Fluidigm seeks $52 million from stock offering

Fluidigm President and CEO Gajus Worthington.

Fluidigm Corp. hopes to raise $52.2 million in an offering of 3.66 million shares. The South San Francisco-based developer of lab test systems for the life sciences and ag-bio markets (NASDAQ: FLDM) priced the shares at $14.25, a 4.1 percent discount from the stock's Wednesday closing price of $14.86. By mid-day Thursday, the stock was trading at $15.45 per share.

Hyperion's IPO a model for biotech — and that's not all good

Hyperion Therapeutics Inc.’s planned $57.5 million IPO is a story of risk, potential reward and even a hint of desperation.
It is a familiar story of Bay Area biotech initial public offerings, which have been far and few between in the past couple of years. In fact, Hyperion’s back story is not very different from that of Novato’s Raptor Pharmaceutical Corp.: young company, improved drug, small patient population and, possibly, a product on the market by early next year.
But there are some twists and turns in Hyperion’s tale — including one that might catch the interest of federal antitrust investigators.

Fluidigm's lead dog makes his 'storm move'

Fluidigm Corp. has cut through the slush of a withdrawn IPO — and no one may be better suited to drive it forward than CEO Gajus Worthington.
Worthington, who spent part of his formative years in Alaska, as a youth competed in the 1986 Junior Iditarod. It’s the teen version of the famous stamina-sapping 1,000-mile dog-sled race through the Alaskan wilderness.
Worthington now mushes a 220-employee South San Francisco company that develops instruments for analysis. Trying to chart the 13-year-old company’s growth to a $76 million IPO finally completed last year, he has cited to Fluidigm employees the story of his dog-racing hero, Libby Riddles.

Technology births boom in prenatal testing

Fresh guidelines for prenatal testing, coupled with fast-improving technology, promises to give expectant parents an unprecedented look at their child’s development.
That could mean a hot new area of revenue for a handful of Bay Area companies working on a new generation of prenatal screening tests, but they’re in a race that is moving faster than baby steps.

Fluidigm to get more milestone cash in Novartis diagnostics deal

Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics will pay $320,000 more to Fluidigm Corp. if the South San Francisco company hits a milestone in its development of a non-invasive prenatal diagnostic test.
Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, whose diagnostics arm is based in Emeryville, now could make $3.32 million in milestone payments, according to amended deal outlined in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Monday by Fluidigm.

Fluidigm prices IPO at $13.50 per share

Biotech IPO market off to busy start

Fluidigm prices IPO at $13.50 to $15 per share

Life sciences chip developer Fluidigm files for $86M IPO

Fluidigm Corp., a South San Francisco company that makes microfluidic systems for the life science and agricultural biotech markets, filed paperwork for an $86.25 million initial public offering.