BioCentury

1. Back to School

Building sustainable biotechs

2. Case study

Argenx

3. Case study

Genmab

4. Case study

Regeneron

5. Case study

Vertex

6. Up-and-comers

17 Growth Companies

7. Expanding universe

Public biotechs

8. M&A Sweet Spot

By market cap

ARTICLE | Finance

The expanding universe of public biotechs

Previewing Back to School 2023: Trajectories of public biotechs across market cap tiers — long-term and short-term trends

By C. Simone Fishburn, Editor in Chief, and Meredith Durkin Wolfe, Director of Research
August 28, 2023 8:00 PM UTC

With the exception of a fairly deep winter from 2007 to 2012, the universe of publicly traded biotechs has been on a steep upward march for nearly two decades. Even with the current contraction, the total number trading above $200 million is at its highest level, save for those heady bull market years of 2020-21. And yet, it’s not become any easier for companies to reach the highest market cap tiers.

This year’s Back to School essay asks what does it take to build a sustainable high-value biotech company? Breaking down the landscape by market cap tier, it examines how can companies chart a path to the top, and looks at the criteria for reaching each tier of valuation (see “Tier-jumpers: Building the road to sustainable biotechs”). ...