Ardian arranges a €109 million unitranche financing to support SEVETYS, a leading independent operator of veterinary clinics in France

Ardian

Ardian, a world leading private investment house, today announces the arrangement of a unitranche facility to support SEVETYS (formerly known as Vet Dev) in its acquisition of 50 additional veterinary clinics in France. The financing package also includes a dedicated committed acquisition line to support the Group in its future buy-and-build strategy.
Headquartered in Paris, SEVETYS is one of the leading operators of veterinary clinics in France with approximately 100 clinics. Organized as a hub-and-spoke model, the Group provides complete veterinary services from generalist care and vaccination to more complex surgical procedures. SEVETYS is known for its high-quality offering, thanks to its skilled practitioners and high-grade equipment, and occupies a leading position in France. The company forecasts to generate c. €60 million of revenues in 2021.

SEVETYS is a leading independent group supported by French private investors and veterinarians, who have chosen Ardian Private Debt as a financing partner, thanks to its tailor-made unitranche financing, which combines flexibility and rapidity of execution.

SEVETYS has been established with the objective of consolidating the growing and fragmented French veterinary market. With a total of over 6,000 clinics but only c.10% being part of large groups, the French market presents much lower consolidation levels than other countries such as the UK (c.50%) or Scandinavia (c.70%). The market has been consolidating at a fast pace over the past months, with SEVETYS being one of the fastest growing groups.

“SEVETYS has an impressive growth story and we are pleased to support the Group and its management team in this new chapter of development. We are confident that SEVETYS will continue to grow both organically and via strategic acquisitions in the French market, which is consolidating rapidly, and we believe that our financing solution is ideally suited to this purpose.” JEAN-DAVID PONSIN, MANAGING DIRECTOR IN THE PRIVATE DEBT TEAM AT ARDIAN

“We have an ambitious development strategy that requires a solid yet flexible financing solution. With this unitranche financing, our intention is to accelerate our growth strategy even further and solidify SEVETYS’ position as one of the leading operators in France. We are confident that Ardian will be a valuable long-term partner that will support the Group as it expands.” DANIEL EINHORN, CEO OF SEVETYS

PARTIES TO THE TRANSACTION

  • SEVETYS

    • Daniel Einhorn, Alexandre Brevault
    • Financing Legal Advisor: Goodwin (Adrien Paturaud, Alexander Han)
    • M&A Advisor: Rothschild (Pierre Pessans, Thomas Lenoble, Côme Sesboué, Augustin Viellard)
    • Financial VDD: Oderys (Thomas Claverie, Andoni Balaguer, Benjamin SUPIOT)
    • Corporate Legal Advisor: Winston & Strawn (Julie Vern, Gilles Bigot, Myriam Saragouss)
  • Ardian

    • Jean-David Ponsin, Gabrielle Philip, Hadrien Barnier
    • Financing Legal Advisor: Willkie Farr & Gallagher (Paul Lombard, Laurence Raud, Martin Jouvenot, Nolwenn Poisson)

ABOUT SEVETYS

SEVETYS is one of the leading operators of veterinary clinics in France with approximately 100 clinics. Organized as a hub-and-spoke model, the Group provides complete veterinary services from generalist care and vaccination to more complex surgical procedures. SEVETYS is known for its high-quality offering, thanks to its skilled practitioners and high-grade equipment, and occupies a leading position in France. The company forecasts to generate c. €60 million of revenues in 2021.

ABOUT ARDIAN

Ardian is a world-leading private investment house with assets of US$120bn managed or advised in Europe, the Americas and Asia. The company is majority-owned by its employees. It keeps entrepreneurship at its heart and focuses on delivering excellent investment performance to its global investor base.
Through its commitment to shared outcomes for all stakeholders, Ardian’s activities fuel individual, corporate and economic growth around the world.
Holding close its core values of excellence, loyalty and entrepreneurship, Ardian maintains a truly global network, with more than 800 employees working from fifteen offices across Europe (Frankfurt, Jersey, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Milan, Paris and Zurich), the Americas (New York, San Francisco and Santiago) and Asia (Beijing, Singapore, Tokyo and Seoul). It manages funds on behalf of more than 1,100 clients through five pillars of investment expertise: Fund of Funds, Direct Funds, Infrastructure, Real Estate and Private Debt.

Media Contacts

ARDIAN – Headland

VIKTOR TSVETANOV

vtsvetanov@headlandconsultancy.co.uk Tel.: +44 207 3435 7469

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Centauri Health Solutions Adds Clinical Data Exchange Capabilities with Acquisition of Secure Exchange Solutions

Centauri Health Solutions (“Centauri”), an innovative healthcare technology and services company, announced today that it acquired Secure Exchange Solutions (“SES”), a Rockville, Maryland-based health information technology provider focused on physician connectivity and clinical data exchange. This addition expands Centauri’s comprehensive healthcare technology solutions, which already include Risk Adjustment, Quality, Medicaid and Disability Eligibility and Enrollment, Out-of-State Medicaid Billing, Revenue Cycle Analytics, and Referral Management and Analytics.

Secure Exchange Solutions is the leading platform provider of cloud-based clinical data exchange software. SES sets the standard for protecting, streamlining, and delivering sensitive and critical health care information while ensuring compliance and improving efficiency and quality. SES is connected to 90,000 healthcare organizations, and over 50 of the leading health information exchanges, providing integrated secure communications reaching more than 2.7 million healthcare professionals nationwide.  The combination of Centauri and SES creates a suite of solutions that accelerate improvement of patient care while addressing value-based care.

“SES is pleased to join a company that is built around the similar goal of leveraging technology to improve healthcare and patients’ lives,” said Michele Darnell, President of SES. “We are excited to couple our clinical data exchange platform with Centauri’s suite of data analytics and revenue and quality optimization products to provide comprehensive solutions that are unmatched in the marketplace.”

