TraceLink, a nine-year-old, software-as-a-service platform for tracking pharmaceuticals and trying to weed out counterfeit prescription drugs in the process, has raised $93 million in Series D funding. Most of the money — $60 million — was used to buy primary shares, with another $33 million used to buy up the shares of previous shareholders. Georgian Partners led the round, with participation from Vulcan Capital and Willett Advisors, along with all of the company’s earlier investors. These include Goldman Sachs, whose growth equity arm had led the company’s $51.5 million Series C round last year, as well as FirstMark Capital, Volition Capital and F-Prime Capital. As TC had reported at the time of that last round, TraceLink helps pharma companies comply with country-specific track-and-trace requirements through their supply chain, which has grown increasingly important following the passage of the Drug Supply Chain Security Act in 2013. The consumer-protection measure aims to prevent individuals’ exposure to drugs that could be counterfeit, stolen, contaminated or otherwise harmful. At the time of its enactment, it also gave the industry one decade before unit-level traceability becomes enforced, meaning the clock is ticking. Like Uber, WeWork and a small-but-growing number of private companies, TraceLink also appears to be preparing for life as a publicly traded outfit by releasing some of its financial metrics, including, in TraceLink’s case, quarterly revenue and customer growth numbers. Just last week, the company published its “financial growth highlights,” which include a 62 percent year-over-year increase in its second quarter revenue; a 42 percent year-over-year increase in all bookings over the same period; and two-year revenue compound annual growth rate of 71 percent. In June, we reported on TraceLink’s initial $60 million of funding after spying an SEC form relating to its fundraising. The company, based in North Reading, Ma., has now raised $167 million altogether.
US pharmaceutical tracking company TraceLink has raised $93m to develop its software-as-a-service platform, which also identifies counterfeit prescription drugs. The series D round was led by Georgian Partners and involved the Drug Supply Chain Security Act, Willet Advisors and investors from earlier funding. The company helps pharmaceutical firms meet country-specific tracking rules which have become more important since Vulcan Capital in the US which said unit-level traceability would be introduced within a decade. TraceLink released limited financial results in a move analysts said appeared to be preparing it for an IPO. The firm said second quarter revenue was 62% up.