Private Equity firm now has investments in 2 DSO Platforms, a dental manufacturer, and a dental education company

Private equity firm, Linden Capital Partners, now has investments in two DSO platforms, a dental manufacturer and a dental education company. The Chicago based firm, which has a healthcare focus, recently made an undisclosed investment in Smile Doctors, an orthodontic dental support organization. (Financial terms were not disclosed.) As a result of the transaction, Linden will become the majority shareholder in Smile Doctors, while previous backer Sheridan Capital will have a minority stake. William Blair served as financial adviser to Smile Doctors, and Houlihan Lokey provided financial advice for Linden Capital. Smile Doctors, headquartered in Georgetown, Texas, has over 90 practice locations that cover 11 states.

Linden Capital Partners also has significant investment in another dental support organization, Sage Dental.  Linden and Sage Dental have been partners since 2012.  Based in Boca Raton, Florida, Sage Dental Group provides comprehensive general and specialty dental care and participates in most dental plans offered in Florida. Sage Dental has a “one-stop,” full-service delivery model and has provided high quality dental care to over 500,000 patients through its dense network of conveniently located, modern facilities throughout Florida and Georgia.

In addition to the two DSO portfolio companies, Linden has two additional dental portfolio companies:

• Young Innovations, headquartered in Algonquin, IL is a global dental consumable and equipment manufacturer.  Young Innovations has several dental brands under its umbrella including Young Dental, Denticator, Panoramic, Athena, Plak Smacker, Biotrol, Obtura, HealthSonics, Microbrush, and other brands.  Young Innovations has both dental products that are sold directly and through the dental distribution channel.  Recently Jordan Company purchased a majority interest in Young Innovations, however Linden has retained a stake in the company.
• Spear Education, a post graduate dental education company is also a portfolio company of Linden and has been since 2014. Spear serves dentists of all clinical skill levels and transforms practices and the lives of patients by offering physical hands-on courses, extensive peer-to-peer regional learning, and comprehensive online educational tools.

There are some incredible synergies among these four dental businesses.  It will be interesting to watch the partnerships that emerge from these varied, complimentary dental businesses and how they can benefit each other. Stay tuned.

 

Source: Linden Capital Partners