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BVP's Healthcare CEOs Say...

Healthcare_Westphal

"Bessemer was a great investor to work with in building Sirtris. They are a great brand with a long history of backing entrepreneurial life science companies. But most, importantly they are the kind of venture firm you want - solid, supportive and transparent investors who are fun to work with." --Dr. Christoph Westphal, CEO,Sirtris Pharmaceuticals

Sitris

Stan crooke

"At Isis, our vision offered extraordinary promise but required a great deal of time, cash, and perseverance. Bessemer, as the lead investor, recognized the unique opportunities and challenges that we at Isis faced. More than that, Chris Gabrieli provided key support and advice at critical moments that helped Isis persevere in the pursuit of its vision." --Dr. Stanley Crooke, CEO, Isis Pharmaceuticals

Isis

Healthcare Practice Overview

BVP has invested in healthcare-related companies since the early 1980s. Drawing on our investors’ experience in medicine, science, information technology, and management, BVP has backed developers of innovative therapeutics, providers of healthcare services, and suppliers of healthcare information technology. As the world's healthcare needs increase, we relish the opportunity to support entrepreneurs who will create the innovations of tomorrow.


Description

BVP's healthcare team has a diversity of industry experience and is currently looking for investment opportunities in the following areas:

  • Therapeutics - BVP has a long history of backing successful biotech and pharma companies, including Affymax (NASDAQ:AFFY), developer of novel drugs to address kidney disease and cancer; Isis (NASDAQ:ISIS), creator of a new class of drugs; Sirtris (NASDAQ:SIRT), acquired by GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE:GSK), which has worked extensively with the helpful enzymes known as sirtuins; and Enzytech (acquired by Alkermes (NASDAQ:ALKS), developer of methods to deliver smaller doses of drugs directly to the affected site.

  • Healthcare Services - BVP’s investments in this area include such service providers as VistaCare (NASDAQ:VSTA), the operator of hospice services; U.S. Behavioral Health Services (acquired by Travelers, NYSE:TRV), a provider of outsourced mental health services; IPC The Hospitalist Company (NASDAQ:IPCM), which supplies professionals for in-patient care; and TravCorps (NASDAQ:CCRN), a medical staffing service.

  • Healthcare Information Technology - BVP has invested in companies like Allscripts (NASDAQ:MDRX), whose software automated routine medical-information gathering tasks, and GMIS (NASDAQ:GMIS), which developed technology to automate medical insurance claims. It is currently invested in Netsmart Technologies, the leading software provider to mental and behavioral health facilities.

  • In addition, the BVP healthcare team will continue to evaluate selective investment opportunities in the medical device and diagnostic sectors.


Past Investments Current Portfolio
Investment Team
Christopher Gabrieli Michael Kauffman Stephen Kraus Kent Bennett Bob Goodman
Christopher
Gabrieli
Michael
Kauffman
Stephen
Kraus
Kent
Bennett
Bob
Goodman
Aran Ron Ambar Bhattacharyya Sheel Tyle
Aran
Ron
Ambar
Bhattacharyya
Sheel
Tyle

Healthcare Practice Overview BVP has invested in healthcare-related companies since the early 1980s. Drawing on our investors’ experience in medicine, science, information technology, and management, BVP has backed developers of innovative therapeutics, providers of healthcare services, and supplier

Acceleron Pharma is a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics that modulate the growth of tissues including bone and muscle.

Acorn manufactures a device to treat congestive heart failure.

A drug discovery and product development company that is creating novel peptide drugs for the treatment of serious and life-threatening conditions related to kidney disease and cancer, BVP invested in Affymax in 2005. Eighteen months later, the company went public on NASDAQ as AFFY.

Allscripts Healthcare Solutions (formerly Allscripts, Inc.) provides software that allows physicians to automate most routine information-gathering tasks. BVP’s Chris Gabrieli invested in Allscript’s second round in April 1988. The company went public in July 1999 as NASDAQ:MDRX.

Ambar Bhattacharyya is an Senior Associate at Bessemer Venture Partners, working out of the Wellesley Hills, Mass. office.

