RelievantMedsystems

Medical Alley startups achieve ‘relatively normal’ funding despite pandemic

Medical Alley Association member startups pulled in more than $256 million in funding through June, signaling a “relatively normal” first half of the year 2020 despite the COVID-19 pandemic and battered economy, according to the Minnesota-based trade group.

In total, 40 companies raised $256,406,357 in the first 6 months of the year. The $1.75 million median raise falls behind last year’s record $1.99 million as the second highest median raise for a first half in the last 5 years, indicative of a class of companies that took earlier-stage rounds in previous years and have successfully grown and matured.

Get the full story on our sister site, Medical Design & Outsourcing.

Medical device VCs give long-term pandemic perspectives

In Episode 10 of DeviceTalks Weekly, we talk with two successful starters of medtech companies about how they’re building and maintaining their medtech portfolios during this pandemic landscape.

Our guests this week are Dr. Justin Klein, managing partner of Vensana Capital, and Duke Rohlen, chair of Ajax Health. Together, Klein and Rohlen have created, backed and sold medtech companies that have generated billions.

Klein, formerly of New Enterprise Associates, now co-manages his own venture firm, Vensana Capital. He previously served on the board of directors of Cartiva (acquired), ChromaCode, CV Ingenuity (acquired), EPIX Therapeutics (acquired), FIRE1, GPB Scientific, Intact Vascular, Metavention, Personal Genome Diagnostics, PhaseBio Pharmaceuticals (IPO), Relievant Medsystems, Senseonics (IPO), Topera (acquired), Ulthera (acquired), Vertiflex (acquired), Vesper Medical and VytronUS (acquired).

Rohlen, who leads a holdings company backed by private eq…