BioTeam, the long-time research computing consultancy specializing in life sciences and healthcare, has been acquired by the n² Group whose portfolio of companies already includes some familiar names in the HPC world – NAG, STAC, VSNi. The NAG numerical libraries and compilers are well-regarded and widely used.

This is from the official announcement: “The n2 Group invests selectively in technical computing companies with deep operational impact in a variety of sectors, providing operational support and a collaborative approach to innovation and business transformation.

“BioTeam’s deep knowledge of technical computing for life sciences helps clients address complex research, technical, data, and operational challenges; ultimately enhancing scientific output. Their integration into the n2 Group supports the group vision of improving the accessibility, quality and robustness of computing solutions to enable greater productivity in engineering and scientific disciplines.”

Ari Berman, BioTeam CEO, told HPCwire, “They’ve had limited interaction with the life sciences and healthcare space and their goal is to cover a wide breadth of industries and have a big impact. NAG is really known today for HPC and Optimization, and, historically for algorithms and numerical analysis.. They saw our services organization as a group that could continue to impact that part of the sciences as well.”

Berman will remain CEO and says no changes in leadership or staffing are planned. Founded in 2002, BioTeam is one of relatively few life sciences research consulting companies that combines deep life sciences and advanced computational expertise. It has a long roster of biopharma and academic/government clients, and was instrumental, for example, in helping NIH design and stand up Biowulf, its HPC cluster.

BioTeam has also had a long fruitful association with HPCwire, serving on a number of Tabor advisory boards. Its articles (sample) on the “state of HPC in life sciences” were a popular read, showcasing BioTeam’s expertise in complicated data management and core technologies (storage, processors, interconnect); maybe it’s time to revive them adding AI to the treatment.

It’s worth noting that HPC has played a steadily increasing role in life sciences and healthcare, showcased prominently in the fight against the Covid pandemic. (See HPC article, Behind the Gordon Bell Prize-Winning Spike Protein Simulations)

The BioTeam mission will stay the same, said Berman, “Life sciences organizations are increasingly feeling the pain of building complex scientific computing platforms and trying to make sense of increasing volumes of data. We will continue to be BioTeam, but the additional services and capabilities of the n2 Group enhance our portfolio and dramatically expand our ability to solve those challenges and accelerate our clients’ science.”

He expects there will be more opportunities through potential funding and partnering with the other portfolio companies like NAG, “to come together and strategically make even more of a difference in terms of  impact than we do by ourselves already. So I think that’s the thing I’m most excited about, because they’re very like minded with us.”

NAG has been building a professional services group so it seems likely that BioTeam expertise can help accelerate that process. Although n2 Group is UK-based, Berman says the deal doesn’t signal particular BioTeam expansion into Europe.

“The reality is BioTeam has been working with international organizations forever. I think we have two international clients currently; so I don’t know that part’s going to change. One thing we have never been able to do that I would like to explore is that we’ve never been able to hire anyone outside of the United States. This may create new avenues for us to do something like that,” said Berman.

Berman, who became CEO in 2019, said the sale has been some time in the making. Chance meetings at the annual SC meeting – “I think it was SC22 or SC21” – started the process.

“I happened to meet the CEO of the Numerical Algorithms Group, who I’ve known about for a very long time. The NAG library and the NAG compiler are famous in the industry through HPC, and are used in computational fluid dynamics and Wall Street applications and all sorts of things. We just started talking about potential partnerships and that evolved,” said Berman.

“NAG had created a parent company called the n2 Group and had put together an Investment fund there to bring together a portfolio of like-minded companies who want to bring advanced technologies into the world in a way that positively moves the world forward, both in sciences and engineering. Those discussions turned into an actual acquisition. One thing that’s really great about this is that n2 is a member-backed organization with no external financial stakeholders.”

With the acquisition of BioTeam, the n2 Group now includes:

• BioTeam: Scientific computing consultancy integrating technologies, data, and cultures to accelerate science.
• NAG: Advanced products and services in algorithms, optimization, high-performance computing and AI.
• STAC: Independent financial services technology research and community events.
• VSNi: Proven statistical solutions and data expertise driving innovation and success.

The sale provides an exit for the BioTeam founders. Originally founded by four colleagues – Stan Gloss, Chris Dagdigian, Bill Van Etten, and Michael Athanas – who each put in $250, recalled Gloss. Gloss hand-picked Berman as his CEO successor and had stepped into a CMO role in recent years. Van Etten and Athanas had sold their shares, leaving Gloss and Dagdigian as sole owners. Both Gloss and Dagdigian will continue with BioTeam, as will Van Etten.

“For the foreseeable future BioTeam will remain its current organization. I remain the CEO. The rest of the leadership and staff stays in place as a result of the acquisition. The difference is that I report into the n2 Group, and collaborate with them on strategies for BioTeam and the group. n2 has a very impressive board of directors and a chairman of the board that I’m really looking forward to working with and getting their business and technology insight.”

Link to announcement, https://www.hpcwire.com/off-the-wire/n2-group-expands-with-the-acquisition-of-life-sciences-and-healthcare-computing-consultancy-bioteam/