KKR-backed Biosynth Carbosynth Acquires vivitide and Welcomes Ampersand Capital Partners as New Shareholder

Combination of Biosynth Carbosynth and vivitide creates global life sciences platform serving high-growth biopharma and diagnostics end markets

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--KKR, a leading global investment firm, announced today the closing of its previously announced investment in Biosynth Carbosynth, an innovative life sciences reagents, custom synthesis and manufacturing services company, as well as Biosynth Carbosynth’s acquisition of vivitide, a global provider of custom peptides and antibodies for the life sciences and biotech industry. Existing vivitide owner Ampersand Capital Partners will roll over its entire stake and become a substantial minority shareholder of the combined entity. Together, KKR and Ampersand plan to accelerate the company’s geographic expansion, broaden its capabilities, and expand its product portfolio.

“We are thrilled to begin this next chapter for Biosynth Carbosynth with KKR and Ampersand and to welcome our new colleagues at vivitide. We will benefit greatly from vivitide’s strong U.S. presence, complementary portfolio of products and services, and entrepreneurial culture,” said Dr. Urs Spitz, CEO and President of Biosynth Carbosynth. “This acquisition marks an important milestone in our ambitious journey to become a leading global partner providing critical materials to the biopharma and diagnostics industries. With the support of KKR and Ampersand, we look forward to continuing to partner with premium, rapidly growing businesses across the highly fragmented life sciences supply chain.”

Dr. Martina Diekmann, CEO of vivitide, added, “vivitide is proud to join forces with Biosynth Carbosynth, who shares our passion for scientific excellence, customer service, and continuous innovation. As part of a global operation, we will be able to accelerate our growth, expand our product offering, and continue to deliver best-in-class products and services to our customers.”

Kugan Sathiyanandarajah, Managing Director at KKR and Head of Europe for KKR’s Health Care Strategic Growth strategy, and Anuv Ratan, Director at KKR, said, “The acquisition of vivitide further positions Biosynth Carbosynth as a premium global platform serving high-growth end markets in the life sciences. We look forward to supporting Urs, Martina, and the employees of both businesses and are thrilled to welcome Ampersand, with whom we have a long-standing relationship, as an important partner.”

Eric Lev, General Partner at Ampersand, added, “We are excited to see our vivitide investment become part of this global organization. We have built a trusted relationship with KKR over the past few years and look forward to working together with them to drive future organic and inorganic growth.”

KKR invested in Biosynth Carbosynth through KKR Health Care Strategic Growth Fund II, a $4.0 billion fund focused on investing in high-growth health care companies for which KKR can be a unique partner in helping companies reach scale.

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About KKR

KKR is a leading global investment firm that offers alternative asset management as well as capital markets and insurance solutions. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people and supporting growth in its portfolio companies and communities. KKR sponsors investment funds that invest in private equity, credit and real assets and has strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR’s insurance subsidiaries offer retirement, life and reinsurance products under the management of Global Atlantic Financial Group. References to KKR’s investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds and insurance subsidiaries. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE: KKR), please visit KKR’s website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter @KKR_Co.

About Biosynth Carbosynth

Biosynth Carbosynth is a Research Products, Life Sciences Reagents and Custom Synthesis and Manufacturing Services Company with global research, manufacturing and distribution facilities. They are the supplier of choice for many in the pharmaceutical, life science, and diagnostic sectors and manufacture and source a vast range of chemical and biochemical products. The company specializes in carbohydrates, nucleosides, phospholipids, enzyme substrates, antimicrobials, APIs and natural products and have a full range of reagents for protein production and analysis. Find out more about Biosynth Carbosynth at www.biosynth-carbosynth.com.

About Ampersand Capital Partners

Founded in 1988, Ampersand is a middle market private equity firm with more than $2 billion of assets under management dedicated to growth-oriented investments in the healthcare sector. With offices in Boston and Amsterdam, Ampersand leverages its unique blend of private equity and operating experience to build value and drive superior long-term performance alongside its portfolio company management teams. Ampersand has helped build numerous market-leading companies across each of the firm’s core healthcare sectors. Additional information about Ampersand is available at www.ampersandcapital.com.

About vivitide

vivitide is a global provider of custom peptides, antibody services, and catalog products for the life science and biotech industry. Formed by the merger of New England Peptide (founded 1998) and Peptides International (founded in 1983) in 2019, vivitide is headquartered in Gardner, MA, with significant operations in Louisville, KY. Committed to outstanding quality and customer service, vivitide provides a broad portfolio of custom peptide synthesis services, custom antibodies, catalog peptides, and biochemicals to academia, pharmaceutical, biotech, and diagnostic companies worldwide.