“The addition of SES empowers Centauri to support strategic client initiatives in the area of value-based care and clinical data exchange,” said Adam Miller, Centauri co-founder and CEO. “Promoting provider and payor collaboration through our standards-driven approach reduces time to implement and increases adoption versus proprietary software installation. In addition, our unique suite of solutions on the revenue side of the value-based care equation is additive to traditional solutions focused only on lowering the overall cost of care.”

The combined organization will be led by Miller, with Darnell continuing to oversee the SES division together with SES Chief Technology Officer Boris Shur. SES CEO Dan Kazzaz will engage strategically with Centauri by joining its advisory board.

The SES transaction was supported by Centauri’s lead investor, Abry Partners, and its other key investors, Silversmith Capital Partners and SV Health Investors. Truist Securities was the financial advisor to SES. Duane Morris LLP was the legal advisor to SES and Kirkland and Ellis was the legal advisor to Centauri.

About Centauri Health Solutions

Centauri Health Solutions provides technology and technology-enabled services to payors and providers across all healthcare programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, Commercial and Exchange. In partnership with our clients, we improve the lives and health outcomes of the members and patients we touch through compassionate outreach, sophisticated analytics, clinical data exchange capabilities, and data-driven solutions. Our solutions directly address complex problems such as uncompensated care within health systems; appropriate, risk-adjusted revenue for specialized sub-populations; and improve access to and quality of care measurement. Headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., Centauri Health Solutions employs 1700 dedicated associates across the country. Centauri has made the prestigious Inc. 5000 list since 2019, as well as the 2020 Deloitte Technology Fast 500™ list of the fastest-growing companies in the U.S. For more information, visit www.centaurihs.com.

About Abry Partners

Abry is one of the most experienced and successful sector-focused private equity investment firms in North America. Since its founding in 1989, the firm has completed over $90 billion of leveraged transactions and other private equity or preferred equity placements. Currently, the firm manages over $5 billion of capital across its active funds. For more information about Abry, please visit www.abry.com.

About Silversmith Capital Partners

Founded in 2015, Silversmith Capital Partners is a Boston-based growth equity firm with $2.0 billion of capital under management. Silversmith’s mission is to partner with and support the best entrepreneurs in growing, profitable technology and healthcare companies. Representative investments include ActiveCampaign, Appfire, Centauri Health Solutions, DistroKid, Impact, LifeStance Health, MediQuant, Panalgo, Unily, Validity, and Webflow. The partners have over 75 years of collective investing experience and have served on the boards of numerous successful growth companies including ABILITY Network, Archer Technologies, Dealer.com, Liazon, Liberty Dialysis, MedHOK, Net Health, Passport Health, SurveyMonkey, and Wrike. For more information about Silversmith, please visit www.silversmithcapital.com.

About SV Health Investors

SV Health Investors is a leading healthcare fund manager investing in tomorrow’s healthcare breakthroughs. SV invests across stages, geographic regions and sectors, with expertise spanning healthcare services / technology, medical products, biotechnology, dementia and public equities. With approximately $2.2B in assets under management and offices in Boston and London, SV has built an extensive network of investment professionals and experienced industry veterans. Since its founding in 1993, SV has invested in more than 175 companies, with more than 75 of these having achieved successful acquisitions or IPOs. For more information, please visit www.svhealthinvestors.com.

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Altamir is to sell Unilabs, an investment held via the Apax IX LP fund

Altamir

Paris, 7 December 2021 – Apax Partners LLP is to sell its investment in Unilabs to the Danish holding company A.P. Moller.

The transaction, which is expected to close in Q1 2O22, will give Altamir a MOIC of around 3.2x. This represents an uplift of more than 25% to Unilabs‘ fair value as of 30 June 2021.

Unilabs is one of Europe’s leading diagnostics companies, offering services in laboratory medicine, imaging and pathology. Supported by the Apax team, Unilabs has grown both organically and through M&A, completing 50+ acquisitions since 2017, and it currently operates in 15 countries with market-leading positions in most of them. Unilabs has also become a pan-European leader in digital radiology and pathology.

About Altamir

Altamir is a listed private equity company (Euronext Paris-B, ticker: LTA) founded in 1995, with a NAV of more than €1.2bn. Its objective is to provide shareholders with long-term capital appreciation and regular dividends by investing in a diversified portfolio of essentially unlisted companies.

Altamir’s investment policy is to invest principally via and with the funds managed or advised by Apax Partners SAS and Apax Partners LLP, two leading private equity firms that take majority or lead positions in buyouts and growth capital transactions and seek ambitious value creation objectives.

In this way, Altamir provides access to a diversified portfolio of fast-growing companies across Apax’s sectors of specialisation (Tech & Telco, Consumer, Healthcare, Services) and in complementary market segments (mid-sized companies in continental Europe and large companies in Europe, North America and key emerging markets).

Altamir derives certain tax benefits from its status as a SCR (“Société de Capital Risque”). As such, Altamir is exempt from corporate tax and the company’s investors may benefit from tax exemptions, subject to specific holding-period and dividend-reinvestment conditions.

For more information: www.altamir.fr

Contact

Claire Peyssard Moses

Tel.: +33 1 53 65 01 74 / E-mail: investors@altamir.fr

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Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany and Artios Pharma Announce a Global Strategic Collaboration on Novel DNA Damage Response Targets in Oncology

M Ventures

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany and Artios will conduct collaborative research and Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany shall have the right to opt into exclusive development and commercialization of compounds on up to 8 targets

Artios to receive US$30 million in up-front and near-term payments, plus double-digit option fees and up to US$860 million total milestones per target

Collaboration to leverage significant expertise and R&D resources of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany in the field of DNA Damage Response to identify and develop precision oncology medicines targeting nucleases

Darmstadt, Germany, Cambridge, UK and New York, USA, 3rd December 2020: Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company and Artios Pharma Limited (Artios), a leading DNA Damage Response (DDR) company developing a broad pipeline of precision medicines for the treatment of cancer, today announced a global three year strategic research collaboration to discover and develop multiple precision oncology drugs.

