Malvern, PA – February 5, 2019
YPrime, a global leader of cloud-based eClinical solutions, announced today that it has received a significant investment from Flexpoint Ford (Flexpoint), a Chicago-based private equity firm focused on the healthcare and financial services industries. Following Flexpoint’s investment, YPrime will continue to operate as an independent company led by its current management team, who will also retain a substantial ownership stake.
Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Malvern, Pennsylvania, YPrime provides software solutions and consulting services that enable efficient and collaborative clinical trial data collection and information management for biopharmaceutical companies and contract research organizations. The company’s eClinical suite includes electronic clinical outcome assessments (eCOA), interactive response technology (IRT) and eClinical consulting and integration services. YPrime’s eCOA and IRT solutions are fully supported by experienced project management teams and combine configurability with customizable functionality to meet complex global clinical trial requirements.
Shawn Blackburn, CEO and Co-Founder of YPrime, said, “We are incredibly excited to have found a partner in Flexpoint that shares our vision for rapidly scaling YPrime’s eClinical solutions platform. Not only will the financial backing offered by Flexpoint allow us to accelerate our growth of technology solutions across global clinical trial operations, but Flexpoint’s experience within the biopharmaceutical, technology and services sectors will provide us with strategic resources and capabilities to strengthen our next phase of growth.”
“YPrime is an exceptional company in a fast-growing industry, and we are delighted to have the opportunity to invest behind Shawn Blackburn and his outstanding management team,” said Jonathan Oka, Managing Director of Flexpoint. “YPrime has developed a strong reputation for an innovative eClinical platform and technology stack, which we believe is well-positioned to help clinical trial sponsors address current challenges, promote technology adoption and facilitate the next generation of clinical trials.”
“As demand for eCOA and IRT solutions thrives, the timing of this partnership could not be better,” said Mark Maietta, YPrime President. “It allows us to expand services and support for our clients and brings us an investor in Flexpoint with considerable industry expertise.”
Ballast Point Ventures (BPV), which has backed YPrime since 2013, will retain a minority stake in the company and invest alongside Flexpoint in the transaction. Matt Rice, Partner at BPV, said, “We have known Flexpoint for many years and have been impressed with their track record and commitment to investing in companies like YPrime. We are proud to support YPrime in this next chapter and look forward to the company’s continued success.”
As part of the transaction, Hill Ward Henderson acted as legal advisor to YPrime. Kirkland & Ellis and Duane Morris served as legal advisors to Flexpoint.
YPrime offers more than a decade of focused work with eClinical systems to expedite and improve the quality of site and patient management, clinical supplies, drug accountability and clinical data. Cloud-based eCOA and IRT platforms enable greater speed, precision and integration in clinical trial management. Data services tools eliminate data silos and help sponsors bring together fragmented clinical research data into contextual and actionable information. For more information, visit https://www.yprime.com.
Ballast Point Ventures, headquartered in Tampa, Florida, is a later-stage venture capital and growth equity fund founded in 2002 to provide expansion capital for rapidly growing, privately owned companies, with a particular emphasis on companies located in Florida, the Southeast and Texas. The BPV partners have more than 80 years of combined experience investing in and building high-growth companies in several industries, including healthcare, software, technology-enabled business services and consumer. BPV has $360 million under management across three funds. For more information, visit http://www.ballastpointventures.com.