Biovian attracts Keensight Capital investment

Turku, Finland: – Specialist biopharmaceutical CDMO Biovian has announced that Keensight Capital, one of the leading players in Growth Private Equity, has acquired a majority stake in the company, alongside its founders and managers.

This significant new investment will allow Biovian to reinforce its position as a leading European player in contract manufacturing and development of biopharmaceuticals, helping the management team to mobilize ample resources to implement its strategic development plan.

Strategic development plan

The plan includes:

• Increasing capacities, both in the complex microbial development space and in the booming viral vector and gene therapy market
• Pursuing expansion into international markets
• Further extending Biovian’s ‘one-stop-shop’ concept
• Reinforcing its services portfolio to support its clients over additional stages of their products’ life cycle with “follow the molecule” approach

Growing market for outsourced biologics

Biovian provides services to some 30 customers including international biotechs and biopharma companies from the U.K., E.U., U.S. and South Korea. Based in Finland, Biovian has 70 employees and aims to double revenue and staff over the next five years.

The outsourced biologics development market is a growing market space driven by structural changes in the pharma industry, such as a shift from chemical to biologics molecules and overall increased complexity of molecules and growing trend to outsourcing. Through its knowledge of the pharma industry and its experience in the CDMO sector, amongst others its investment in Unither, Keensight Capital will mobilize significant resources to help the management team to implement a strategic development plan to become a European leader.

Developing microbial, mammalian and viral vector platforms

Biovian’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Knut Ringbom, said: “We are very pleased to team up with Keensight Capital and welcome such a respected investor as a partner. Thanks to their support, we intend to develop our offer and know-how on existing technologies (microbial, mammalian and viral vector platforms), in the context of a strongly growing biopharma CDMO market with significant capacity shortages. We are convinced that with Keensight’s deep knowledge of the healthcare sector, and their extensive international network, we will together enable our company to fulfil its ambitions to become the market’s first choice full service CDMO.”

Magdalena Svensson, Partner at Keensight Capital, added: “We are extremely enthusiastic to have gained the trust of Dr. Knut Ringbom and his highly experienced management team. We identified the company for its strong international footprint as well as its solid positioning within the strongest growth segment of the pharma industry. As a reference player in this complex market segment characterized by a stringent regulatory environment, combined with a profitable growth, Biovian has all assets to fit our investment strategy. We will accompany Biovian’s management to create tomorrow’s European leader in the Biologics CDMO space.”

About Biovian

Biovian Ltd. is a one-stop-shop Contract Manufacturing Organization (CMO) specializing in full-process development and manufacture that extends ‘from gene to finished vial’.

Biovian offers Good Manufacturing Practice compliant (cGMP) services from its 3,400 square meter facilities in Turku, Finland, that are EMA certified and FDA inspected for production of investigational and commercial products.

The CMO has more than a decade’s successful track record in pharmaceutical contract manufacturing ranging over a wide variety of different biopharmaceutical projects. Biovian GMP services include microbial fermentation, mammalian cell culture, viral vector production, protein purification, formulation, aseptic fill & finish, analytical quality control, stability studies and virus & cell banking. It also offers labelling, packaging, storage and QP release services.

Biovian also provides development services that cover process and analysis.

About Keensight Capital

Keensight Capital, one of the leading European Growth Buyout firms, is committed to supporting entrepreneurs as they implement their growth strategies. For almost 20 years now, its team of seasoned professionals have leveraged their knowledge in investment and growth industries to invest for the long term in profitable companies with high growth potential and revenues in the range of €15 million to €250 million.

Drawing on its expertise in the sectors of Internet/Information Technology and Healthcare/Wellbeing, Keensight identifies the best investment opportunities in Europe and works closely with management teams to develop and achieve their strategic vision.

Its Growth Buyout model stresses investment in profitable, private companies experiencing strong growth, in minority or majority positions, with or without leverage, using a flexible approach adapted to the needs of individual entrepreneurs, in order to finance organic growth projects, acquisition strategies or provide historic shareholders with liquidity.

More at: www.keensightcapital.com.