We've reviewed dozens of successful pitch decks amid healthcare's private funding boom. Here's what they all have in common.

Hello,

Welcome to Insider Healthcare. I'm healthcare editor Leah Rosenbaum, joined by senior healthcare reporter Megan Hernbroth, and this week in healthcare news:

• Megan analyzed dozens of healthcare pitch decks to find out what makes them successful;
• We began to look at what's ahead for 2022 in biotech and healthcare;
• All eyes were on the Omicron variant as COVID-19 cases have started to rise again.

If you're new to this newsletter, sign up here. Comments, tips? Email me at lrosenbaum@insider.com or tweet @leah_rosenbaum. Let's get to it...

We've reviewed dozens of successful pitch decks amid healthcare's private funding boom. Here are the factors they all have in common.

Private funding for healthcare startups has already smashed records.

The industry had eclipsed $20 billion in total funding raised by the end of September, which was already double the entirety of private funding in 2020, according to a Rock Health report.

Throughout the year, Insider covered dozens of funding rounds by analyzing the companies' pitch decks.

The presentations were largely published in full with minimal edits from the versions that founders showed to investors in-person or virtually.

Through an additional analysis, a few common traits emerged among the most successful presentations:

• First, the presentations typically included at least 10 slides. On average, the presentations were between 13 and 15 slides in total, with a few distinct outliers like Tia that included more than 20 individual slides.
• Most presentations also included industry data making the business' case to investors. For some companies like Twin Health, this meant including demographic data along with anecdotal data to more accurately estimate the potential market size of the company. These figures often help investors decide on a company's valuation during the deal negotiation process.
• Longer presentations often included customer testimonies as well, whether via customer reviews or social media accounts of a patients' experience.

Check it out>>

See the full library of pitch decks Insider has published throughout healthcare's recording-breaking year

The top biotech investors of 2021 — and what's next for 2022

Our reporters have been busy analyzing the trends of 2021 — and looking forward to what is going to happen next year.

Allison DeAngelis and Andrew Dunn took a look at the biggest IPOs of 2021, and the investors who currently hold the most sway in the sector. These investors are good to keep an eye on: they're likely the ones who will be making more big moves next year.

Speaking of next year: Shelby Livingston spoke to a top executive at CVS Health about how the retailer plans to use technology to transform healthcare in 2022.

Blake Dodge got the scoop that Included Health, formerly Grand Rounds and Doctor on Demand, is eyeing an IPO in the first part of next year.

And Megan spoke with one of SoftBank's top investors about his plan to shift the mega-VC firm away from investing in biotech, and into digital health.

Read more now>>

Here are the 18 investors set to shape biotech in 2022

As COVID cases rise, all eyes on Omicron

Cases of COVID-19 in the US are rising once again this week, with more than 100,000 new cases being reported each day.

Experts are carefully watching the new Omicron variant to see how it will influence the pandemic.

Dr. Anthony Fauci said earlier this week that Omicron is almost certainly not more severe than Delta.

But according to health reporter Dr. Catherine Schuster-Bruce, experts are worried that it could soon become the dominant strain of COVID-19 across the world.

The FDA is worried enough that it on Thursday authorized Pfizer booster shots for 16- and 17-year olds, while Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla is predicting that a fourth booster shot may be necessary.

Here's what you need to know>>

Omicron could become the dominant variant worldwide, experts say, but they still don't know how harmful it is

More stories that kept us busy this week:

• Megan wrote about Virtue, a new investment fund focused on digital health.
• Megan also spoke with Oak HC/FT's Annie Lamont on the superstar VC's changing investment strategy.
• Strategy contributor Robin Madell took a look at the pitch deck medical software company Sirona Medical used to raise $40 million.
• Tech reporter Katie Canales reports how the metaverse could let Silicon Valley track your health info.
• Aria Bendix and Erin Schumaker looked into a new study about how COVID-19 can directly infect fat cells.

-Leah & Megan