SFW invests in CRO Sannova

• As part of the transaction, SFW Operating Advisor Michael Silvon will join Sannova’s board of directors as executive chairman
• Sannova was founded in 2006
• SFW Capital Partners invests in the industrial and life sciences technology sector

SFW Capital Partners has made an investment in Somerset, New Jersey-based Sannova Analytical Inc, a contract research organization. No financial terms were disclosed.

Sannova’s founders and existing owners, including the Marepalli family, Dr. Venkat Reddy, Malleswar Kollu, and Geeta Vidiyala will be reinvesting alongside SFW to retain an equity stake in the business. No financial terms were disclosed.

Sannova was founded in 2006.

“We are very excited to partner with the team at Sannova to build on their tremendous success and enhance the value they provide to major pharmaceutical and biotech companies in the U.S. and around the world,” said Roger Freeman, a co-founder and partner at SFW, in a statement. “The Company is well positioned to take advantage of major industry trends, particularly the increasing tendency of biopharmaceutical companies to outsource critical activities to specialized CROs that can deliver high-quality services with great efficiency. We believe Sannova’s growth can be further accelerated through diversifying the breadth of its service offering, generating greater awareness of its capabilities in the market, and pursuing strategic acquisitions.”

As part of the transaction, SFW Operating Advisor Michael Silvon will join Sannova’s board of directors as executive chairman. Dr. Silvon, who has spent his entire career in the life sciences industry, previously served as vice president for Charles River Labs’ Global Biopharmaceutical Services division. In this role, he led over 400 employees, led international expansion into Europe, and helped his division capture global market leadership. Previously, he served as vice president of corporate planning and development at Bioanalytical Systems (now Inotiv), where he helped drive significant growth in revenue and capacity, in part through the execution and successful integration of five strategic add-on acquisitions.

SFW has led investments in numerous leading founder- and family-owned businesses in the industrial and life sciences technology sectors.

Since inception, Sannova has completed over 1,200 clinical trials and has maintained an impeccable inspection record with the FDA and its sponsors.

SFW Capital Partners is a private equity firm focused on building market leading companies in the industrial and life sciences technology sector.