After Forty Seven takeout, MacQuitty finding ‘freedom’ with Lightspeed team 

With veteran investor Jonathan MacQuitty leading its life sciences team, hybrid venture firm Lightspeed has deepened its commitment to investing in therapeutics over the past few years, with a portfolio now nearing a dozen companies in the wake of a high-multiple return from Forty Seven.

MacQuitty told BioCentury the firm’s broad investment scope, from its historical roots in consumer and enterprise technology to therapeutics and the larger healthcare sector, is affording his team room to invest patiently, especially during the current downturn — not least because Forty Seven Inc.’s $4.9 billion sale to Gilead Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ;GILD) delivered such a strong return in its four-year lifespan...