Unmet needs are at the core of Endeavour Vision’s investment strategy, accepting that payment models may need to change as patients become more directly involved in device development.

The pandemic has shaken up investor priorities and changed the outlook for health care start-ups – or has it? Nooman Haque managing director, life sciences and healthcare at Silicon Valley Bank, gives his view of what has changed over the past year, and looks at future trends.

Starts & Stops compiles all the clinical trial announcements, initiations, completions and suspensions tracked by MedDeviceTracker. This edition covers trial announcements from Feb. 4 through Feb. 10, including from Johnson & Johnson, Relievant Medsystems, Vectorious, Leviticus, and Kaia Health.

Medtech companies raised $2.4 billion in the fourth quarter, the second-strongest of the year; Q4 device M&A deals totaled $9 billion in value, led by Allergan's $2.9 billion buy of Acelity's LifeCell division. Diagnostics financings finished out the year at $721 million, an increase over the previous quarter and 2016's second-highest quarter, but diagnostics M&A activity was the lowest of the year at $87 million, with only two completed acquisitions.