In July 2021, medical giant BD (Becton Dickinson) acquired Tepha, Inc. for an undisclosed sum, effectively absorbing a $60M-funded startup with 27 employees and proprietary biopolymer technology. But if you visit tepha.com today, you're met with a redirect to a corporate press release—a digital ghost ship. This is the story of how a cutting-edge materials science company became a footnote in a corporate portfolio.

"Tepha wasn't acquired for its traffic or brand—it was acquired for its biopolymer patents and the talent behind them."

The acquisition reflects a broader trend in medtech: large corporations are snapping up early-stage innovators not for their current revenue, but for their R&D pipelines. BD's $60M+ funding history for Tepha suggests a long-term play in regenerative medicine—a field where the market is projected to hit $150B by 2030, but where most startups fail to reach commercial scale.

• Biopolymer technology for surgical meshes and tissue repair
• Acquired by BD (Becton Dickinson) in July 2021
• 27 employees and $3.4M revenue at time of acquisition
• Domain now redirects to BD's corporate news portal
• Tech stack preserved but inactive—digital ghost ship