If anything good is to come of COVID-19, it may be the new companies and new jobs that emerge in the coming months and years. Some major companies were formed in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, including Groupon, WhatsApp, Uber, Pinterest, Slack, and Square.
Due to the nature of this pandemic, it could be expected that a rise of major health companies will be the next "big thing," and that is exactly what Flagship Pioneering is hoping for. The Venture Capital firm recently announced a $1.1 billion fund aimed at human health and biotech startups.
Flagship Pioneering currently has 23 health-related companies in its portfolio, and another 39 have previously exited, so the company is not unfamiliar with the space. CEO Noubar Afeyan expects the firm could support more than 20 companies over the coming three years. In addition, Flagship is also focusing on artificial intelligence.
Whoever Flagship supports, there will most certainly be IP. Flagship funded companies have generated over 2,500 granted patents over the last twenty years.
