About This Fund
Mérieux Participations 3 is the third growth capital and buy-out fund managed by Mérieux Equity Partners, the investment arm of Institut Mérieux, a leading French family holding company with deep roots in biomedical science and healthcare innovation. Mérieux Equity Partners, headquartered in Lyon with offices in Paris and Boston, manages a dedicated fund series focused exclusively on the healthcare and nutrition sectors, investing in small- to mid-cap growth companies across France, Europe, and North America. Mérieux Participations 3 completed its fundraising at €377 million in December 2019, surpassing its initial hard cap of €350 million, attracting capital from leading European family holdings and institutional investors who share the fund's long-term orientation toward healthcare value creation.
The fund pursues a dual strategy combining majority growth capital investments and management buy-out (MBO) transactions within the healthcare and nutrition sectors, targeting established businesses that can benefit from Mérieux Equity Partners' scientific expertise, operational network, and cross-border deal-making capabilities. Typical equity investments range from €20 million to €40 million per company, allowing the fund to support companies through meaningful inflection points in their growth trajectories. The investment team of eight dedicated professionals focuses on companies across diagnostics, medical devices, specialty pharmaceutical, nutraceuticals, clinical research, and related healthcare services, leveraging Institut Mérieux's scientific heritage and its portfolio of global biomedical businesses.
By December 2019, Mérieux Participations 3 had already completed seven transactions, including majority investments in Addmedica (France, a rare disease specialty pharmaceutical company), Doc Generici (Italy, a generic pharmaceutical distributor), and Mabtech (Sweden, an immunoassay and reagent developer). The fund subsequently completed successful exits including Biobest and Doc Generici, delivering returns to its LP base. Mérieux Equity Partners manages this fund alongside its predecessor vehicles Mérieux Participations 1 and 2, building on a heritage of disciplined, science-led healthcare private equity investing that reflects the values and long-term perspective of the Mérieux family and Institut Mérieux.