Baird Capital, a direct investment division of Robert W. Baird & Co, has invested in London, UK-based Prescient Healthcare Group, a product strategy consultancy focused on the biopharmaceutical industry.
As part of the deal, Baird Capital partner Andrew Ferguson and principal John DiGiovanni will join the Prescient board of directors with founder Nick Edwards chairing the board.
Jamie Denison-Pender, chief executive officer of Prescient, said: “We are thrilled to be partnering with Baird Capital, which has an extensive track record of knowledge of the healthcare sector and helping people-based businesses grow.
“Baird’s global resources, experience in scaling professional services organisations and focus on talent development will be critical as Prescient enters its next stage of growth.”
The investment comes off the back of Baird raising $310m to invest in lower middle market firms in the technology, healthcare and industrial solutions sectors.
So far, the investment group has already tapped into the fund to back US digital marketing service provider R2i and a UK-based global aviation group.
Ferguson said: “The prescient team has built a fantastic business that day-in and day-out supports blue-chip clients with the insight and analysis they need to make business-critical decisions.
“The market for the company’s services is set to continue to grow strongly as biopharmaceutical companies seek to develop and market products in a cost- and time-effective way.
“Our investment and global resources will help further accelerate Prescient’s growth and we look forward to partnering with the team in an exciting future for the business.”
To date, Baird’s current healthcare portfolio includes New Vitality, a marketer of supplements and personal care products and Alpha Source, a provider of solutions for medical equipment.