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BlackArch Partners Advises X-Chem on its sale from an affiliate of The Carlyle Group and Hellman & Friedman to GHO Capital

BlackArch Partners Advises X-Chem on its sale from an affiliate of The Carlyle Group and Hellman & Friedman to GHO Capital.

BlackArch Partners (“BlackArch”) is pleased to announce that it advised on the sale of X-Chem, Inc. (“X-Chem” or the “Company”), from an affiliate of The Carlyle Group and Hellman & Friedman, to GHO Capital Partners LLP (“GHO”).

X-Chem is an industry-leading provider of DNA-Encoded Library (DEL)-based discovery services. From its Waltham, US headquarters and leveraging a proprietary DEL platform with libraries containing over 200 billion small molecules, X-Chem provides drug discovery services to biopharma partners. X-Chem has licensed over seventy research programs, comprising hundreds of novel chemical entities, to companies throughout the US, Europe and Japan. DEL technology, allowing customers to screen billions of compounds simultaneously against a single biological target, is an innovative and high growth segment of the market as pharmaceutical companies look for access to cutting edge scientific expertise to support an increasingly challenging drug discovery process.

X-Chem will benefit from GHO’s expertise, global network and international resources to accelerate growth. With continued investment and support from GHO, X-Chem will leverage its best-in-class technology to expand its capabilities and grow internationally.

Matt Clark, CEO of X-Chem, commented: “BlackArch’s combination of a deep understanding of pharmaceutical discovery and development, a global buyer perspective and exceptional M&A execution was critical to positioning our business to the marketplace and running an efficient sale process. BlackArch worked tirelessly to execute and close this transaction while identifying an ideal partner we are excited to work with.”

Judd Hartman, former Chairman of the X-Chem Board, commented: “We engaged BlackArch given their extensive pharmaceutical services expertise and middle market M&A focus. Their unique knowledge of the sector and dedicated efforts resulted in an exceptional outcome to the sale process while successfully navigating through a dynamic M&A market.”

BlackArch was retained by X-Chem to serve as its exclusive financial advisor.  The transaction continues BlackArch’s strong presence in the pharmaceutical outsourcing and healthcare sectors and is representative of the firm’s focus on providing dedicated M&A advisory services to market-leading businesses.

 

About BlackArch Partners

BlackArch Partners is a leading middle-market investment bank offering a full spectrum of advisory services to financial sponsors, private companies and diversified corporations. BlackArch addresses the needs of companies with specialized services that include M&A advisory, strategic advisory and private capital solutions. Headquartered in Charlotte, NC, BlackArch features a total of 12 industry-focused practices that cover all sectors of interest to middle-market investors; BlackArch professionals have closed more than 350 transactions in 16 countries on four continents. Please visit our website, www.blackarchpartners.com, for more details.

Securities offered through BlackArch Securities LLC. Member FINRA and SIPC.  Testimonials may not be representative of the experience of all clients.  Testimonials are not a guarantee of future performance or success.

About X-Chem

X-Chem, Inc. is a privately-owned biotechnology company based in Waltham, Massachusetts. The company’s mission is to apply its powerful product engine to the discovery of small molecule leads against high-value therapeutic targets. X-Chem has established partnerships with AbbVie, Alexion, Almirall, Bristol-Myers Squibb, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Department of Defense/Harvard, Gilead, Janssen, Maruho, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Ono, Otsuka, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, Taiho Pharma, Vertex, and several other leading pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology organizations, and academic centers.

Additional information is available at www.x-chemrx.com.

About The Carlyle Group 

The Carlyle Group (NASDAQ: CG) is a global investment firm with deep industry expertise that deploys private capital across four business segments: Corporate Private Equity, Real Assets, Global Credit and Investment Solutions. With $217 billion of assets under management as of March 31, 2020, Carlyle’s purpose is to invest wisely and create value on behalf of its investors, portfolio companies and the communities in which we live and invest. The Carlyle Group employs more than 1,775 people in 32 offices across six continents.

Additional information is available at www.carlyle.com.

About Hellman & Friedman

Hellman & Friedman is a preeminent global private equity firm with a distinctive investment approach focused on largescale equity investments in high-quality growth businesses. H&F seeks to partner with world-class management teams where its deep sector expertise, long-term orientation, and collaborative partnership approach enable companies to flourish. H&F targets outstanding businesses in select sectors including software & technology, financial services, healthcare, retail & consumer, and other business services. Since its founding in 1984, H&F has raised over $50 billion of committed capital, invested in over 90 companies, and is currently investing its ninth fund, with $16.5 billion of committed capital.

Additional information is available at www.hf.com.

About GHO Capital

Global Healthcare Opportunities, or GHO Capital Partners LLP, is a leading specialist healthcare investment advisor based in London. We apply global capabilities and perspectives to unlock high growth healthcare opportunities in Europe, building market leading businesses of strategic global value. Our proven investment track record reflects the unrivalled depth of our industry expertise and network. We partner with strong management teams to unlock value in a global system that demands the delivery of better, faster, more accessible healthcare.

For further information, please visit www.ghocapital.com.