At Biocom’s Global Partnering and Investor Conference, venture capitalists (VCs) on multiple panels offered their thoughts on the state of venture investing and offered advice for startups interested in securing funding. Sentiment for early stage investment was somewhat mixed, but trended negative as VCs acknowledged that it’s a tough environment in which to raise capital.

Breezebio Inc., formerly known as Genedit Inc., has closed $60 million in series B financing to advance its first internal therapeutic programs toward the clinic and to continue expansion of the company’s Nanogalaxy delivery platform.

Slate Medicines Inc. has launched with $130 million in series A financing and a focus on advancing next-generation therapeutics for migraine and other headache disorders.

Minimed Group Inc., Medtronic plc’s diabetes business, is looking to raise up to $784 million in its IPO. Medronic last May revealed plans to spin off the unit as an independent public company and expected to complete the separation within 18 months.

Innovacell Inc. launched a ¥14.16 billion (US$91.2 million) stock sale on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Feb. 24, ending a near two-year lull of biotech listings in Japan while signaling a dynamic year ahead for cell-based therapeutics.

Ascletis Pharma Inc. raised HK$843.53 million (US107.93 million) in a placement on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange to advance its lead program, ASC-30, a small-molecule glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist that can be dosed once monthly subcutaneously and once daily orally for treating obesity.

After closing an oversubscribed $85 million series B round, Quantx Biosciences Inc. is gearing up to begin clinical trials of its two lead immunology compounds, a STAT6 oral small-molecule inhibitor and an IL-17 oral small-molecule inhibitor.