Health dominated the deals channel today. Venture capital reports, funding rounds, and acquisitions kept the blood flowing though the industry’s veins and all signs point to 2013 being a huge year for health tech. Consumers, it seems, are taking control over their health to an unprecedented degree. They are using apps and devices to stay connected to their physical well-being and make healthy choices, as well as the internet to make crucial healthcare decisions. As Count Tyrone Rugen said, “if you haven’t go your health, then you haven’t got anything.” The same often applies to venture capital.

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Kickstarter’s best of 2012: 2.2M backers, $319M raised, 18K projects funded

Kickstarter released its “best of” list for 2012, and the numbers are impressive: 2.24 million people funded at least one project and pledged a total of $319 million. That’s more than $600 per minute over the course of the year, with 18,109 projects successfully funded. The category with the most funded projects was music, with 5,067 projects funded, but games took in the most cash: $83 million. An astonishing 17 projects took in over $1 million each. Read more on VentureBeat.

Money, money, money: U.S. VC investing up 10% in 2012

U.S. venture capitalists were busy in 2012, bringing overall investment activity for the year up 10 percent compared to 2011. Venture firms invested a total of $20.6 billion last year, according to data from Thompson Reuters and the National Venture Capital Association. In 2012, there were overall 55 new funds created. Thompson Reuters and NVCA consider a fund new only if the money is new. Investors involved are likely involved in previous funds. Overall, the top five venture capital funds led 55 percent of investing in 2012. Read more on VentureBeat.

Digital health market soars as consumers take control of their bodies

Today, health technology accelerator Rock Health released its 2012 Year-End Funding Report. Venture capital funding of digital health grew dramatically in 2012. Investors funneled 46 percent more money and made 56 percent more deals in health care in 2012 than in 2011, with the cumulative funding totaling $1.4 billion last year. This sharp incline contrasts with declining investment in traditional healthcare fields. The median amount of all digital health deals came in at $6 million,and there here a strong funnel of deal leading to potential IPOs. The data also revealed that a significant majority of venture firm only made one investment in digital health companies, and many of the deals were from strategic investors. Read more on VentureBeat. 

AthenaHealth scoops up Epocrates to bring a mobile toolset to doctors

Epocrates Inc., a medical applications company based in Silicon Valley, is being scooped up by AthenaHealth for $293 million. According to a company press release, AthenaHealth will pay $11.75 per share, a 22 percent premium to Epocrates Friday closing price. Massachusetts-based AthenaHealth provides cloud-based services and tools to doctors and hospitals. Epocrates is an attractive prospect for AthenaHealth, as it has built up brand-name recognition with doctors. Read more on VentureBeat.

Classified Communication: As important for hospitals as it is for spies

Care Thread, which provides secure collaboration tools for hospital providers, completed $250K towards a $750K seed round. Care Thread’s HIPAA-compliant mobile messaging solution provides secure channels that teams of health professionals can use to collaborate. This increases efficiency and enhances productivity, while also impacting the quality of care. The Institute of Medicine estimates that between 44,000 and 98,000 Americans die each year from preventable medical mistakes in hospitals, which are often the result of lapses in communication. Care Thread will use the money to advance the development and commercialization of its product. Slater Technology Fund let the round. Read the press release.

Bill Gates, Evan Jones, and Yuri Milner give their “2 cents” to Foundation Medicine

Foundation Medicine has expanded its Series B round to $56 million, adding $13.5 million from new investors Bill Gates, Evan Jones, and Yuri Milner. The company first closed the round in September of 2012 at $42.5 million. Its technology investigates the genetic makeup of cancer patients and applies this knowledge to matching patients with the best treatments. The flagship product, FoundationOne, is a genomic profiler that uncovers genetic alterations in a patient and reports them to the physician. With a deeper understanding of each particular case and the ways the cells are working, physicians can better prescribe drugs, clinical trials, and other medical regimens. This additional financing will contribute to expanding commercial operations and clinical trials, as well as develop new genomic profiling capabilities. Read more on VentureBeat.

Get ‘em while they’re hot: Mosaic sells out stakes in solar projects

Mosaic, an online marketplace that connects investors to solar projects, sold out its first four projects less the 24 hours. Over 400 investors contributed anywhere between $25 and $30,000 to invest a total of $313,000. The average investment was $700. To date, Mosaic has raised over $1 million from investors to finance 12 rooftop solar power plants in California, Arizona, and New Jersey. Read the press release.

Corrected 1/9/2013: The Vuclip news was in error. We’ve removed the item.