Taylor Wessing has advised the shareholders of Kinapse, a leading global provider of advisory, capability building and operational services to the life sciences industries, on a deal which sees Hg Capital become the majority investor in the business.

Established ten years ago by co-founders Nicholas Edwards, Chairman, and Andy Black, CEO, Kinapse has offices in the UK, India and the United States and employs over 500 professionals worldwide. Kinapse is a partner of 9 out of the top 10 global pharma companies.

The transaction represents an exceptional exit for Synova Capital, an investor in Kinapse since 2012, which realised a 16.1x return on its investment. As part of the transaction, a separate team drawn from Taylor Wessing’s Private Equity group advised on the new incentive arrangements for the management team of Kinapse.

Emma Danks, partner in the Private Equity group said: “We were delighted to assist Synova Capital, Andy, Nick and the other shareholders with their very successful sale of Kinapse to Hg Capital. Highly competitive auction processes such as this one demonstrate our Private Equity team’s ability to deploy a highly-skilled team of lawyers from across the firm to deliver a transaction within a tight timetable and on good commercial terms. We wish the team at Kinapse all the best for their future growth.”

Emma Danks led the team, with assistance from Adam Griffiths, Nick Karangizi, Alex M. Walker and Laura Clegg. Ed Waldron and Suzy Penney advised management. Cross-practice support was provided by Ann Casey, Kate Keeling, Rob Young, Eithne James, Sean Nesbitt, Felicity Staff, Louisa Penny, Lucy Bowler, Grant Wellcome and Martine Reddin.