434M |
Companies founded year-on-year in the Life Sciences sector
25 new startups have been founded so far in 2026 in the Life Sciences sector. 3,648 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 | 25 |
2025 | 272 |
2024 | 750 |
2023 | 1,269 |
2022 | 1,669 |
2021 | 2,420 |
2020 | 3,502 |
2019 | 3,648 |
2018 | 3,606 |
2017 | 3,520 |
Companies founded across countries in the Life Sciences sector
United States has 27,867 Life Sciences startups, the most by any country, followed by United Kingdom which has 4,389 startups and India which has 3,508.
- Total Number of Companies
Country | No. of companies |
|---|---|
United States | 27,867 |
United Kingdom | 4,389 |
India | 3,508 |
China | 3,185 |
Germany | 3,096 |
Canada | 2,344 |
Israel | 1,660 |
France | 1,551 |
South Korea | 1,265 |
Switzerland | 1,179 |
Stage-wise distribution of the Life Sciences sector
Out of the total 63,883 Life Sciences companies, 29,529 have secured funding. Among them, 14,552 have reached Series A or higher, and 11,096 to Series B or beyond.
Founded - 63,883
Funded - 29,529
Series A+ - 14,552
Series B+ - 11,096
Series C+ - 9,474
Company Stage | No. of companies |
|---|---|
Founded | 63,883 |
Funded | 29,529 |
Series A+ | 14,552 |
Series B+ | 11,096 |
Series C+ | 9,474 |
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- 63.9K+ Total Companies
- $810B+ Total Funding
- 29.5K+ Funded Companies
- 2.8K+ IPOs
- 5.4K+ 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 $556B in the last 10 years. The most amount of funding was in 2021 at more than $87.8B. There has been a total funding of $14.4B in 2026 till date.
- Total Funding
Year | Total Funding |
|---|---|
2026 | $14.4B |
2025 | $48.4B |
2024 | $49.5B |
2023 | $41.2B |
2022 | $61B |
2021 | $87.8B |
2020 | $83.5B |
2019 | $60.9B |
2018 | $66.5B |
2017 | $43B |
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 - $382B. China follows with $39.1B and United Kingdom with $27.9B.
- Total Funding
Country | Total Funding |
|---|---|
United States | $382B |
China | $39.1B |
United Kingdom | $27.9B |
Canada | $17.3B |
Switzerland | $14.7B |
France | $11.1B |
Germany | $10B |
Israel | $8.09B |
Netherlands | $5.11B |
India | $3.24B |
Total funding amount raised by stage in the Life Sciences sector
Over the last 10 years, the Life Sciences sector have seen $15.6B into Seed Stage funding rounds, $201B into Early Stage funding rounds and $152B go into Late Stage funding rounds.
Funding Stage | Total Funding |
|---|---|
Early Stage | $201B |
Late Stage | $152B |
Post IPO | $107B |
Debt | $45.6B |
Grant | $17.7B |
Seed Stage | $15.6B |
PE | $5.12B |
Other-Equity | $247M |
ICO | $35.2M |
Recent Funding Rounds in Life Sciences
In the year 2026, till April 2026, Life Sciences companies have raised $11.5B in equity funding across 409 rounds.
In the same period last year (i.e. till April 2025), Life Sciences companies had raised $13.5B across 606 rounds.
So, 2026 has seen a 14.7% drop 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 C | 3467 | Apr 15, 2026 | ||
Series B | 1338 | Apr 15, 2026 | ||
Seed | 7159 | Apr 14, 2026 | ||
Series B | 4193 | Apr 14, 2026 | ||
Series B | 3884 | Apr 14, 2026 |
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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 April 2026, 75 acquisitions happened in Life Sciences sector. Last year, in 2025, a total of 279 acquisitions happened in Life Sciences sector.
Here are some recent, important acquisitions in Life Sciences:
Company | Acquisition Type | Acquisition Date | Acquirers |
|---|---|---|---|
Business Acquisition | Apr 15, 2026 | ||
Business Acquisition | Apr 14, 2026 | ||
Business Acquisition | Apr 14, 2026 | - | |
Business Acquisition | Apr 13, 2026 | ||
Business Acquisition | Apr 09, 2026 |
Acquisition trends in Life Sciences
Here are the acquisition trends in Life Sciences:
- Total Number of Acquisitions
Year | No. of companies |
|---|---|
2026 | 75 |
2025 | 279 |
2024 | 299 |
2023 | 337 |
2022 | 419 |
2021 | 490 |
2020 | 368 |
2019 | 371 |
2018 | 414 |
2017 | 379 |
IPOs in Life Sciences
In the year 2026, till April 2026, 27 IPOs happened in Life Sciences sector.
Here are some recent, important IPOs in Life Sciences:
Company | IPO Date | Exchange Symbol |
|---|---|---|
Apr 08, 2026 | Taiwan Stock Exchange (TPE) | |
Apr 07, 2026 | London Stock Exchange (LSE) | |
Apr 02, 2026 | Korea Exchange (KRX) | |
Mar 31, 2026 | Korea Exchange (KRX) | |
Mar 26, 2026 | Korea Exchange (KRX) |
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 | 767 |
Stanford University | 751 |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 742 |
University of California (Berkeley) | 385 |
University of Pennsylvania | 377 |
University of Cambridge | 355 |
University of Oxford | 313 |
Tel Aviv University | 305 |
Harvard Business School | 302 |
Cornell University | 294 |
Total funding in companies founded by alumni from top colleges in the the Life Sciences sector
In the last 10 years, Stanford University graduates' Life Sciences companies have raised the most funding among top colleges. Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni are second, and Harvard University alumni are third.
College | Total Funding |
|---|---|
Stanford University | $64B |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology | $62B |
Harvard University | $44.4B |
University of California (Berkeley) | $25.9B |
University of Cambridge | $22.6B |
Cornell University | $20.9B |
Yale University | $15.9B |
Harvard Business School | $15B |
University of Oxford | $15B |
University of Pennsylvania | $13.1B |
Top News in Life Sciences
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FDA Clears Cala’s Wearable Device for Essential Tremor and Parkinson’s DiseaseMedical Product Outsourcing•Apr 16, 2026•Cala Health
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Immutep Receives FDA Orphan Drug Designation for Eftilagimod Alfa in Soft Tissue SarcomaGlobeNewswire•Apr 15, 2026•Immutep
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Dogwood Therapeutics Announces FDA Acceptance of SP16 IND ApplicationGlobeNewswire•Apr 15, 2026•Dogwood Therapeutics
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Samsung Bioepis Initiates Phase 1 Clinical Trial for SBE303BusinessFortNight•Apr 15, 2026•Samsung Bioepis
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NatureCell America Achieves FDA IND Approval for Adult Autism Stem Cell Therapy 'AstroStem-AU'Access Newswire•Apr 15, 2026•Nature Cell
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SurGenTec Secures FDA 510(k) Clearance for TiLink™ SI joint fusion- Now Navigation CompatibleBusiness Wire•Apr 15, 2026•SurGenTec
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Nexalin Advances FDA Alzheimer’s Strategy After U.S. & China MeetingsGlobeNewswire•Apr 15, 2026•Nexalin
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C-mo Medical Solutions Receives CE Mark for AI-Powered Cough Monitoring SolutionGlobeNewswire•Apr 15, 2026•C-mo
