Foundation Medicine

Now, more than ever, the life sciences industry is all about innovative and disruptive technologies. Every year for the past decade, FierceBiotech has made its picks on which companies hold the best odds for success in our Fierce 15 report . This year, though, we've added another Fierce 15 to focus on medical devices and diagnostics. I'd like to encourage readers to consider the differences by comparing the companies in each report.

Google Ventures aims to invest in entrepreneurs who want to change the world, not only those working in Google's main business areas, but also pioneers in biotech. And the web giant's VC group plans to make life sciences a prominent area of its $1 billion in planned investments over the next 5 years, CNBC.com reported.

Nick Leschly, the CEO of Bluebird Bio, playfully dubbed the ambitious spirit of biotechs Levin Syndrome, a fictional affliction named after Third Rock Ventures' Mark Levin that compels biotech entrepreneurs to, as they say, go big or go home. Our Fierce 15 companies are all "going big." They also went home… with trophies. Check out the slideshow below.

Foundation Medicine has pulled in a sizeable $42.5 million Series B financing round, seriously juicing its capacity to support commercial sales of its signature molecular diagnostic test and advance another one in the pipeline.

Yesterday FierceBiotech named Foundation Medicine one of this year's Fierce 15 companies. Today the biotech unveiled a $42.5 million B round to help it continue to grow, with plans for a new diagnostic product as it scales up its commercialization effort.

There's more than one way to build a biotech company. And this year's Fierce 15 companies reflect a range of companies operating with a spectrum of business models. Here's the full report >>   Click here to view a video of FierceBiotech Editor John Carroll announcing the Fierce 15 at BioPharm America >>