Transaction overview
We are delighted to announce the successful completion of our latest transaction, advising Cognite, a leading healthcare strategy and communications agency, on its investment from Vespa Capital. In this process, the Cognite team were looking to find a partner with shared values, passion for the (bio)pharmaceuticals industry and the right experience and capabilities to help Cognite get to the next stage of its growth. After successfully taking the business to market and receiving strong interest from a host of leading UK mid-market private equity houses, Vespa was selected as the partner for Cognite.
Cognite will continue to be run by existing leadership team of Lee Hurley and Sean Cush with ongoing involvement from Mike Young.
About Cognite
Founded in 2012, Cognite is an independent healthcare strategy and communications agency with focus on rare diseases and specialist pharma. Cognite team is made of professionals specialising in complex, challenging medicine, including breakthrough oncology technologies and rare and ultra-rare diseases. Headquartered in London with a presence in Switzerland, Cognite occupies a rapidly growing space in the market – biotech and specialist pharma and offers leading insights into strategic positioning and optimisation throughout the product lifecycle.
Cognite is entering a new growth phase with plans to expand across Europe, the US and Asia, and to strengthen its position as a leading healthcare communication agency for the world’s leading pharma and biotech brands.
About Vespa Capital
Vespa Capital is a well-established independent private equity investment firm, founded by experienced industry practitioners, with a focus on supporting MBOs and private company recapitalisations. The investment partners have long-standing, wide-ranging and international experience with a common heritage that brings a rich level of support to ambitious founders and management teams in the lower mid-market. Vespa Capital has a strong track record of partnering with differentiated, niche and quality leading B2B technology and services businesses enabling management teams to achieve their growth objectives.
Ciesco’s role
Ciesco acted as an exclusive sell-side advisor to the partners of Cognite and was selected based on its specialist sector expertise and a strong network of senior-level buyer and investor relationships including Private Equity firms, leading strategy consultants, advertising networks, financial, and trade buyers.
In Vespa Capital, Ciesco and Cognite identified the financial heft, industry expertise and cultural synergy to take Cognite to the next level.
The transaction delivers a bespoke recapitalisation solution to the Cognite founders and senior management team, with Lee Hurley (CEO), Sean Cush (Chief Business Officer) and Mike Young (Non-executive Director) reinvesting a significant portion of their proceeds alongside Vespa Capital.
Client testimonials
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"Right from the outset of the process, we knew that Ciesco were the best advisors to help us navigate this transaction. From Day 1 through to deal completion, the Ciesco team provided us with an outstanding level of service, support and solutions focus, resulting in an impressive range of potential deal options and delivering an excellent result. They showed genuine sector understanding throughout, and were able to instantly identify the key properties and values of the business. It was great to see the interest in our business, and in Vespa Capital, we found the partner we need to complement our expertise and culture as we scale up."
"We are proud to have worked with Cognite and Vespa Capital to facilitate this investment. This partnership with Vespa Capital will enable Cognite to supercharge its current growth rate within its existing locations as well as in new markets overseas. I am confident that this partnership can deliver sustainable growth that can help to expand Cognite’s global presence. This is a great outcome for Cognite’s management team, employees, and clients."