Walnut Creek, CA and Boston, MA—Dark Horse Consulting Group (“DHC”), the leading global consultancy to the cell and gene therapy (“CGT”) industry, and WestView Capital Partners (“WestView”), a Boston-based growth equity firm, are pleased to jointly announce that WestView has completed a growth investment in DHC.
Headquartered in Walnut Creek, California, DHC is the industry leading practice of expert consultants specializing exclusively in the field of cell and gene therapy. DHC leverages its team of highly experienced consultants to help clients achieve their strategic and operational objectives, spanning from high-level corporate strategy development to detailed technical implementation and regulatory roadmapping. DHC has a key focus on chemistry, manufacturing and controls (“CMC”) and regulatory strategy, offering services such as manufacturing support, process development, analytical development, quality management system analysis, device development and regulatory support, among others. DHC’s rapidly growing global team offers unrivaled expertise to therapeutic developers, investors, and tools, technology and service providers in the CGT space.
“This investment from WestView will allow us to continue to grow to meet the rapidly expanding need for expert guidance in the field of cell and gene therapy. Our foundational purpose is to use our expertise to support the acceleration of cell and gene therapies to patients, and this partnership expands the resources we’ll have in support of that goal,” said DHC CEO and Founder Anthony Davies, Ph.D. “What drew us to WestView was their knowledge of the service and healthcare spaces, combined with their overriding philosophy of long-term collaborative partnerships centered around trust in and support of their portfolio companies,” added Katy Spink, Ph.D., DHC COO and Managing Partner.
“Our investment in Dark Horse reflects WestView’s commitment to partnering with leading life science service companies led by passionate and experienced entrepeneurs,” said Greg Thomas, General Partner at WestView, who will join DHC’s Board of Directors. “Anthony has built an impressive team that positions Dark Horse as the leading consultancy in the cell and gene therapy industry. We are thrilled to partner with them and look forward to helping Dark Horse grow and expand its service offering,” noted Thomas. “Cell and gene therapy is exciting technology that has the opportunity to shape the future of medicine. But with that comes new challenges and complexity, particularly in CMC and regulatory strategy, and Dark Horse is perfectly suited to serve clients’ needs in this sector as it grows and evolves,” added Jeff Clark, a Principal at WestView, who will also join the Company’s board. “We are excited about the opportunity that lies ahead for Dark Horse.”
WestView was represented by Latham & Watkins LLP. DHC was represented by Fenwick and West LLP.
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About Dark Horse Consulting Group
Dark Horse Consulting Group, a global company with offices in both California and London, was founded in 2014 with the purpose of accelerating cell and gene therapies through unmatched consulting expertise. DHC’s collective knowledge spans manufacturing support, process development and comparability, analytical development, quantitative modeling, quality systems, device development, regulatory support, project and program management, market research, and financing and diligence. DHC offers an unmatched understanding of the challenges faced by cell and gene therapy developers and is able to apply best practices from this and other industries to address a diverse range of client needs.
About WestView Capital Partners
WestView Capital Partners, a Boston-based private equity firm focused exclusively on middle market growth companies, manages approximately $1.7 billion in capital across four funds. WestView with existing management teams to sponsor minority and majority recapitalizations, growth, and consolidation transactions in industries such as software and IT services, healthcare technology and outsourcing, business services, consumer, and growth industrial. WestView focuses on investing in companies with revenue of at least $10 million and operating profits between $3 and $25 million. For more information, please visit www.wvcapital.com.
