Michael is a General Partner at Flare Capital Partners. Prior to co-founding Flare Capital Partners, Michael was the founding General Partner of Flybridge Capital Partners where he led the firm’s healthcare investments. Current and prior board seats include BlueTarp Financial, Circulation, EndoGastric Solutions, Explorys, Functional Neuromodulation, HealthVerity, Iora Health, MicroCHIPS, Nuvesse, PolyRemedy, Predictive Biosciences, Predilytics, T2 Biosystems, TARIS Biomedical, VidSys and Welltok.
Previously, Michael focused on emerging-growth company financings with Polaris Venture Partners, was a senior vice president and founding partner of GCC Investments, and held positions at Wasserstein Perella & Co., Morgan Stanley & Co. and Credit Suisse First Boston.
Michael currently serves as chairman of the Entrepreneurship Committee of the Massachusetts Information Collaborative and on the Investment Committee for the Partners Innovation Fund and Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary. Michael also serves on the Industry Advisory Board of the Cleveland Clinic and Boston Children’s Hospital, as well as serving on several other boards including the New England Investors’ Committee of Capital Innovation. He was the former chairman of the New England Venture Capital Association and on the Executive Committee of the board of the National Venture Capital Association. Named by the Boston Globe as the “Go-To” investor for life sciences, healthcare and medical devices and a Mass High Tech All-Star, Michael earned a B.A. with honors in chemistry from Williams College and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
Michael authors a blog focused on venture capital, innovation and healthcare at www.ontheflyingbridge.com.
Dramatic Capital Inflows Continue in 2Q17… Trouble Ahead?
In an environment of microscopic interest rates, it is particularly interesting to read the Preqin 2Q17 Quarterly Update, which exhaustively tracks all things private equity and venture capital. At the... Read more »
Latest Data Show Venture Capital Industry on Pins and Needles
Given the obvious anxiety and frustration that surrounds us all, the U.S. venture industry is also exhibiting some fatigue as we finish the 88th month since the last recession.
This is... Read more »
Wider Venture Funding Gap Raises Troubling Questions
This week, Oxfam released its annual study of inequality around the world, which showed that there are actually 62 people who possess as much wealth as the 3.5 billion people in... Read more »
Rock the House—from Silicon Valley to China
It’s that time of the quarter, when venture capital fundraising data are released by the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA), possibly leaving all the sophisticated investors across the industry wringing their... Read more »
Winner Takes All?
Last week I spent some time with Peter Diamandis, founder of the XPRIZE Foundation and Singularity University (among dozens of other initiatives), who quite simply is trying to solve some of... Read more »
Head-Scratching VC Data
Grinding through all of the 1Q15 investment data does not necessarily provide additional clarity as to where the private capital markets are heading. The number of new venture capital funds declined... Read more »
The Incredible Shrinking Seed Stage and Other Venture Trends of 2014
By now the 2014 data for venture capital investments from the most important regions of the world have been compiled and disseminated. When laid out next to each other, some fascinating... Read more »
Fastest Turtle: Healthcare Investing and the U.S. Economy
Given the investment horizons for venture capitalists, we do not necessarily try to time public markets when making new investments—although they obviously influence pre-money valuations, particularly for later rounds. Greater concerns... Read more »
Bet the Jockey…and the Horse…and the Track
Earlier this month we announced a new investment in Iora Health, a fascinating company run by an extraordinary entrepreneur transforming an enormous sector of the healthcare economy: primary care. Rushika Fernandopulle... Read more »
The Venture Funding Gap is Widening; What Does it Mean?
The National Venture Capital Association has just released the latest MoneyTree data on venture industry fund-raising, which always makes me sit up straight and take notice—it’s kind of an industry scorecard.... Read more »
Implications of the Oil Price Collapse
Instead of developing a warmed over list of “Top 10 Predictions for 2015,” over the past few months I have been most interested in the implications from the collapse of oil... Read more »
Shanghai Report: Big Questions About China’s Growth Plans
It only took a few days after I returned from China for my eyes to stop burning, and maybe the slight cough was really due to the changing seasons in Boston... Read more »
1Q VC Data: What Just Happened?
The National Venture Capital Association recently released data on first-quarter investment activity, which always makes for an interesting read, at least on long plane rides. Point of fact, this past quarter... Read more »
“All Hat, Ton of Cattle…”
Had a remarkable day Friday in Houston crawling around the Texas Medical Center. I was in town to speak at the Xconomy Healthcare Summit—an incredible roster of speakers and... Read more »
Tech Bubble Leaks Air, Healthcare Bests Biotech, & More for 2014
The coming year will see some good news and some bad news in tech. Here are five predictions.
• IPOs: This past year witnessed an extraordinary resurgence in IPO... Read more »
The Slog Continues…
Last week the National Venture Capital Association (where I am on the Executive Committee) and Thomson Reuters announced the 2Q12 fundraising data for venture firms—don’t worry, you are excused if you... Read more »
Does Facebook Solve VC Industry Woes?
So here is my obligatory post on Facebook…which will be the most spectacular IPO of a venture-backed company in the history of mankind…and it just priced tonight.
The shares priced at... Read more »
Shrinkage—Expanded Upon….
Poor investment returns have had a similar effect to cold water – the VC industry is shrinking. As a follow-up to comments I posted this past weekend, I wanted to look... Read more »
Fourth Quarter Venture Results—Shrinkage Comes in All Forms
The Q4 2010 VC funding data were released late last week—and the headline was quite upbeat. VCs invested $5 billion in 765 deals in this past quarter, which while essentially... Read more »
Five Popular Predictions for 2011 That Are Wrong
1. Prediction in Vogue: 2011 will be the year of the “Super Angel”
Reality: Given all the angel investment activity, and the fact that it has never been easier to... Read more »
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