Aksia Group Acquires Primo Group to Expand Dental Healthcare Business

On October 25, 2019, VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) learned via Business Wire that private equity firm Aksia Group (Aksia) announced the acquisition of Primo Group, a dental healthcare company under ArchiMed. No financial terms of the transaction were disclosed.

ArchiMed completed a €150 million financing round in 2015 and acquired the Italian dental healthcare company Primo Group. Under ArchiMed’s leadership, Primo Group achieved significant growth in both profitability and scale.

Primo Group, established in 2010 and headquartered in Piedmont, Italy, is a healthcare company. The company primarily focuses on the dental sector, dedicated to meeting the medical needs of patients with dental diseases. In 2008, the Italian government deregulated the domestic dental market and authorized the general public to establish dental clinics. Currently, Primo Group operates 50 directly-owned dental clinics and employs 200 staff members.

ArchiMed, founded in 2014 and headquartered in Lyon, France, is a leading financial services and private equity firm. It is the first independent private equity company in Europe focused on the healthcare sector, primarily providing capital support and strategic guidance to healthcare enterprises. Currently, ArchiMed’s core investment areas include biopharmaceuticals, medical technology, nursing services, and preventive care.

Aksia, a private equity firm founded in 1995 and headquartered in Milan, Italy, boasts an experienced investment management team that primarily provides comprehensive investment solutions to entrepreneurs and other institutional investors. Given the substantial costs and resources required to develop and maintain investment programs, Aksia leverages its historical expertise and professional knowledge to help enterprises formulate strategies and offer supplemental resource solutions tailored to their specific needs.

Currently, Aksia has 172 investment professionals, including 93 research specialists and 11 high-tech technical experts. The company’s investment scope covers insurance companies, government-related entities, charitable foundations, pension plans, and pension funds. Aksia aims to become the second-largest leading group in Italy, after DentalPro, within the next 18 months. It plans to open eight new clinics by the end of this year and 20 new clinics by 2020, while expanding its business to other regions of Italy.

Marco Rayneri, CEO and Co-Founder of Aksia, stated, “The acquisition of Primo Group marks Aksia’s first step into the healthcare sector, which is still in its developmental stage in the Italian market. We believe this acquisition will bring us substantial returns.”

Mirko Puccio, Founder and CEO of Primo Group, stated: “We thank ArchiMed for its trust and support. By collaborating with experienced healthcare professionals, we will achieve rapid growth in the dental sector, continuously expanding our product market and enhancing service quality.”

(Compiled by Xu Xiaoxue)