Capitalizing on Opportunities in Cord Blood Industry Growth

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The recently launched industry report “Capitalizing on Opportunities in Cord Blood Industry Growth (2013 Version)” reveals strategies for dominating the cord blood banking industry, investigates tactics for global expansion, identifies patterns in regional dominance, and explores methods for investing in the sector.

 

The report is designed to guide decision-making of global cord blood banks, as well as to advise companies investing in the cord blood banking sector, including venture capital funds and private investors. It differs from the “Complete 2012-13 U.S. Cord Blood Banking Industry Report” (details here) in that it is a strategic overview of how to profit from the global cord blood banking market, rather than from the U.S. markets alone.

 

Stem cells derived from umbilical blood have been used in more than 30,000 transplants worldwide to treat a wide range of blood diseases, genetic and metabolic disorders, immunodeficiencies and various forms of cancer. Additionally, cord blood banks now exist in nearly every developed country, as well as several developing nations. However, there is still significant variation within the industry.

 

First, there is the divide between private and public cord blood banking, in which private companies serve individual families, while public banks serve the broader public. Additionally, some cord blood banks receive only units from nearby hospitals and birthing centers, while others allow mail-in units from a wide geographic region. There is also variation in the services offered by private cord blood banks, with cord tissue storage emerging as a commercial service in 2010, when the Cord Blood Registry began offering it, to complement its cord blood banking services. This trend of cord tissue storage has had a significant impact on the cord blood banking industry, with nine private U.S. companies now offering the service. Finally, there is also significant variation in the quality, pricing, and guarantees promised by cord blood banks.

 

Despite this variation, as of 2013, the cord blood banking industry remains one of the fastest growing industries in the world. In 2005, there were only 23 active cord blood banks worldwide; today there are 485. This represents a 21-fold increase (2,100%) in industry growth, over only a seven year period.

 

Over the past 12 months alone, the cord blood banking industry has expanded through double digit growth, due to new entrants in the cord blood industry and revenue growth at existing operations. Deeper analysis reveals that most existing cord blood banks follow a bi-modal distribution, either experiencing flat-line growth (less than 3% per annum) or substantively building revenue (25% or more per annum). To guide industry competitors, this report considers the questions:

 

What factors are causing a substantial number of new cord blood banks to open up business?

What will be the effect of these new entrants to the cord blood banking industry for existing competitors?

How can existing competitors maintain a position of dominance in the industry among this trend?

While a similar bimodal distribution existed in the prior 12 month period (trailing 12 to 24 months), the peaks have continued to separate over the past 12 months, with the average flat-growth company staying stagnant and the average fast- growth company substantially increasing its per annum growth rate. This trend indicates an increasing shift in dominance toward fast-growth companies, which begs the questions:

What are the differences among the cord blood banks that are experiencing flat-line growth, versus those that have substantively building revenue?

Why are the fast-growth companies continuing to increase their dominance relative to the flat growth companies?

Additionally, there has been rapid industry growth within specific regions of the world. The updated report reveals the models and tactics used within those regions in order to identify strategies that businesses in other regions should consider leveraging as approaches for growth. It also includes a global survey of expectant parents that explores how cord blood banks can best communicate with and market services to potential clients.