Mabtech
Status
Realised
Country
Sweden
Strategy
Small Cap
Sector
Entry
Dec-19
Exit
Mar-24
Fund
IK SC II
Website
News
IK Partners to sell Mabtech to EQTIK Investment Partners to support Mabtech
Leading specialist in immune monitoring
Founded in 1986, Mabtech (“the Company”) is a Swedish biotech company specialising in immune monitoring and has gained worldwide recognition for its high-quality antibodies and technical innovation capabilities. Mabtech is viewed as a pioneer within the growing detection platform techniques of ELISpot and FluoroSpot. Mabtech’s products are used by researchers and companies worldwide to study immune responses in, for example, cancer, allergy and infectious diseases as well as to monitor vaccine trials. In March 2021, Mabtech launched its first ever CE-labelled IVD test, a T-cell test for COVID-19.
To complement its offering, the Company successfully entered the instruments market by launching its first reader, IRIS, in December 2018. The Company is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden and has a sales office in Cincinnati, US.
IK Partners acquired Mabtech from the founders in December 2019. In March 2024, Mérieux Equity Partners together with IK Partners sold their respective stakes in Mabtech to EQT.
Our Value Creation Strategy
During our ownership, we worked alongside the management team to:
- Capitalise on structural growth drivers of single-cell testing where Mabtech’s leadership position provides opportunity to outgrow a fast-growing market;
- Expand the product offering by adapting existing antibodies to alternative test methods;
- Accelerate growth in China and the US and complement existing products to further penetrate current therapeutic areas; and
- Strengthen commercial focus and finance organisation.
Quote from Mabtech
“IK and MxEP have been terrific partners over the last four years, combining direct knowledge of our sector and offering extensive hands-on support. Their support enabled our growth ambitions to materialise, allowing us to accelerate the growth of our core business as well as expand our service offering. We’d like to thank the teams at IK and MxEP for their support and we look forward to working with our new partners, EQT.”
Jan Wahlström, Chief Executive Officer