SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 25, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pharma technology is entering a new era of growth, according to a new report from McKesson Ventures. Responses from healthcare investors and founders suggest that momentum is accelerating across the sector, fueled by advances in artificial intelligence, increasing enterprise demand, and growing investor conviction. The survey captures perspectives from more than 100 industry participants, including 54 investors and 49 entrepreneurs building technology and tech-enabled service companies serving pharmaceutical research, clinical development and commercial teams.
"It’s exciting to see more alignment across the pharma tech ecosystem," said Michelle Snyder, Partner at McKesson Ventures. "Investors are increasingly optimistic, entrepreneurs are finding greater buyer receptivity, and AI is creating new opportunities to modernize some of the industry's most complex workflows. The companies that win will be those solving large, meaningful problems that pharma companies cannot easily address on their own”.
The survey found that more than 60% of investors report increased interest in pharma tech relative to other healthcare sectors, while entrepreneurs report a more favorable sales environment driven by executive sponsorship, greater interest in adopting AI, and a faster path from pilot programs to broader implementation. Respondents also report a shift toward usage-based and outcomes-based pricing models as pharma buyers seek alignment between cost and value.
Key survey highlights include:
- 63% of investors report increased interest in pharma tech, compared with other healthcare segments, driven by the belief that pharma has greater interest in utilizing AI and more opportunities to displace legacy solutions.
- Investor interest spans the pharma lifecycle with clinical trial design and simulation, trial operations, patient support services, HCP engagement, and drug discovery tools emerging as the most attractive investment areas.
- Nearly half of entrepreneurs say the sales environment has become easier citing stronger executive sponsorship, growing urgency around AI, faster movement from pilots to production and greater ability to show ROI.
- AI has become a primary driver of market momentum with both investors and entrepreneurs citing increased interest in AI as a leading force behind customer adoption and investment activity.
- Entrepreneur and investor opinions diverge around investor interest and market drivers with entrepreneurs reporting relatively less investor interest and lower conviction around budget and sales cycle tailwinds.
- 75% of companies report changing their pricing strategy since launch, with growing adoption of usage and outcomes-based approaches.
As pharmaceutical companies seek to improve productivity and accelerate development timelines, investors and entrepreneurs see growing opportunities to build category defining businesses across research, clinical development and commercialization functions. The full report, Pharma Tech Innovation: Voices from the Builders and Their Backers, explores how investors and entrepreneurs view the opportunities, challenges and direction of technology innovation across the pharmaceutical value chain.
About McKesson Ventures
Since 2015, McKesson Ventures has helped entrepreneurs build and scale businesses that tackle the toughest challenges in healthcare. We invest in venture and growth-stage companies developing innovative software and services for the healthcare and pharma industries, and have been one of the most active pharma tech investors. Our team has deep expertise as investors and operators and we bring the experience and connections of McKesson, one of the world's largest healthcare companies, to help our portfolio companies succeed. To learn more about our approach and portfolio companies, visit ventures.mckesson.com.
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