UTRECHT, THE NETHERLANDS – Gilde Healthcare, the European specialist investor, today announces it has sold its majority share in Viroclinics Biosciences (Viroclinics), the contract research organization (CRO), to Parcom Capital.

Gilde Healthcare invested in 2013 out of its Gilde Healthcare Services fund, a lower mid-market private equity fund focused on profitable European healthcare service businesses. The partnership with Gilde Healthcare has enabled Viroclinics to build out its leadership in virology services and triple its revenues.

“With the support of sector specialist Gilde, we managed to both expand our leading position in influenza and grow in additional virology markets and services. The recent win of a landmark project on polio illustrates our effective business strategy,” says Bob van Gemen, CEO of Viroclinics.

“When we invested in 2013 we recognized the versatile growth platform in virology services. During our holding period, the company invested in the expansion of facilities, doubled its staff, and increased its business development activities, which resulted in an outstanding growth trajectory,” says Jasper van Gorp, Managing Partner at Gilde Healthcare. “We are confident that Viroclinics is poised for further growth in the coming years, together with its new owner.”

William Blair, a global investment banking and asset management firm, advised the company’s shareholders in the transition to a new ownership structure.

Background information Viroclinics
Viroclinics Biosciences BV (Rotterdam, The Netherlands) is a virology contract research organization, serving the biopharmaceutical community as a non-clinical and clinical reference laboratory for supporting the development of antiviral compounds and vaccines, targeting viral infectious diseases. For more information see www.viroclinics.eu

Background information Gilde Healthcare
Gilde Healthcare (Utrecht, The Netherlands and Cambridge, Massachusetts) is a specialized European healthcare investor managing two business lines: lower mid-market buy-out funds and venture & growth capital funds. The Gilde Healthcare buy-out funds invest in profitable European healthcare services companies, e.g., healthcare providers, service providers and various suppliers, with a focus on the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. The venture & growth capital funds invest in medtech, digital health and therapeutics in Europe and North America. Since 2001 Gilde Healthcare has raised €800 million ($950 million) for its specialized funds.
For more information see www.gildehealthcare.com