Traditionally, the market for medical device initial public offerings of stock trails the opening of the biopharma window by a year or two. But the string of biopharma IPOs over the past two years has looked like a never- ending train. When would medical device start-ups jump on? The time may be now. Venture capitalists privately are reporting interest from investment bankers over the past few months. The strength of the markets coupled with the solid revenue of many venture-backed device companies may make public exits possible in the new year. But at least some of the credit will need to go to those pioneers willing to test the water.
Spine company LDR Holding Corp. holds such a distinction. The Austin, TX-based company staged a successful IPO in October,...