The stock market turmoil of December 2018 reminds us to never take anything for granted. Still, good investment opportunities exist if you know where to look. My expectation is that 2019 will see significant private equity and venture capital activity thanks to multiple economic factors including a solid M&A appetite.

Mission Bio delivers targeted single-cell genomics solutions for high-impact applications with Tapestri, the Precision Genomics Platform. Tapestri is the industry’s first targeted single-cell DNA sequencing platform, enabling precise detection of heterogeneity in disease progression and treatment response. Application areas include blood cancers, solid tumors, and genome editing validation. The platform includes an instrument, consumables, and analysis software, which integrate seamlessly with existing NGS workflows. With Tapestri, researchers have a highly sensitive, targeted, and customizable solution to move precision medicine forward.

For Skates, 2018 was an especially momentous year. “I turned 30, we raised a Series D and I got engaged this year,” he said. “That’s going to be hard to top.”

• Airbnb has hired Amazon VP Dave Stephenson as CFO ahead of its anticipated IPO in 2019.
• Stephenson spent 17 years as Amazon, most recently as VP and CFO of Amazon’s Worldwide Consumer Organization, responsible for all global website sales. He also spent a couple years as President and CFO of Big Fish Games.
• Stephenson is the second Amazon exec to join Airbnb this year, following Greg Greeley, who is president of Homes.

Raising a Series A is a huge accomplishment and closing it might feel like you’ve crossed the finish line but the pressure only goes up from here.

Mission Bio, Inc., the pioneer in high-throughput single-cell DNA analysis and precision genomics, today announced a first-of-its-kind study demonstrating its ability to perform single-cell DNA analysis at speed and scale orders of magnitude higher than prior methods. The study, published in Genome Research and co-authored by researchers at Mission Bio and MD Anderson Cancer Center, illustrates its Tapestri platform’s ability to identify the evolution of cellular mutations in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) tumors. This study provides unprecedented insight into the cells that drive complex diseases like cancer and opens the door to the routine sequencing of tumors.

The venture capital industry is male dominated and some of its unfair practices have been brought to light with the rise of the #metoo movement in 2017. This got us to wonder: How do businesses approach diversity and inclusion? What does that mean for Mighty Capital? What does that mean for our portfolio? We have been committed to diversity and inclusion from day 1 and it’s an essential part of our culture that we summarize with Mark Twain’s famous quote: “Actions Speak Louder Than Words.”