“Our platform has the potential to revolutionize targeted treatment in cancer and deliver on the promise of precision medicine. This collaboration will leverage the potential of our unique discovery platform of novel DNA repair nuclease inhibitors and targets that we have been developing. The partnership puts us in an exceptional position to focus internal efforts on our leading portfolio of assets which includes a small-molecule ATR inhibitor and a Polθ programme, both in candidate IND evaluation,” said Niall Martin, Chief Executive Officer at Artios Pharma.

“Targeting DNA damage response has the potential to provide an important therapeutic option for many patients in need of new treatments. We are excited about working with Artios to develop novel precision oncology medicines as we move towards changing the current paradigm in cancer treatment. This collaboration further strengthens our leadership and expertise in the field and discovery of DDR inhibitors and complements our multiple innovative assets currently being evaluated in several Phase I and Phase II clinical studies,” said Andree Blaukat, SVP and Head Translational Innovation Platform Oncology & Immuno-Oncology, at Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.

Under the terms of the agreement, the companies will leverage Artios’s proprietary nuclease targeting discovery platform to jointly identify multiple synthetic lethal targets for precision oncology drug candidates. During this joint research collaboration, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany will contribute its significant expertise and resources in the field of DDR and will have exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize selected therapeutics discovered under the collaboration. The collaboration does not include Artios’s lead programmes, Polθ and ATR inhibitors, for which Artios will retain all rights.

Nucleases are critical enzymes involved in the maintenance of genomic integrity. Cancer cells are dependent on nucleases for their survival in response to DNA damage. Also, in certain cancers which exhibit mutations in DNA damage response pathways, inhibiting key nucleases can lead to selective cancer cell killing i.e. synthetic lethality.

As part of the agreement, Artios will receive a payment of US$30 million in the form of an up-front and near-term payments. If Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany chooses to exercise the option, subject to double-digit option fees, Artios will be eligible to receive up to US$860 million per target, in addition to up to double digit royalty payments on net sales of each product commercialized by Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.

Subject to certain conditions, Artios has opt-in rights for joint development and commercialization with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany for the programmes.

For more information, please contact:

Artios Pharma Ltd.
Niall Martin, Chief Executive Officer
+44 01223 867 867

Media & IR Enquiries
Optimum Strategic Communications
Mary Clark/ Eva Haas/ Manel Mateus
artios@optimumcomms.com
+44 020 3922 1906

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
Gangolf Schrimpf, Media Relations
gangolf.schrimpf@merckgroup.com
+49 6151 72-9591

** Notes to Editors

About Artios Pharma Ltd.**

Artios is a leading DNA Damage Response (DDR) company focused on developing first-in-class treatments for cancer. The Company, founded by SV Health Investors in 2016, is led by an experienced scientific and leadership team with proven expertise in DDR drug discovery. It has a unique partnership with Cancer Research UK (CRUK), and collaborations with leading DNA repair researchers worldwide, such as The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), London, the Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI) and the National Centre for Biomolecular Research at Masaryk University in the Czech Republic, with their expertise in DNA repair nucleases. Artios is building a pipeline of next-generation DDR programmes to target hard to treat cancers. It is backed by blue chip investors including: AbbVie Ventures, Andera Partners (formerly EdRIP), Arix Bioscience plc, IP Group plc, LSP, M Ventures, Novartis Venture Fund (NVF), Pfizer Ventures and SV Health Investors. Artios is based at the Babraham Research Campus in Cambridge, UK, with offices in New York City, USA.www.artiospharma.com

About Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, operates across healthcare, life science and performance materials. Around 57,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people’s lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From advancing gene editing technologies and discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices – the company is everywhere. In 2019, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany generated sales of € 16.2 billion in 66 countries.

Scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany’s technological and scientific advances. This is how Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany has thrived since its founding in 1668. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company. Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany holds the global rights to the Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany operate as EMD Serono in healthcare, MilliporeSigma in life science, and EMD Performance Materials.

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Nordic Capital agrees to sell Veonet to Ontario Teachers’ and PAI Partners

Nordic Capital

Nordic Capital agrees to sell Veonet to Ontario Teachers’ and PAI Partners Image

Nordic Capital agrees to sell Veonet to Ontario Teachers’ and PAI Partners

December 03 2021
Nordic Capital agrees to sell Veonet to Ontario Teachers’ and PAI Partners Image

 

Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board (Ontario Teachers’) and PAI Partners have agreed to acquire Veonet, a leading pan-European network of ophthalmological clinics, from Nordic Capital IX. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The acquisition is subject to customary regulatory approval.

Veonet is headquartered in Munich, Germany, and operates more than 190 ophthalmological clinics across Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Switzerland. It treats more than 1.2 million patients every year, cooperating with all health insurance companies and supporting national healthcare service delivery. Veonet is dedicated to ensuring that every patient enjoys a lifetime of healthy vision, contributing to their overall health and wellbeing.

Veonet built a strong foundation with Nordic Capital and looks forward to continuing its journey and creating even better outcomes for its patients and even more opportunities for its employees.

