Strategic partnership finalized, unlocking expanded AI-driven platform capabilities and international growth
Scientist.com, the life sciences industry’s leading AI-enabled R&D orchestration platform, and GHO Capital Partners LLP (“GHO”), the specialist private equity investor in global healthcare, today announced the successful closing of GHO’s acquisition of Scientist.com. The transaction marks the beginning of an accelerated expansion phase, strengthening Scientist.com’s mission to transform pharmaceutical R&D by streamlining the entire outsourced research lifecycle.
“This is a pivotal moment for Scientist.com and for the global research community we support,” said Kevin Lustig, CEO and Chris Petersen, CTO, the founders of Scientist.com. “Partnering with GHO, a team that shares our vision and brings deep expertise in scaling healthcare technology companies, enables us to invest aggressively in our AI-powered orchestration platform and expand our global footprint. Together, we are better positioned than ever to meet growing demand for faster, smarter and more compliant research sourcing.”
Founded in 2007, Scientist.com pioneered the online marketplace model for outsourced scientific services. The company has since evolved into an AI-enabled R&D Orchestration Platform that connects leading pharmaceutical and biotech organizations with more than 6,000 pre-vetted research suppliers worldwide. By digitizing and governing the full outsourced R&D lifecycle, from vendor selection and contracting to tracking, compliance, and spend visibility, the platform helps customers accelerate timelines, reduce operational risk, and improve decision-making across discovery and development.
With the partnership now formalized, Scientist.com and GHO will focus on expanding platform adoption across Europe and other international markets, while accelerating development of next-generation AI and automation capabilities, including intelligent vendor management, automated contracting workflows, and predictive project modeling.
“We are delighted to finalize our investment in Scientist.com,” said Edward de Nor and Stuart Quin, Partners at GHO Capital. “The company is a genuine category creator at the intersection of AI, digital commerce, and the modernization of biopharma supply chains. By joining forces, we aim to help the Scientist.com team realize its vision of putting outsourced R&D ‘on rails,’ unlocking significant efficiency gains and enabling better, faster, more accessible healthcare globally.”
GHO Capital Partners is a leading specialist healthcare private equity firm with over $10 billion in Assets Under Management (AUM). The firm focuses exclusively on scaling innovative healthcare businesses, with a strategy centered on high-growth, complex subsectors including BioPharma Services, HealthTech, and Life Science Tools.
Scientist.com will continue to operate from its headquarters in Solana Beach, California, and will remain under the leadership of its current executive team. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
About Scientist.com
Scientist.com is the leading AI-enabled R&D orchestration platform for the life science industry. The platform simplifies drug discovery and clinical development by streamlining procurement, accelerating innovation, ensuring regulatory compliance, and connecting scientists with a global network of pre-qualified suppliers. Scientist.com powers private marketplaces for many of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies and hundreds of biotech firms. The company is headquartered in Solana Beach, California.
More information: www.scientist.com
About GHO Capital Partners LLP
Global Healthcare Opportunities, or GHO Capital Partners LLP, is a leading specialist healthcare investment advisor headquartered in London. GHO leverages global capabilities and deep sector expertise to scale high-growth healthcare companies across Europe, North America, and beyond. The firm partners with strong management teams to build market-leading businesses that deliver better, faster, and more accessible healthcare.
More information: www.ghocapital.com
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251120289047/en/
"Scientist.com is a genuine category creator at the intersection of AI, digital commerce, and the modernization of biopharma supply chains."
Contacts
Media Contacts
For Scientist.com:
Sean Preci
+1 877-644-3044
marketing@scientist.com
For GHO Capital Partners:
ICR Healthcare
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3709 5700 or ghocapital@icrhealthcare.com
Amber Fennell, Kris Lam
