10 startups that could be the next healthcare M&A targets

Hello,

Welcome to Dispensed, Business Insider's weekly healthcare newsletter. I'm back and feeling recharged after a week of exploring western New York (in a pandemic-compliant way).

This week in coronavirus news, Moderna made a $1.5 billion deal with the US government for its coronavirus vaccine, a deal that has Wall Street questioning how lucrative the shot will be, while 2 charts show how drugmakers could deliver a vaccine October surprise for Trump.

Me, I'm bracing myself for the fact that even if that happens, it'll still be months until I can get one of the vaccines. If only we could get our testing issues sorted out in the meantime.

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Biotech startups that are set to take off, according to top VCs

Andrew Dunn and I teamed up this summer to poll top biotech VCs on which startups they think will take off in the next 12 months.

We asked them to name one company from inside their firms' portfolios, and one they hadn't invested in.

A surprising theme emerged in some of our chats — we were expecting the VCs to name biotech companies who are developing new drugs, but many named diagnostic companies, especially those looking to make faster COVID-19 tests.

6 top VCs shared with us why an often-neglected part of the biotech industry is set to take off in the next year.

The testing companies were just a few of the 21 companies the investors named.

You can read the full list here>>

Meet the 21 biotech startups that top VCs say are poised to take off in the next 12 months

Healthcare leaders are optimistic about what a Biden win would mean for the industry

It's been a big week in politics.

Over the weekend President Donald Trump signed four executive orders as coronavirus stimulus talks stalled in Congress.

Kimberly Leonard has everything you need to know about Trump's coronavirus orders here.

And presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden picked Sen. Kamala Harris of California as his running mate.

Here's the list of the power players advising the two on healthcare.

Kimberly also found time to head to the White House, where she got an early look at a plan to transform rural healthcare.

You can read the full story here>>

Meanwhile, healthcare leaders are thinking through what a Biden presidency might mean for their business.

(Hint: health insurers especially are optimistic more government business might actually help them.)

Read the full story here>>

4 top healthcare execs share how a Biden victory would boost their businesses

Looking for the next 'Telavongo'

Of course, the one time I take off since the pandemic began happens to be the week of the biggest deal telehealth has ever seen. I know the team got you what you need to know about the Teladoc-Livongo deal last week.

Blake Dodge spoke to Teladoc CEO Jason Gorevic, and he explained the 6 reasons why he thinks telehealth is here to stay.

Blake and our *new* healthcare startups reporter Megan Hernbroth (welcome Megan, a fellow Northwestern grad!) teamed up to track down a list of healthcare startups that could be the next acquisition targets in the wake of the $18.5 billion "Telavongo" deal. (OK that phrase is now officially out of my system.)

On the list: some of the big direct-to-consumer healthcare startups, other telehealth companies, and more.

Read the full story here>>

10 healthcare startups that could be M&A targets after Teladoc's record-breaking $18.5 billion deal for Livongo

Lastly — I had a chance to chat with Sean Slovenski in July, shortly before he stepped down from his role as the head of the Walmart Health initiative.

We talked about how Walmart is moving past its experimental phase in healthcare and plotting a massive expansion into Florida as the retail giant looks to take on the $3.6 trillion industry. We also discussed what it was like building physical health centers in the months when so much care has gone online.

Walmart says it's still going ahead with its Walmart Health plans, and the company would share more details on a new leader for the health and wellness team in the next few weeks.

You can read the full story here>>

With that, I'll leave you with a vacation picture! Our socially distant vacation involved creek walking (a surprise to all of us wearing hiking boots and not water shoes).

Where are you headed for a late-summer vacation? Any tips/habits you're forming now as we head into the fall/winter months that are undoubtedly going to get hard?

Let me know (and drop me any scoops/tips you might have too!) at lramsey@businessinsider.com. And you can reach the whole healthcare team at healthcare@businessinsider.com.

- Lydia