 

 

Nordic Capital
Katarina Janerud, Communications Manager
Nordic Capital Advisors
Tel: +46 8 440 50 50
e-mail: katarina.janerud@nordiccapital.com

 

About Nordic Capital

Nordic Capital is a leading private equity investor with a resolute commitment to creating stronger, sustainable businesses through operational improvement and transformative growth. Nordic Capital focuses on selected regions and sectors where it has deep experience and a long history. Focus sectors are Healthcare, Technology & Payments, Financial Services, and selectively, Industrial & Business Services. Key regions are Europe and globally for Healthcare and Technology & Payments investments. Since inception in 1989, Nordic Capital has invested more than EUR 19 billion in over 120 investments. The most recent entities are Nordic Capital X with EUR 6.1 billion in committed capital and Nordic Capital Evolution with EUR 1.2 billion in committed capital, principally provided by international institutional investors such as pension funds. Nordic Capital Advisors have local offices in Sweden, the UK, the US, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Norway and South Korea. For further information about Nordic Capital, please visit www.nordiccapital.com

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Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany and Artios Pharma Announce a Global Strategic Collaboration on Novel DNA Damage Response Targets in Oncology

M Ventures

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany and Artios will conduct collaborative research and Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany shall have the right to opt into exclusive development and commercialization of compounds on up to 8 targets

Artios to receive US$30 million in up-front and near-term payments, plus double-digit option fees and up to US$860 million total milestones per target

Collaboration to leverage significant expertise and R&D resources of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany in the field of DNA Damage Response to identify and develop precision oncology medicines targeting nucleases

Darmstadt, Germany, Cambridge, UK and New York, USA, 3rd December 2020: Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company and Artios Pharma Limited (Artios), a leading DNA Damage Response (DDR) company developing a broad pipeline of precision medicines for the treatment of cancer, today announced a global three year strategic research collaboration to discover and develop multiple precision oncology drugs.

“Our platform has the potential to revolutionize targeted treatment in cancer and deliver on the promise of precision medicine. This collaboration will leverage the potential of our unique discovery platform of novel DNA repair nuclease inhibitors and targets that we have been developing. The partnership puts us in an exceptional position to focus internal efforts on our leading portfolio of assets which includes a small-molecule ATR inhibitor and a Polθ programme, both in candidate IND evaluation,” said Niall Martin, Chief Executive Officer at Artios Pharma.

“Targeting DNA damage response has the potential to provide an important therapeutic option for many patients in need of new treatments. We are excited about working with Artios to develop novel precision oncology medicines as we move towards changing the current paradigm in cancer treatment. This collaboration further strengthens our leadership and expertise in the field and discovery of DDR inhibitors and complements our multiple innovative assets currently being evaluated in several Phase I and Phase II clinical studies,” said Andree Blaukat, SVP and Head Translational Innovation Platform Oncology & Immuno-Oncology, at Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.

Under the terms of the agreement, the companies will leverage Artios’s proprietary nuclease targeting discovery platform to jointly identify multiple synthetic lethal targets for precision oncology drug candidates. During this joint research collaboration, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany will contribute its significant expertise and resources in the field of DDR and will have exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize selected therapeutics discovered under the collaboration. The collaboration does not include Artios’s lead programmes, Polθ and ATR inhibitors, for which Artios will retain all rights.

Nucleases are critical enzymes involved in the maintenance of genomic integrity. Cancer cells are dependent on nucleases for their survival in response to DNA damage. Also, in certain cancers which exhibit mutations in DNA damage response pathways, inhibiting key nucleases can lead to selective cancer cell killing i.e. synthetic lethality.

As part of the agreement, Artios will receive a payment of US$30 million in the form of an up-front and near-term payments. If Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany chooses to exercise the option, subject to double-digit option fees, Artios will be eligible to receive up to US$860 million per target, in addition to up to double digit royalty payments on net sales of each product commercialized by Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.

Subject to certain conditions, Artios has opt-in rights for joint development and commercialization with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany for the programmes.

For more information, please contact:

Artios Pharma Ltd.
Niall Martin, Chief Executive Officer
+44 01223 867 867

Media & IR Enquiries
Optimum Strategic Communications
Mary Clark/ Eva Haas/ Manel Mateus
artios@optimumcomms.com
+44 020 3922 1906

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
Gangolf Schrimpf, Media Relations
gangolf.schrimpf@merckgroup.com
+49 6151 72-9591

** Notes to Editors

About Artios Pharma Ltd.**

Artios is a leading DNA Damage Response (DDR) company focused on developing first-in-class treatments for cancer. The Company, founded by SV Health Investors in 2016, is led by an experienced scientific and leadership team with proven expertise in DDR drug discovery. It has a unique partnership with Cancer Research UK (CRUK), and collaborations with leading DNA repair researchers worldwide, such as The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), London, the Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI) and the National Centre for Biomolecular Research at Masaryk University in the Czech Republic, with their expertise in DNA repair nucleases. Artios is building a pipeline of next-generation DDR programmes to target hard to treat cancers. It is backed by blue chip investors including: AbbVie Ventures, Andera Partners (formerly EdRIP), Arix Bioscience plc, IP Group plc, LSP, M Ventures, Novartis Venture Fund (NVF), Pfizer Ventures and SV Health Investors. Artios is based at the Babraham Research Campus in Cambridge, UK, with offices in New York City, USA.www.artiospharma.com

About Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, operates across healthcare, life science and performance materials. Around 57,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people’s lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From advancing gene editing technologies and discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices – the company is everywhere. In 2019, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany generated sales of € 16.2 billion in 66 countries.

Scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany’s technological and scientific advances. This is how Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany has thrived since its founding in 1668. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company. Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany holds the global rights to the Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany operate as EMD Serono in healthcare, MilliporeSigma in life science, and EMD Performance Materials.

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Funds advised by Apax sell Unilabs to A.P. Moller Holding

Apax

Funds advised by Apax Partners LLP (the “Apax Funds”) announced today that they have agreed to sell their controlling stake in Unilabs (the “Company”), a leading pan-European provider of laboratory and imaging diagnostics services, to A.P. Moller Holding, the parent company of the Danish A.P. Moller Group founded and run by the Maersk family. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

Drawing on Apax’s deep knowledge of the healthcare sector, the Apax team identified Unilabs as an attractive company operating in a highly fragmented market with significant expertise in best practice lab and imaging operations. The Apax Funds first invested in a minority stake in Unilabs in 2007, taking the Company private from the Swiss Stock Exchange and subsequently merging it with Capio Diagnostics, a Nordic laboratory and imaging business.