Aran Ron is an Operating Partner specializing in healthcare. Based in the New York office, he works closely with Bob Goodman. Aran brings to Bessemer more than 25 years of experience in practicing and teaching medicine and managing health plans

Arris was founded in 1989 to develop drugs more quickly using high throughput computer screening. BVP invested in 1992. Arris went public the following year as NASDAQ ARRS and five years later merged with  the human DNA prospecting firm Sequanna

Aveo Pharmaceuticals discovers and develops novel cancer therapeutics.

Chris Gabrieli has led Bessemer's life science practice since 1986. Previously, he had dropped out of medical school to run GMIS, a medical information company backed by Bessemer. In 1999, Chris took a leave from Bessemer and established Massachusetts 2020, an education-oriented non-profit.

EPIX, founded in 1988, develops imaging agents for use in MRIs. BVP participated in its early rounds. The company went public as NASDAQ EPIX in 1997.

GMIS developed software that facilitated the medical insurance payment process by translating medical terms into codes. BVP's Bill Burgin invested in the company in 1984 and hired Chris Gabrieli, its interim CEO, first as a consultant in 1987 and then

BVP's Chris Gabrieli invested in this developer of treatments for allergies and auto immune diseases in 1988. It went public in 1991 as NASDAQ IMUL.

IPC provides physician services, management and IT solutions for the emerging specialty of inpatient (hospitalist) care. In January 2008, it went public (NASDAQ: IPCM).

BVP's Chris Gabrieli invested in and served as Chairman of Isis, a company developing a new class of drugs based on antisense oligonucleotides, which inhibit cells from producing disease-causing proteins. Isis went public in 1991 (NASDAQ:ISIP).


Kent Bennett is a Senior Associate at BVP’s Wellesley Hills office. Working with Ron Elwell, he concentrates on the mobile wireless, media and consumer green tech sectors. Most recently, Kent was a management intern at Google, Inc, where he helped

Dr. Michael Kauffman joined BVP in January 2008 as Science Advisor to the firm’s life sciences practice. Also President and CEO of Epix Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ EPIX), a specialized drug developer, Michael helps evaluate investment opportunities for BVP and has been

The trusted partner for health and human services’ largest connected community of providers and payers, Netsmart provides comprehensive financial, clinical and management solutions for healthcare delivery organizations.

On Q ity is an innovative diagnostic company that provides physicians with the tools they need to make the best decision when treating individual cancer patients. Products currently in development are based on two core technologies 1) DNA repair biomarkers

Opta, a maker of food additives, was founded in 1987 as part of Enzytech, a biopharmaceutical research company. In 1991, Enzytech spun out the food division to concentrate on drug delivery processes. BVP's Chris Gabrieli had invested in Enzytech in

Oxagen is developing an improved treatment for asthma.

PerSeptive Biosystems developed and manufactured an integrated system for the purification, analysis, and synthesis of bio-molecules, reducing the time and cost of drug discoveries. BVP’s Chris Gabrieli invested in the company’s second round in December 1989. PerSeptive went public in May 1992 as NASDAQ:PBIO. Purchase

Proteon Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company using tissue remodeling techniques to develop novel pharmaceuticals that address the medical needs of patients with renal and vascular diseases.

Restore Medical developed a series of therapeutic devices to treat snoring and other sleep-disordered breathing conditions. It went public in 2006 (NASDAQ:REST) and was acquired in 2008 by Medtronic (NYSE:MDT).

Sirtris is a biopharmaceutical firm developing enzymes that activate our natural defenses against disease. It went public in May 2007 (NASDAQ:SIRT) and was acquired by GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE:GSK) in 2008.

Stephen Kraus is a Vice President in the Wellesley Hills office, where he works with Chris Gabrieli covering the healthcare sector, which includes therapeutics, medical device, healthcare service, and healthcare IT companies.  Steve is actively involved with BVP's investments in Affymax (NASDAQ:AFFY), Oxagen, Aveo (NA

Stromedix is a biotechnology company committed to developing innovative therapies to treat fibrosis.

BVP's Chris Gabrieli led the first round in VistaCare, now a leading hospice care provider that went public in 2002 as NASDAQ VSTA.