Gresham House Ventures is pleased to announce a successful exit from Panthera Biopartners, the UK’s leading Site Management Organisation (SMO) supporting commercial clinical trials, following a significant investment from private equity firm LDC.
Founded in 2019 by Dr Ian Smith and Professor John Lyon, Panthera delivers Phase II and III clinical trials with a focus on speed, reliability, and patient retention. The company operates across six UK sites, with two more in development, and supports clinical programmes for a wide range of global pharmaceutical companies, including eight of the twelve largest pharma firms and all of the top seven global clinical research organisations (CROs).
Gresham House Ventures was Panthera’s first institutional investor, backing the business through several funding rounds. Since our initial investment, Panthera has scaled rapidly, achieving more than 200% revenue growth since 2022 and establishing itself as a top global recruiter in four major clinical studies in 2024. It was also the first to enrol patients in nine UK or international trials that year.
Panthera has an outstanding market reputation due to its ability to recruit patients at speed and provide sponsors with certainty around study delivery, streamlining the route to commercialisation. With access to an extensive network of Principal Investigators (PIs), Panthera is well positioned to deliver complex trials across therapeutic areas including cardiology, diabetes, neurology, respiratory medicine, dermatology, rheumatology, and early dementia.
LDC’s investment will support Panthera’s continued expansion across the UK and Europe. The existing leadership team, led by CEO Stuart Young, remains in place. BGF has also reinvested and will continue as a minority shareholder.
Maya Ward, Investment Director at Gresham House Ventures, commented:
“Gresham House Ventures was Panthera’s first institutional investor and we’ve supported the company through several funding rounds. It has been a pleasure to see Stuart and the team scale the business into one of the UK’s leading SMO providers. This investment from LDC supports further international growth and delivers a strong return for our Baronsmead VCT investors.”
This exit underlines Gresham House Ventures’ expertise in backing high-growth, technology-enabled businesses in the UK healthcare and life sciences sector. It also reflects our focus on supporting companies that enhance patient outcomes and improve clinical trial delivery through innovation and operational excellence.