In 2017, the Apax Funds gained majority control of the Company, acquiring the outstanding shareholding in Unilabs. The Apax Funds subsequently proceeded to invest in people, technology, and M&A and, under the Apax Funds’ ownership, Unilabs accelerated its organic growth to become a European leader in digital imaging and digital pathology diagnostics. During this period, Unilabs also completed over 50 add-on acquisitions, helping enhance the Company’s product offering and expand its geographical footprint.

Today Unilabs is the only European player covering the full spectrum of diagnostics across laboratory, imaging and pathology services at scale. Headquartered in Switzerland, Unilabs now employs over 12,000 people across 15 countries.

Steven Dyson, Partner at Apax, said: “Unilabs is an excellent example of the Apax Funds’ transformative ownership approach, focusing on healthcare fundamentals and partnering with exceptional management teams. It has been great to work with Jos, Michiel and the whole Unilabs team over the past few years. The Company has undergone significant transformation which includes accelerating organic growth, expanding into new markets through strategic acquisitions and leading the digitalisation of healthcare, to become a leading provider of diagnostics services in Europe.”

Arthur Brothag, Partner at Apax, added: “We are proud to have helped Unilabs build and scale the business and we would like to thank Jos, Michiel, and the team and wish them every success for the future in this new exciting chapter with their new partner.”

Michiel Boehmer, Chief Executive Officer of Unilabs, said “Unilabs has truly scaled its operations in the last few years and Apax has been an outstanding partner for me and the management team. Their combined experience in healthcare and technology has not only helped us enhance our existing offering and geographic reach, but also allowed us to become a pioneer in digital diagnostics and in the adoption of artificial intelligence in telemedicine. As we embark on our next chapter, I want to thank both the Apax and the Unilabs team for all their hard work and dedication over the last few years.”

Jos Lamers, Chairman of Unilabs, added: “I would like to thank Apax, who have been part of Unilabs’ journey since 2007. Apax supported our strategy, helped us grow into the international diagnostics champion we are today, and set us up perfectly for the next chapter. Also, I’d like to share my appreciation and admiration to all the Unilabs colleagues, for their tireless efforts to support our customers and patients every day.”

The Apax Funds have a strong track record of investing in the Healthcare sector, having completed more than 80 investments over the last 30 years across multiple geographies, including the US, Europe and Asia. Current and recent investments include Eating Recovery Center, a US provider of eating disorder and mood and anxiety treatments, Rodenstock, a European provider of premium, highly individualised ophthalmic lenses, InnovAge, a US provider of senior care services, the medical device companies Candela and Vyaire, as well as the specialty pharma company Neuraxpharm.

Apax was advised by Rothschild&Co (M&A adviser), and Linklaters (legal advisers). The transaction is expected to close in the next few months, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

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Specialist for medical polymer materials DETAX resolves ownership succession in the course of a management buy-out

Ecm
  • DETAX is a leading global supplier of biocompatible silicones and light-curing 3D resins for medical applications in the dental and audio sector.
  • As an innovative specialist in polymer materials, DETAX offers its customers a high-quality and extensively MDR-certified product portfolio and positions itself as a pioneer in the dynamic environment of 3D printing materials.
  • The company considers itself as a partner to a broad and loyal customer base, thereby enjoying an excellent reputation thanks to its consistently high product and service quality.
  • The Investor Consortium of ECM, PINOVA and Gilde Healthcare Private Equity supports DETAX and the management team in settling the ownership succession through a management buy-out. Together, the partners want to build on and further expand DETAX’s successful growth track.

An Investor Consortium consisting of funds managed by ECM Equity Capital Management GmbH (“ECM”), PINOVA Capital GmbH (“PINOVA”) and Gilde Healthcare (“Gilde Healthcare Private Equity”) (together the “Investor Consortium”) has acquired a majority stake in DETAX Group, the leading supplier of polymer materials for medical applications, in the context of a management buy-out. The two long-term managing directors, Mrs. Ursula Juretzki-Mangold and Mr. Ralf König, have invested alongside the Investor Consortium as part of the transaction. After more than 65 years of ownership, the transition from the owner family Regneri to the new owners has been completed. Together with the Investor Consortium, the management team will continue the successful development and will lead DETAX into the next growth phase. The transaction is subject to merger control approvals and financial details are not disclosed.

Specialist for medical materials

DETAX, based in Ettlingen, Germany, was founded in 1953 and today employs approx. 110 people. As a specialist in polymer materials, the group offers its customers a comprehensive product portfolio of dental and otoplastic consumables. The group serves an international, broadly diversified and loyal customer base. End users of the products include dental practices, dental laboratories as well as audiologists and audio laboratories. The group operates in a non-cyclical, highly regulated market environment. Complying with such regulation, DETAX holds all relevant MDR certificates. This makes DETAX one of the first companies in the industry with an extensive MDR-certified product portfolio.

Potential for internationalization, digitization, and innovations in a growing market environment

The company’s attractive end markets are continuously growing, driven by sustainable trends such as socio demographics, digitization and increasing regulatory requirements. Particularly 3D printing materials, an area in which DETAX is a pioneer with an excellent market standing, are experiencing a dynamic development. The Investor Consortium and the management team aim to further promote growth with targeted investments in DETAX’s headquarters in Ettlingen. Due to its long-standing, strong market positioning and high innovative strength, DETAX is in an excellent position to leverage such growth. Particularly strong growth potential stems from further internationalization, new customer acquisitions as well as active market consolidation. The Investor Consortium will contribute with its extensive and complementary experience in accompanying growth and internationalization as well as executing buy-and-build strategies.

