Alphabet’s Verily raises $1 billion as tech giants enter red-hot healthcare sector • TechCrunch
Indeed, the life sciences business under Alphabet said on Friday that it has raised $1 billion, capital that will be used to expand its data-driven health products tailored to individuals.
The round was led by Alphabet, the company said in its announcement.
Verily also announced changes to its leadership team effective January 2023. Company founder Andy Conrad will become executive chairman of the Verily board. Stephen Gillett, who is president of the company, will be promoted to CEO. Gillett first joined Verily as an operational advisor and to lead the company̵[ads1]7;s cybersecurity efforts. At the time, he was co-founder and CEO of Chronicle, an Alphabet cybersecurity company that is now part of Google Cloud.
Deepak Ahuja will leave the CFO position by the end of the month. Ahuja, the former and first CFO of Tesla, has been hired as the first CFO of drone delivery and logistics startup Zipline. Ahuja will remain an adviser, the company said, adding that a search for a new chief financial officer will begin immediately.
The influx of capital and shuffling of executives comes as Verily prepares for a new phase of growth in a red-hot healthcare sector that has attracted tech giants such as Amazon and Apple. Earlier this year, Amazon acquired One Medical, a primary care provider that leverages in-person, digital and virtual interactions in its services, in a deal valued at $3.9 billion.
Verily is particularly interested in “precision health,” a term meant to describe combining research, clinical and non-clinical data, and computing power to provide healthcare services tailored to a person’s specific needs. In other words, Verily – which was born out of Google X in 2015 – aims to use technology to provide medical care to individuals rather than everyone.
Truly said the funds can also be used to invest in strategic partnerships, global business development and potential acquisitions. The company has already entered into several partnerships and completed at least one acquisition. In 2021, the company acquired research software developer SignalPath to expand its clinical trial system. It has also partnered with Lumea, L’Oreal, Mayo Clinic and Microsoft.