VC Explains Why Funding May Slow Down in 2022

Lee Shapiro of 7wireVentures discusses trends in 2021 and what's next for digital health company exits.

We sat down with Lee Shapiro, cofounder and managing partner at 7wireVentures, as well as a Livongo vet, to talk about the biggest trends of this year and what’s next for 2022 in digital health funding. The COVID-19 pandemic kicked off two years of unprecedented funding in the digital health space. We saw a number of companies in the mental health space also get funded, and that's a very strong need, especially if you've been reading some of the recent press around the challenges relating to mental health. "[A] number of companies that we’re invested in are addressing some of the challenges that we face in terms of providing access to healthcare.” So for all those reasons, I think that it will be a bit of a down year in terms of the amount invested in digital health overall.” Last year, we saw 79 digital health M&As, as well as an uptick in special purpose acquisition mergers by digital health companies, according to a Rock Health report. "And companies we invested in this year: MedArrive, that's working with emergency medical technicians to deliver care in the home.