EW Healthcare Partners ("EW" or the "Firm"), a growth equity firm that seeks to invest in fast-growing healthcare companies, announced it raised over $745 million in EW Healthcare Partners Fund 2a, L.P. (together with its parallel fund, "Fund 2"), the Firm's second dedicated growth equity fund. This raise was substantially above the $650M target and $200 millionabove the amount raised for Essex Woodlands Fund IX, L.P. ("Fund 1"). Following the strategy established in Fund 1, Fund 2a targets fast-growing commercial-stage healthcare companies in the pharmaceutical, medical device, diagnostics, and technology-enabled services sectors in the United States and in Europe.

"We are committed to creating value for both our investors as well as our portfolio companies' shareholders and management teams. Fund 2's capital will be deployed with the goal of accelerating the revenue growth of burgeoning healthcare companies. We are primarily looking for middle-market companies, with revenues of $20 million to $200 million and the potential to grow at ~20% annual revenue growth rate for several years.  We believe our healthcare expertise and team of experienced operating partners and senior advisors provide us with the platform to attract and add value to the types of healthcare companies that Fund 2 is targeting," said Petri Vainio, Managing Director and Chairman of the Firm's Executive Committee.

"Our approach is hands-on, long-term oriented, highly collaborative and focused on value creation," said Marty Sutter, Co-Founder and Chairman of the Firm's Investment Committee.  "Fund 1 successfully invested in several promising healthcare companies, and we look forward to endeavouring to build another portfolio of successful healthcare companies in Fund 2. Our goal is to provide capital that can drive revenue growth by expanding a sales force, expanding the geographic territory or countries where the products are sold, acquiring complementary products or companies, and/or developing and launching new products."

EW HEALTHCARE PARTNERS SENIOR ADVISORS AND OPERATING PARTNERS

The EW Healthcare Partners team includes a number of experienced healthcare executives who help identify, work with, and add value to our portfolio companies.  The executives with pharmaceutical experience include:

• Goran Ando, senior advisor and former Chairman of Novo Nordisk A/S;
• Lamberto Andreotti, senior advisor and former Chairman of Bristol-Myers Squibb Company;
• Tom Caskey, senior advisor and former President of the Merck Genome Research Institute;
• Bryan Morton, operating partner and former CEO and current Chairman of EUSA Pharma Ltd.; and
• Mike Warmuth, operating partner and former head of the Established Pharmaceuticals Division of Abbott Laboratories.

The executives with medical device experience include:

• Olivier Bohuon, senior advisor and former CEO of Smith & Nephew plc;
• Bill Hawkins, senior advisor and former Chairman and CEO of Medtronic Inc.;
• Guido Neels, operating partner and former COO of Guidant Corporation; and

Bob White, operating partner and former CEO of Entellus Medical, Inc.