We first invested in Arcinova, an Alnwick-based pharmaceutical research and development company, in 2018. We provided growth capital and extensive strategic support, to help scale its technology and production capabilities, to achieve rapid international sales expansion.
Alongside our investment, we helped to unlock value in the business:
- Supporting it in securing an asset-based bank loan, to enhance its financial stability
- Laying the groundwork for succession planning, by helping to strengthen the senior management team
- Lending further credibility to Arcinova, through our backing, particularly in its engagements with major pharmaceutical companies worldwide
Three years into our partnership with the business, Arcinova had scaled its headcount and achieved 10x profit growth, alongside significant revenue growth (from £10 million to £16 million). At this point, it was operating as one of the most technically advanced CDMO facilities of its kind in the UK.
In 2021, we exited our investment, when the business was acquired by Quotient Sciences, a leading drug development and manufacturing accelerator — which enabled the integration of drug substance, drug product, and clinical testing capabilities under one organisation.
“Getting other people to challenge you is where the value lies, particularly with BGF, as they came at many issues from a different perspective. That helped to share my burden as a business leader.”
Professor Ian Shott
Co-Founder & Executive Chair of Arcinova
Professor Ian Shott, Co-Founder of Arcinova, shared his experiences of bringing a minority equity investor onto the company’s board in an in-depth interview, covering his life and career to date. Click below to read it.
