Life sciences and biotechnology organizations needing to raise capital or quickly identify corporate partners or merger/acquisition candidates worldwide can now benefit from receiving sound, focused investment advice following a collaborative pact forged between Bridge4Bio, LLC and Instream Partners, a FINRA member and leading investment banking and advisory corporate financial group. 

An international life sciences business consulting firm based in Kensington, California, Bridge4Bio is now working closely with Instream Partners of Menlo Park, California to offer effective strategic corporate financial advisory assistance. 

This strategic collaboration anchors Bridge4Bio's ability to assist start-ups and medium-sized companies in life science and biotechnology sectors to quickly and efficiently identify the best methods of raising capital in targeted markets.  

Bridge4Bio's global team of senior consultants, now 10 strong, is highly skilled at guiding companies to identify appropriate distribution channels for a specific territory or technology sector.  The consultancy also has the knowledge and expertise to select appropriate partners worldwide for OEM mergers or licensing deals to help broaden the business opportunities and prospects of life sciences and biotechnology companies. 

In summarizing the advantages of the new partnership, Hugh Douglas, President of Bridge4Bio said: "Many companies can waste many months seeking capital from a variety of connections.  Through lack of focus they often find they reach a financial dead end and face the prospect of losing what investment they have managed to attain. By going to Instream Partners from the outset, the payback is faster.  

Instream's advice can make an impact with immediate effect. If funding cannot be raised, they will say so without delay. But if there is a creative way to achieve to the same goal, it will be recommended.  Instream's advice is tailored to address each situation."   

Douglas continued, "Instream's experience enables the quickest path to long term success. All companies need to grow to survive, and it is essential to bring in the best if you want to survive in these difficult and rocky financial times. Our consulting group is incredibly impressed with the professionalism and advice that we have received in identifying investment partners for our clients from Instream Partners. The track record of Instream and its Managing Director, Bob Harris, in helping our clients is compelling." 

"The collaboration with Bridge4Bio is a winning formula," stated Harris.  "Hugh Douglas and his team have brought in excellent candidates and technologies that could use capital and that truly would benefit with the services we offer. Bridge4Bio does a good job of screening companies so that we can immediately help them find the best route to their long term financial goals." 

Harris continued:  "These days unless you have a rich relative with long arms and deep pockets, funds for organic growth are scarce.  If you are to have growth and to reach the level where you can attract conventional sources of capital - commercial bank, venture capital and/or private equity or that available through public markets - and if you want liquidity, you need to consider mergers and acquisitions (M&A) as a way to reach that level.  Ultimately to be attractive as an M&A candidate for a major life sciences or health care company, you will need to have capable management, manufacturing capability, technology, and an established sales and service infrastructure, or you will need to target and buy or merge with such companies as part of your M&A strategy.  To be IPO-eligible you will need all of this along with a trail of revenue and profit performance, and the potential for a post-IPO market capitalization level of at least $200 million." 

"Reverse Mergers (RM) are another source of capital and liquidity. They are not affected by fluctuating market conditions and in part for this reason they have become an alternative to a conventional IPO or sale of company. RMs have now become quite respectable witness the SEC's endorsement, and are growing quite rapidly as a result of a lack of the IPO alternative for smaller companies. When consolidated with Private Investment for Public Equity (PIPE) they can provide immediate capital infusion".