Following the transaction, Peter Regneri, long-time shareholder and managing director, emphasizes the importance of handing over DETAX to an experienced consortium of mid-market investors with an international positioning, that is equipped to secure and continue the successful development of the company.

Ursula Juretzki-Mangold and Ralf König, managing directors and future shareholders say: “We are proud of what the entire DETAX team has achieved in recent years. Together, we were able to accomplish dynamic growth, particularly through internationalization and new product innovations. With the Investor Consortium, we have found strong partners who support us with many years of experience and international know-how in the healthcare and medical technology markets. Together with our partners, we plan to invest in further product innovations and digitization as well as the further strengthening of our headquarters in Ettlingen.”

Tim Krume, Director at ECM, adds: “DETAX is an exceptionally attractive company. We are excited about the highly professional organization, led by a high-calibre, experienced and motivated management team, the strong market positioning as well as the excellent reputation of the group as a leading specialist for medical materials. We are extremely pleased to accompany DETAX’s successful growth trajectory in partnership with the management team.”

Herbert Seggewiß, Partner at PINOVA, further adds: “We are impressed by the development of the group and the entrepreneurial performance of the management team. We were particularly impressed by the high-quality and extensively MDR-certified product portfolio, the long-standing loyal partnerships with customers and suppliers, and the high level of innovation with a strong track record. We look forward to a successful collaboration with the management team.”

Robert Stein, Partner at Gilde Healthcare Private Equity, notes, “DETAX represents an excellent basis for further organic and inorganic growth. We look forward to adding value in the future with our broad international network as well as our deep industry expertise, especially with respect to buy-and-build.”

The Investor Consortium was advised on the transaction by KWM (legal and structuring), CODEX (market), PwC (finance & tax), Shearman & Sterling (financing documentation), GCA Altium (debt advisor) and Willis Towers Watson (insurance). Responsible for the transaction at ECM are Tim Krume, Axel Eichmeyer and Paul Hansen, at PINOVA Herbert Seggewiß, David Gilli and Aylin Akkay and at Gilde Healthcare Private Equity Robert Stein, Tom Klein Robbenhaar and Julian Primer. DETAX was jointly advised on the transaction by CMS, Crowe BPG and Kanzlei Wangler.

About DETAX Group

DETAX, headquartered in Ettlingen with around 110 employees, is a specialist for medical materials. For more than 65 years, DETAX has been developing silicones and light-curing resins for medical applications and 3D printing. The company is one of the world’s leading specialists in polymer materials with a focus on the dental and audio sectors.

Further information at: www.detax.de

About PINOVA Capital GmbH

PINOVA Capital is an independent private equity firm investing in high-growth technology companies in German-speaking regions. PINOVA Capital focuses on “Mittelstand” companies with sales between €10 million and €75 million in the sectors industrial technology and information technology, characterized by significant growth potential, sustainable competitive advantages and a strong market position in their niche.

Further information at: www.pinovacapital.com

About Gilde Healthcare

Gilde Healthcare is a specialized healthcare investor with two fund strategies: Venture&Growth and Private Equity. The firm is headquartered in Utrecht (The Netherlands) with local offices in Frankfurt (Germany) and Cambridge (United States). Gilde Healthcare Private Equity participates in profitable lower mid-market healthcare companies based in North-Western Europe. The Private Equity fund targets healthcare providers, suppliers of medical products and service providers in the healthcare market. Gilde Healthcare Venture & Growth invests in medtech, healthtech and therapeutics in Europe and North America.

Further information at: www.gildehealthcare.com

About ECM Equity Capital Management GmbH

ECM is a trusted growth partner for mid-sized enterprises and entrepreneurs in German-speaking Europe. Since 1995, ECM has raised the private equity funds GEP I-V with aggregate equity commitments of more than €1 billion and currently invests out of the fifth fund GEP V (€325 million). The funds invest primarily in leading mid-market companies with attractive growth potential in the context of ownership successions, partnership transactions and corporate spin-offs.

Further information at: www.ecm-pe.de

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Gilde Healthcare Private Equity as part of Investor Consortium acquires DETAX

GIlde Healthcare
December 3, 2021
Frankfurt am Main, Munich and Ettlingen (Germany)
Specialist for medical polymer materials DETAX resolves ownership succession in the course of a management buy-out and continues its successful growth track together with a strong Investor Consortium

 ·    DETAX is a leading global supplier of biocompatible silicones and light-curing 3D resins for medical applications in the dental and audio sector.
·    As an innovative specialist in polymer materials, DETAX offers its customers a high-quality and extensively MDR-certified product portfolio and positions itself as a pioneer in the dynamic environment of 3D printing materials.
·    The company considers itself as a partner to a broad and loyal customer base, thereby enjoying an excellent reputation thanks to its consistently high product and service quality.
·    The Investor Consortium of ECM, PINOVA and Gilde Healthcare Private Equity supports DETAX and the management team in settling the ownership succession through a management buy-out. Together, the partners want to build on and further expand DETAX’s successful growth track.

An Investor Consortium consisting of funds managed by ECM Equity Capital Management GmbH (“ECM”), PINOVA Capital GmbH (“PINOVA”) and Gilde Healthcare Private Equity (“Gilde Healthcare”) (together the “Investor Consortium”) has acquired a majority stake in DETAX Group, the leading supplier of polymer materials for medical applications, in the context of a management buy-out. The two long-term managing directors, Mrs. Ursula Juretzki-Mangold and Mr. Ralf König, have invested alongside the Investor Consortium as part of the transaction. After more than 65 years of ownership, the transition from the owner family Regneri to the new owners has been completed. Together with the Investor Consortium, the management team will continue the successful development and will lead DETAX into the next growth phase. The transaction is subject to merger control approvals and financial details are not disclosed.

