1. Due to global COVID19 pandemics, the overall biotech and drug discovery sectors are on the rise. During 2020 we have observed multiple medium and large funding rounds for biotech and drug design companies, especially those focused on antiviral therapies and vaccines.

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2. A number of successful AI-driven companies closed large-sum late-stage venture capital rounds (B, C, and D) over 2019-2020 and several of them are now developing clinical stage drug candidates. We expect some of them go public to 2021-2022.

 

3. 2020 was marked by a notable IPO in the AI-driven drug design space -- New York-based Schrödinger closed its initial public offering in February, raising a total of $232.3 million in proceeds – more than originally planned.

 

4. The year 2020 is marked by a general “biotech IPO boom” (non-AI sectors), catalyzed in part by the coronavirus pandemics -- directly and indirectly. 

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5. When some of the companies complete IPOs in the nearest future, it will attract significant number of non-biotech investors to enter the Life Sciences sector. 

 

6. The growing industry traction, reflected in the increasing number of R&D partnerships between big pharma and CROs with AI-startups, is a sign that the market is maturing for rapid increase in the M&A activity in the nearest future.