Gobalto Inc

goBalto Inc. (Gobalto, Inc.) developed web-based clinical research software for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries. Its cloud platform addressed "study startup" — the process of identifying, qualifying and activating clinical research sites, the locations where drug developers test new therapies in patients. The company positioned this as an underserved segment of the clinical trials software landscape, distinct from clinical trial management systems (CTMS), covering the workflows and document/process steps required to move a site from selection to activation.

The product line comprised two core process applications: Select, which aggregates site performance data from multiple sources so sponsors can compare and choose sites, and Activate, which manages the document collection and workflow steps needed to activate a site. Oracle cited data indicating that bringing a research site online can take as long as seven months, and stated that goBalto's automation of manually performed tasks shortened site setup times by up to 30 percent. Roadmap directions discussed at the time of the Oracle acquisition included support for hybrid and siteless trial models and incorporating real-world evidence data sources into site selection.

Oracle Corp. announced an agreement to acquire goBalto on October 17, 2018 for undisclosed terms, and the transaction had closed by February 2019. goBalto was folded into Oracle's Health Sciences Global Business Unit, where its product continued to be sold independently under the goBalto name and CEO Sujay Jadhav, appointed a vice president at Oracle Health Sciences, led the Study Startup Group.

Business model

goBalto licensed cloud-based study startup software to clinical trial sponsors and other clinical research organizations; following the Oracle acquisition, the product continued to be sold as a standalone offering within Oracle Health Sciences.

Traction

Oracle stated the goBalto platform had been used across 90,000 research sites as part of 2,000 medical studies, and reported site setup time reductions of up to 30 percent. goBalto had raised $37.6 million from investors including Qualcomm Inc.

Latest developments

Oracle announced the acquisition in October 2018 and closed it by February 2019, retaining all goBalto staff. goBalto was placed in Oracle's Health Sciences Global Business Unit with increased R&D, product, marketing and sales investment, and its roadmap for the Select and Activate applications was accelerated, including plans to add real-world evidence data sources to site selection and to support hybrid and siteless trials.