The main reason for the uptick was an increase in later-stage funding rounds, the report said. Out of the 31 funding rounds completed since January, 17 were round B or later, compared to a total of only 21 later-stage rounds in 2020.
"The median amount raised in 2021 nearly tripled that of the previous year, climbing from $6 million to an astounding $14 million, a sign that the ecosystem is maturing and investors are recognizing the opportunities in growth companies," findings by Lena Rogovin, Senior Research Analyst and Sector Lead, Digital Health & Life Sciences at Start-Up Nation Central, found.
Investments increased throughout the sector, with a slight advantage for companies active in the Diagnostics, Decision Support, and Remote Monitoring fields, the report said.
The figures suggest that investors are looking past the COVID-19 pandemic that dominated the landscape in 2020 with an eye towards companies with the promise of longer-term growth as innovation leaders, it added.
“The strong start to 2021 shows that Israel has a lot to offer both in terms of the post-Corona reality and for other areas of Digital Health which were less of a focus for investors in 2020, but remain essential for global healthcare industry transformation in the longer term," Rogovin wrote. "As the healthcare situation returns to normal, interest is starting to shift back to other parts of the sector that were a lower priority during the height of the pandemic."
“There is no question that the sector is maturing as evident in the shift to later-stage funding. The companies that are receiving the most attention are those associated with Deep-Tech and Artificial Intelligence and we anticipate that they will remain the core technologies going forward in 2021, with an emphasis on Decision Support and Clinical Workflow Management,” she added.