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Capital at the Crossroads: Navigating Today’s Life Sciences Market Realities with ThinkEquity and Nasdaq

October 8, 2025

Dentons’ Venture Technology group recently hosted the inaugural session of the Dentons Life Sciences Roundtable Series, Capital at the Crossroads: Navigating Today’s Life Sciences Market Realities, in collaboration with ThinkEquity and NASDAQ. Moderated by Dentons partners Ira Kotel and Rob Condon, the conversation brought together Tara Sharif, Managing Director of Investment Banking at ThinkEquity, and Andy Hall, Senior Managing Director at NASDAQ, for an in-depth discussion on today’s market environment for life sciences companies. The group explored the state of capital markets, the path to IPOs, regulatory developments, and strategies for financing and growth in a sector that continues to innovate amid shifting economic and policy conditions.

Key Takeaways

  • Life sciences markets are stabilizing after post-pandemic corrections, with investor sentiment improving and IPO activity gradually returning toward pre-2020 levels.
  • Innovation and data remain key differentiators. Investors are focusing on companies with strong management teams, validated clinical data, and near-term milestones.
  • AI integration and new therapeutic frontiers – including obesity, cardiovascular, oncology, and longevity – are driving renewed investor interest across subsectors.
  • The US capital markets remain the destination of choice for global life sciences issuers, offering the deepest pool of investor capital and strong support infrastructure through NASDAQ.
  • NASDAQ’s updated listing standards – including higher float minimums and limits on reverse stock splits – aim to strengthen market stability and post-listing performance.
  • Financing flexibility is essential. Issuers are encouraged to maintain shelf registrations, align capital raises with data readouts, and emphasize transparent investor communications.
  • Macro factors like tariffs, regulatory scrutiny, and government shutdowns are creating temporary friction, but the sector’s fundamentals and capital access remain resilient.