MML Growth Capital Ireland invest in Innopharma Education & Technical Services

Established in Dublin in 2009, Innopharma is Ireland’s leading provider of higher and further education, focused on up-skilling and re-skilling individuals to enter or progress within the pharmaceutical, MedTech and food & beverage manufacturing sectors. Innopharma collaborates with a number of important academic partners, including Technological University Dublin and Griffith College and achieved its own QQI accreditation in 2020. It is also a provider of highly trained, contract technical resources to client companies within the pharmaceutical and MedTech industries.

Dr Ian Jones, the founder of Innopharma, said: “Given the skills required to support advanced manufacturing both in Ireland and internationally and the commitment of governments to support lifelong learning, the up-skilling and re-skilling education sector continues to expand apace. This creates market opportunities for well-positioned and invested businesses, such as Innopharma. I’m looking forward to working with MML Growth Capital Ireland Ltd, a leading investor with a track record of supporting growth in ambitious Irish businesses. We would like to thank the Mazars team, led by John Bowe, Damian Connaughton and Sam Hastings, for guiding us through the entire process, and their professionalism and expertise were invaluable to us as we navigated different stages of the transaction”.

John Bowe, Mazars Partner, Deals – M&A, said that “this transaction is a fantastic result for Dr Ian Jones and the wider Innopharma team led by Orla Callan and Luke Kiernan. With the backing of MML Growth Capital Ireland, we look forward to seeing Innopharma continue its excellent growth trajectory. Ian and his team have built a very high-quality business, which is a clear leader in rapidly growing markets, helping with the vital task of enhancing technology and pharma skills across the Irish workforce. Mazars were delighted to provide deal advisory services on this transaction and look forward to seeing the management team continue to grow with a partner of the scale of MML who are committed to building businesses which lead in their markets. We look forward to watching Innopharma reach ever greater heights in the years ahead."

Chris Walsh, Investment Director of MML, said: “Innopharma has a clear reputation in supporting critical skills development that is crucial to Ireland’s FDI manufacturing strategy. Developing the national pool of skilled talent is mission-critical for continued investment in Ireland. MML has just recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary in Ireland, and this deal marks our twentieth primary investment.  We have been fortunate enough to back some exceptional companies to help them on their growth journey. Orla and Luke are very well-respected leaders in their field. We are delighted to partner with them, with Ian Jones, with DunPort Capital Management and the whole Innopharma team for the next phase of its development”.