Specialist for medical materials
DETAX, based in Ettlingen, Germany, was founded in 1953 and today employs approx. 110 people. As a specialist in polymer materials, the group offers its customers a comprehensive product portfolio of dental and otoplastic consumables. The group serves an international, broadly diversified and loyal customer base. End users of the products include dental practices, dental laboratories as well as audiologists and audio laboratories. The group operates in a non-cyclical, highly regulated market environment. Complying with such regulation, DETAX holds all relevant MDR certificates. This makes DETAX one of the first companies in the industry with an extensive MDR-certified product portfolio.

Potential for internationalization, digitization, and innovations in a growing market environment
The company’s attractive end markets are continuously growing, driven by sustainable trends such as socio demographics, digitization and increasing regulatory requirements. Particularly 3D printing materials, an area in which DETAX is a pioneer with an excellent market standing, are experiencing a dynamic development. The Investor Consortium and the management team aim to further promote growth with targeted investments in DETAX’s headquarters in Ettlingen. Due to its long-standing, strong market positioning and high innovative strength, DETAX is in an excellent position to leverage such growth. Particularly strong growth potential stems from further internationalization, new customer acquisitions as well as active market consolidation. The Investor Consortium will contribute with its extensive and complementary experience in accompanying growth and internationalization as well as executing buy-and-build strategies.

Following the transaction, Peter Regneri, long-time shareholder and managing director, emphasizes the importance of handing over DETAX to an experienced consortium of mid-market investors with an international positioning, that is equipped to secure and continue the successful development of the company.

Ursula Juretzki-Mangold and Ralf König, managing directors and future shareholders say: “We are proud of what the entire DETAX team has achieved in recent years. Together, we were able to accomplish dynamic growth, particularly through internationalization and new product innovations. With the Investor Consortium, we have found strong partners who support us with many years of experience and international know-how in the healthcare and medical technology markets. Together with our partners, we plan to invest in further product innovations and digitization as well as the further strengthening of our headquarters in Ettlingen.”

Tim Krume, Director at ECM, adds: “DETAX is an exceptionally attractive company. We are excited about the highly professional organization, led by a high-calibre, experienced and motivated management team, the strong market positioning as well as the excellent reputation of the group as a leading specialist for medical materials. We are extremely pleased to accompany DETAX’s successful growth trajectory in partnership with the management team.”

Herbert Seggewiß, Partner at PINOVA, further adds: “We are impressed by the development of the group and the entrepreneurial performance of the management team. We were particularly impressed by the high-quality and extensively MDR-certified product portfolio, the long-standing loyal partnerships with customers and suppliers, and the high level of innovation with a strong track record. We look forward to a successful collaboration with the management team.”

Robert Stein, Partner at Gilde Healthcare Private Equity, notes, “DETAX represents an excellent basis for further organic and inorganic growth. We look forward to adding value in the future with our broad international network as well as our deep industry expertise, especially with respect to buy-and-build.”

The Investor Consortium was advised on the transaction by KWM (legal and structuring), CODEX (market), PwC (finance & tax), Shearman & Sterling (financing documentation), GCA Altium (debt advisor) and Willis Towers Watson (insurance). Responsible for the transaction at ECM are Tim Krume, Axel Eichmeyer and Paul Hansen, at PINOVA Herbert Seggewiß, David Gilli and Aylin Akkay and at Gilde Healthcare Private Equity Robert Stein, Tom Klein Robbenhaar and Julian Primer. DETAX was jointly advised on the transaction by CMS, Crowe BPG and Kanzlei Wangler.

About ECM Equity Capital Management GmbH (‘ECM’)
ECM is a trusted growth partner for mid-sized enterprises and entrepreneurs in German-speaking Europe. Since 1995, ECM has raised the private equity funds GEP I-V with aggregate equity commitments of more than €1 billion and currently invests out of the fifth fund GEP V (€325 million). The funds invest primarily in leading mid-market companies with attractive growth potential in the context of ownership successions, partnership transactions and corporate spin-offs. Further information at: www.ecm-pe.de.

About PINOVA Capital GmbH („PINOVA”)
PINOVA Capital is an independent private equity firm investing in high-growth technology companies in German-speaking regions. PINOVA Capital focuses on “Mittelstand” companies with sales between €10 million and €75 million in the sectors industrial technology and information technology, characterized by significant growth potential, sustainable competitive advantages and a strong market position in their niche. Further information at: www.pinovacapital.com

About Gilde Healthcare
Gilde Healthcare is a specialized healthcare investor with two fund strategies: Venture&Growth and Private Equity. The firm is headquartered in Utrecht (The Netherlands) with local offices in Frankfurt (Germany) and Cambridge (United States). Gilde Healthcare Private Equity participates in profitable lower mid-market healthcare companies based in North-Western Europe. The Private Equity fund targets healthcare providers, suppliers of medical products and service providers in the healthcare market. Gilde Healthcare Venture & Growth invests in medtech, healthtech and therapeutics in Europe and North America. Further information at: www.gildehealthcare.com

About DETAX Group („DETAX“)
DETAX, headquartered in Ettlingen with around 110 employees, is a specialist for medical materials. For more than 65 years, DETAX has been developing silicones and light-curing resins for medical applications and 3D printing. The company is one of the world’s leading specialists in polymer materials with a focus on the dental and audio sectors. Further information at: www.detax.de

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HARRISON.AI RAISES AUD$129 MILLION AND PARTNERS WITH SONIC HEALTHCARE TO DEVELOP PATHOLOGY AI, ACCELERATING ITS MISSION TO EXPAND CAPACITY OF GLOBAL HEALTHCARE

Horizons Ventures

$129 million funding raised from global venture firms and strategic investors including Horizons Ventures, I-MED Radiology and Sonic Healthcare in one of Australia’s largest Series B funding rounds ever

New pathology Joint Venture combines Harrison.ai’s expertise in clinical artificial intelligence with Sonic Healthcare’s clinical expertise and network

SYDNEY, 1 DECEMBER 2021 — Harrison.ai, the breakthrough healthcare AI company, today announced it has raised AU$129 million (USD$97 million) in one of Australia’s largest-ever Series B funding rounds. The funding will go to helping Harrison.ai expand on its mission to scale critical capacity in the global healthcare system through rapid commercialisation of comprehensive clinical AI applications.

