Enabling new and deepened capabilities, expanding technology and AI-enabled solutions

Alexandra von Plato, former Publicis Health CEO, joins Deerfield Board of Directors

PHILADELPHIA, June 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Deerfield Group, a leading, fully integrated marketing, communications, and media partner for the healthcare and life sciences sectors, today announced a strategic majority investment from Martis Capital, a private equity firm focused exclusively on the healthcare industry. This partnership marks a significant milestone for Deerfield as it transitions from a successful investment period with Edgewater Funds, during which the agency achieved more than 30 percent year-over-year growth since 2017.

The investment from Martis Capital will provide resources to accelerate development of Deerfield’s proprietary solutions built to drive speed to market and return on investment across the brand life cycle.

“Deerfield is entering this next phase of growth from a position of strength as we serve as the Agency of Intelligence for clients—bringing together the power of our human intelligence (HI) and expertise with artificial intelligence (AI) built to amplify strategic and efficient solutions to drive speed to and in market,” said Frank Burrell, CEO of Deerfield Group. “Our clients increasingly value Deerfield as a trusted, exquisitely responsive partner that delivers strategy, creative, media, and communications expertise with market-making agility and senior-level attention that legacy Agency of Record (AOR) and digital agencies struggle to deliver. With Martis, our shared goal is to stay laser-focused on delivering at the ever-increasing speed of innovation without sacrificing high-touch collaboration to ensure we can help more brands commercialize at pace and win.” 

Based in San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Miami, Martis Capital is a founder-friendly partner that invests exclusively in growth-oriented healthcare companies, ranging from clinical research organizations to healthcare providers and technology groups.

The partnership with Martis Capital follows a year of significant momentum for Deerfield in 2025, including the acquisition of Triple Threat Communications to build on Deerfield’s strategy and creative bench and expand its client base in large pharma, the growth of the company’s fast-expanding media services, and the recent launch of Prismatiq™, Deerfield’s proprietary field enablement platform. Deerfield’s approach has driven its growth and recognition, rising from #52 in 2024 to #39 in 2026 in the MM&M Top 100 Agency rankings.

“We are investing in Deerfield because it has built a differentiated platform at the intersection of healthcare, integrated marketing, media, communications, and technology,” said Mario Moreno, managing partner at Martis Capital. “The Deerfield team is a trusted partner to clients with a strong reputation for strategy, responsiveness, execution, and results. We see meaningful opportunity to support Deerfield’s approach to unlocking growth potential for clients across the biotech and pharma ecosystem.”

Deerfield also announced the appointment of Alexandra (Alex) von Plato to its board of directors. A widely recognized leader in healthcare marketing, von Plato most recently served as Chairwoman and CEO of Publicis Health, where she led a portfolio of agencies, including Digitas Health, PHM, Razorfish Health, and Payer Sciences. A trusted partner to top pharmaceutical and biotech marketers across immunology, oncology, neurology, infectious and rare disease, today Alex’s 20+ year track record of building market-leading brands has made her a sought-after advisor to industry and investors alike. 

“I believe Deerfield is a best-kept secret in the healthcare agency landscape today. Built to meet the moment, Deerfield helps clients leverage disruption to achieve an elusive source of competitive advantage—speed with excellence,” said von Plato. “Their track record of year over year of double-digit growth is proof that clients are eager for a new kind of agency partner.”

“Martis is the right partner for Deerfield at the right time. Their shared vision for the future of healthcare commercialization, combined with Deerfield’s momentum, innovation agenda, and deep client relationships, creates a powerful foundation for the next phase of growth,” said Rick Riegel, Deerfield board member. “We are excited about what this partnership makes possible—not only in expanding our capabilities and reach but also in accelerating our long-term vision to deliver even greater value for clients in a rapidly evolving market.”

About Deerfield Group

Deerfield Group is a fully integrated marketing, media, communications, and technology agency providing innovative solutions for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, health tech, and consumer health companies. Deerfield’s solutions are designed to meet the unique needs of healthcare organizations at all stages of the life cycle. The Company provides a full spectrum of services, including insights and strategy, creative and digital, omnichannel marketing, media, public relations, data and analytics, sales enablement, and print management. The Company’s Agency of Brand^® model integrates these offerings to deliver marketing, media, communications, and digital solutions at scale. Learn more at DeerfieldGroup.com.

About Martis Capital

Martis Capital is a private equity firm focused exclusively on the middle-market healthcare sector. With more than $2.2 billion in assets under management, Martis seeks to partner with founder-led companies and management teams to build transformative healthcare businesses. Martis Capital has offices in San Francisco, CA, Washington, D.C., and Miami, FL.

For more information, visit MartisCapital.com.

Media Contact:

Deerfield Group: Peg.rusconi@deerfieldgroup.com

Martis Capital: margaret@newtonparkpr.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/deerfield-group-announces-strategic-investment-from-martis-capital-to-fuel-next-phase-of-growth-302813915.html

SOURCE Deerfield Group