It was a big week for Boston’s technology and life sciences companies. Some established firms had their stock market debuts, while others provided more details in advance of going public, and a number of othes continued to raise millions in private financing. It all provided the Boston region with a jolt of energy as fall approaches.
Here’s a roundup of the week’s biggest deals, which span biotech, health care, software, and cybersecurity.
Boston life sciences company Ginkgo Bioworks made its highly anticipated stock market debut Friday after closing its merger with Soaring Eagle Acquisition Corp., a blank-check company. The firm was valued at about $15 billion, and the deal netted Gingko roughly $1.6 billion in proceeds, making it one of the largest public debuts for a life sciences company. Ginkgo now trades on the New York Stock exchange under the ticker symbol “DNA.”
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Definitive Healthcare, a Framingham analytics software company, also debuted on the stock market this week. Its IPO raised $420 million at a valuation of $4 billion. The company had a strong showing on its first day of trading Wednesday, with its share price soaring 60 percent. Definitive is listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange under the ticker symbol “DH.”
The Boston-based restaurant software company Toast revealed this week that it’s seeking up to $717 million in an IPO, with terms that could value the company at $16.5 billion. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday, Toast said it plans to sell 21.7 million class A shares at $30 to $33 apiece. A $16.5 billion valuation would be less than the $20 billion that Wall Street expected last winter. Toast plans to start trading next week on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “TOST.”
EngageSmart, a Braintree-based customer engagement software company, filed documents this week showing it plans to raise about $349 million in its initial public offering. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company said it plans to sell roughly 14.5 million shares of common stock, at a price range of $23 to $25 apiece. The deal, news reports showed, could value the company at $4 billion. EngageSmart intends to start trading next week on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “ESMT.”
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The surgical robotics company Vicarious Surgical, based in Waltham, is going public through a merger with D8 Holdings Corp., a special purpose acquisition company. The deal, which was expected to close on Friday, would provide approximately $220 million in proceeds, allowing Vicarious to further develop its surgical robot. The company plans to trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “RBOT.”
As for private companies, the week brought another set of large funding rounds. BitSight, a Boston cybersecurity ratings company, raised $250 million in a new partnership with credit ratings giant Moody’s, pegging the company’s value at $2.4 billion. Skyhawk Therapeutics, an RNA biotech company in Waltham, raised $133 million, its last funding round ahead of an expected initial public offering, officials said. And Rome Therapeutics, a Cambridge-based DNA biotech company, raised $77 million in a funding round led by San Diego venture capital firm Section 32.
Anissa Gardizy, Jon Chesto, and Aaron Pressman of the Globe staff contributed to this report.
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