The Series B funding round, led by existing investor Horizons Ventures, featured new equity investment from Sonic Healthcare and I-MED Radiology Network, alongside existing investors Blackbird Ventures and Skip Capital. It brings the total raised by Harrison.ai within the past two years to AU$158 million (USD$118 million).

Harrison.ai also announced a new partnership with Sonic Healthcare (ASX:SHL), a leader in medical diagnostics, to co-develop and commercialise new clinical AI solutions in pathology. The Joint Venture will culminate in new AI applications to improve efficiency and efficacy of pathology diagnosis with AI support.

New funding to help push Harrison.ai’s proven healthcare AI model to the global stage

Harrison.ai will use the new capital to rapidly expand its team of AI data scientists and engineers, while expanding into new areas of healthcare with global clinical partners. The combination of global investors like Horizons Ventures with strategic clinical investors will enable Harrison.ai to expand globally while leveraging medical expertise and reach.

Capacity in many areas of clinical diagnosis and treatment are under strain due to ongoing increases in healthcare demand contrasted with skills shortages and pandemic- related backlogs in clinical demand. Developed healthcare systems such as the United Kingdom (UK) and United States (US) face massive shortages in skilled radiologists and clinicians, with significantly more staff required to meet surging demand for diagnosis. Despite this shortage, there is a stark disparity to other markets — the US has approximately 11 radiologists per 100,000 people compared to just 0.35 radiologists per 100,000 people in Kenya.

This increased demand for equitable, accurate and effective healthcare delivery requires complementary systems like Artificial Intelligence (AI) to provide human-aided diagnosis and help relieve some of this disparity.

Harrison.ai and its partners have pioneered a unique and proven model to rapidly develop, commercialise and deploy accurate and clinically effective AI tools that support clinical diagnosis in a range of medical areas. It has developed deep artificial intelligence expertise and methodology that, when combined with the clinical expertise and data of medical partners, significantly shortens the path to market for new healthcare AI applications.

Harrison.ai and I-MED Radiology partnered to form Annalise.ai in early 2020 to develop comprehensive solutions across radiology modalities. Annalise.ai’s first product, the world’s most comprehensive AI clinical decision-support solution for Chest X-Rays, is already in more than 350 radiologists each day in Australia and rolling out to hundreds more. The partnership saw Annalise.ai co-research, develop and commercialise the solution within 18 months. The solution, which is capable of detecting 124 findings, was recently featured in peer-reviewed publication the Lancet Digital Health journal.

Dr Aengus Tran, Co-Founder and CEO of Harrison.ai, said: “Delivering equitable, effective and accurate healthcare to more people is a critical part of our mission at Harrison.ai, and as we emerge from the pandemic that mission is more important than ever. With our model and methodology now proven across multiple clinical areas, we are in a position to expand to new clinical areas and deliver on our mission with the support of our investors and partners.”

Chris Liu from Horizons Ventures, said: “Harrison.ai‘s distinct approach to AI healthcare has enabled the team to commercialise market leading solutions at record pace with its partners. We look forward to working closely with the team and our partners to help augment the capacity of healthcare systems globally.”

New Sonic Healthcare Joint Venture provides new opportunities in pathology

The new partnership with Sonic Healthcare marks the next stage on the mission to deliver equitable healthcare. It will combine Harrison.ai’s depth of expertise with Sonic Healthcare’s clinical experience and distribution to commercialise an effective and accurate AI solution in pathology rapidly.

Globally, pathology faces an even more stark skills shortage, with the number of US pathologists decreasing 18% between 2007 and 2017 despite an increase in workload. Building comprehensive AI solutions for pathology will help scale the capacity of diagnostic care across the globe.

“Sonic Healthcare’s deep clinical experience and understanding combined with our proven AI methodologies will create a powerful new way to support clinicians to more effectively and efficiently diagnose patients in pathology,” Dr Tran said.

Dr Colin Goldschmidt, CEO of Sonic Healthcare, said: “The formation of a joint venture with Harrison.ai is an exciting moment in Sonic Healthcare’s progression as a healthcare company. Harrison.ai is a smart, agile, and medically led company with a proven track record in the healthcare AI space. The partnership with Sonic and our deep healthcare experience and global reach represents a synergistic union and a powerful force in healthcare AI.”

Media contact

Jacqueline Rutledge
Sling & Stone for Harrison.ai
+61 402 266 163
jacquelinerutledge@slingstone.com

About Harrison.ai

Harrison.ai is a clinician-led healthcare artificial intelligence (AI) company rapidly developing and deploying AI solutions to address persistent healthcare challenges. With a mission to make world-class healthcare available and affordable to all, Harrison.ai works closely with clinical partners to deliver clinical-grade AI software at scale.

Harrison.ai works with partners to develop and deploy AI healthcare solutions that impact 50,000 patients each month in Australia, Europe and other countries. These include working with Virtus Health Limited to develop AI in IVF, as well as I-MED on Annalise CXR, the world’s most comprehensive AI clinical decision- support solution for chest X-rays. In July 2021, a Annalise CXR validation study published in the Lancet Digital Health found the AI model was capable of identifying 124 findings on chest x-rays to support and improve radiologist findings.

About Horizons Ventures

Horizons Ventures was co-founded by Solina Chau and Debbie Chang in 2005. It is known for backing era-defining companies making lasting and positive impact in the world. Amongst its string of notable early stage investments are Zoom, Impossible Foods, Perfect Day, Spotify, Siri and DeepMind, reflecting Horizons Ventures’ methodical long-term investment approach.