Our 12th annual analysis reveals both an expansion of historical patterns of Series A financings and the emergence of a new group of heavily committed, relatively short-term investors.

Biopharma, medtech and diagnostics start-ups raised a whopping 51% more Series A money in the first half of 2015 than during the same period last year, and the number of deals was way up too.

In Q1 2015 start-ups raised $2.74 billion, a new record. Biopharma companies penned 37 alliances; 13 start-ups were acquired across all industries.

Derived from Strategic Transactions, Informa’s premium source for tracking life sciences deal activity, the Venture Funding Deals column provides a comprehensive monthly review of emerging life science companies that have received venture funding, including companies within the In Vitro Diagnostics, Medical Devices, and Pharmaceuticals sectors. This month’s column covers deals announced March through April 2015.