Corporate venture investors stay strong

The retrenchment has begun in the venture world, Evaluate Vantage’s recent look at funding found, with subdued equity markets taking their toll on deal activity in the second quarter. A closer look at who is still spending reveals a huge pullback by the sector’s largest investors.

Participation from the healthcare corporate venture funds – meaning those backed by a company whose primary interest lies in drug and/or medical device development – seems to be holding up, however. Over the first half of this year, 17% of financing rounds involved at least one corporate fund. That would represent a decade-long high should the figure hold up over the full year.