Sema4: $121 Million Funding And Valuation Of Over $1 Billion

By Noah Long ● Jul 30, 2020
  • Sema4 — a patient-centered health intelligence company — announced that funds managed by BlackRock led its oversubscribed Series C financing of $121 million

Sema4 — a patient-centered health intelligence company — announced that funds managed by BlackRock led its oversubscribed Series C financing of $121 million at a post-money valuation of over $1 billion. The additional new investors include Deerfield Management Company and Moore Strategic Ventures.

This round of funding comes after achieving major milestones following its first round of external financing in which the company raised just over $120 million less than a year ago. And each of the investors from Sema4’s first round of external funding participated in this second round, including Blackstone, Section 32, Oak HC/FT, Decheng, and Connecticut Innovations. Sema4 was spun out of the Mount Sinai Health System in June 2017.

In connection with the funding, Andrew Elbardissi, MD Partner at Deerfield, has joined Sema4’s board of directors. And Sema4 also recently added Michael Pellini, MD from Section32 (former CEO of Foundation Medicine), Rachel Sherman (former Principal Deputy Commissioner at the FDA), and R. Martin Chavez (former CFO of Goldman Sachs) to its board.

Sema4 is dedicated towards transforming healthcare by building dynamic models of human health and defining optimal, individualized health trajectories. And the company started with an emphasis on reproductive health and recently launched Sema4 Signal, which is a family of products and services providing data-driven precision oncology solutions.

In the last several months, Sema4 also joined the fight against COVID-19. And Sema4 has integrated its premier clinical and scientific expertise with its cutting-edge digital capabilities to deliver a holistic testing program that enables organizations to make fast, informed decisions as they navigate COVID-19.

Sema4’s experience in data science and predictive modeling serve as the foundation for Centrellis, the company’s innovative health intelligence platform. And this platform is designed to provide a more complete understanding of disease and wellness and to offer physicians deeper insight into the patient populations they serve.

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC had acted as exclusive placement agent for the financing, and Fenwick & West LLP acted as legal counsel to Sema4.

KEY QUOTES:

“Sema4 is a leader at the forefront of one of the most exciting intersections in healthcare – the application of technology, AI and machine learning to help improve patient outcomes. We are excited to support this talented management team as Sema4 begins its next phase of growth.”

— William Abecassis, Head of Innovation Capital at BlackRock

“Among their peer-group companies, Sema4 rises above the rest with its incredible team of innovators, relentless pursuit of better technology, and bone-deep commitment to reimagining what’s possible in healthcare. I am delighted to help them move forward on this path.”

— Andrew Elbardissi, MD Partner at Deerfield

“This investment is exciting for the significant financial resources it provides Sema4 for our continued rapid growth and accelerated investment, and also for the world-renowned partners it brings to our team. I look forward to working with our new and existing investors — who collectively have deep expertise in the life and data sciences — as we create cutting-edge precision medicine solutions for providers and patients to dramatically improve health outcomes.”

— Eric Schadt, PhD, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Sema4