Science 37 was founded in 2014 by Noah Craft and Belinda Tan, working out of LA BioMed at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. Their team developed the Network Oriented Research Assistant platform, also known as the NORA platform, which includes video chat, digital self-photography, data collection, and electronic consent. Together, these features were used to conduct “site-less” trials. The platform also aided researchers in finding and contacting potential participants, and scheduling trial participants for in-home activities like questionnaires, mobile nurse visits, and door-step study medicine delivery. The Operating System, as it is now known, is configurable to enable any type of study, in any indication. This industry-leading platform can be customized to activate and operationalize even the most complex clinical trials.
Science 37 received its initial round of funding in 2015, with a $6.5 million investment, co-led by Lux Capital and dRx Capital. In 2016 the company's second round of financing resulted in $31 million in funding, and a 2017 round of financing resulted in $29 million. In March 2019, Science 37 secured $35 million in Series D funding; and announced a leadership transition with David Coman coming in as CEO in November 2019. In August 2020 Science 37 closed an oversubscribed Series D $40 million funding round led by Lux Capital, Redmile Group, and PPD, Inc. . In May 2021, Science 37 announced that they are to become publicly listed via merger with LifeSci Acquisition II Corp. The transaction values Science 37 at an enterprise value of approximately $1.05 billion at closing. It also positions Science 37 with a balance sheet of up to $250 million to fund its decentralized trial technology platform, extend into new adjacencies, and power the next generation in clinical research.
