E-vate becomes employee-owned

E-vate Ltd, a specialist scientific and commercial consultancy supporting pharmaceutical and life sciences decision-making, has transitioned to employee ownership through the establishment of an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT). Initium Corporate Finance, itself an employee-owned business, advised on the transaction.

Founded in 2010 and based in Knutsford, Cheshire, E-vate has built a strong reputation for combining deep scientific expertise with practical, technology-enabled ways of working to help pharma and biotech clients make smarter, evidence-based decisions. Through E-vate’s proven process and bespoke technology platform, every voice can be heard equally, generating richer, more robust insights and supporting better, more actionable decision-making.

“Initium’s advice was clear, commercial and pragmatic, and they helped us complete the transaction in a way that reflects our ambitions for the business and our people” – Chris Harrison, E-vate

The firm works closely with clients across clinical development, translational medicine, market access and strategic communications, supporting projects such as advisory boards, steering committees, investigator meetings, insight generation, development and biomarker strategy and development planning.

The move to employee ownership represents an important step in securing the long-term independence of the business, protecting the culture that has underpinned its success, and ensuring employees share in the long-term success of the company. E-vate’s existing shareholders will retain a minority stake and remain involved in the business.

Deal perspectives

Chris Harrison, Director of E-vate, said: “This is a significant and exciting moment for E-vate. Our success has always come from the quality of our people, the strength of our scientific thinking and the trusted relationships we build with clients. Transitioning to an EOT allows us to protect the culture and independence that matter so much to us, while ensuring our employees share in the long-term success of the business. We believe this gives E-vate a strong platform for the future and reinforces what clients value most about working with us.”

Commenting on Initium’s role, Chris added: “Charles Ainslie and the team at Initium provided excellent support throughout the process. Their advice was clear, commercial and pragmatic, and they helped us complete the transaction in a way that reflects our ambitions for the business and our people.”

Charles Ainslie commented: “We have worked closely with E-vate over time to explore strategic options, and it became clear that an Employee Ownership Trust was an excellent fit. It supports long-term alignment across the business while enabling the existing shareholders to retain a meaningful ongoing interest. It has been a pleasure to support Chris and the team on this transition, which provides a strong platform for the next phase of growth.”

Initium Corporate Finance acted as lead adviser to E-vate on the transaction, led by Charles Ainslie and supported by Jonathan Dunn. Legal advice was provided by Jeremy Glover from Jurit Smart Counsel.

This transaction is the latest in a growing number of Employee Ownership Trust deals led by Initium Corporate Finance. Recent examples include structural glass specialist Structura, audio technology pioneer CEDAR Audio, and digital creative agency The Wonderful Agency.

If you are interested in exploring employee ownership, you can take Initium’s EOT Readiness Test here.