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

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.