Making a New, Big Splash in the Sequencing Market

If one of the first ingredients of a successful tool company deal is to invest as little capital as possible, what then to make of the hefty $27 million raised by Helicos, a developer of high-throughput sequencing systems? The company that successfully integrates the technologies needed for single-molecule sequencing could find a fast and rewarding exit, and neither their investors nor management reject the possibility of a buy-out even before their products hit the market in a few years.