New York-based Deerfield Management Co. has secured $840 million for a new venture capital fund to support innovations in biotechnology, medical technologies and digital health. James Flynn, managing partner of Deerfield, said roughly half of the fund will focus on early-stage therapeutic R&D, much of that coming from academic partnerships. The remainder will be used to back companies developing novel advances in med-tech interventions, diagnostics and digital health.

Against a backdrop of nearly 15 global biopharma IPOs on deck on a day when all major U.S. market indices fell, shares of cancer drug developer Zentalis Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:ZNTL) shot up 29% to $23.20 on April 3 after an upsized initial filing to sell 9.2 million shares at a top-of-range $18 each.

Having chalked up three marketed drugs after only nine years in existence, Venbio Partners LLC proved its appeal yet again by closing on about $394 million in a capital raise that included new and existing investors, with a broad range of institutional concerns in the mix.

In an uncertain time that’s dominated by COVID-19, Flagship Pioneering Inc. and Arch Venture Partners collectively raised a massive $2.56 billion to fund new company creation and growth.