SAN FRANCISCO — W2O Group is buying Pure Communications as its first acquisition since selling a stake to private equity firm Mountaingate Capital. 

Pure Communications, with offices in Wilmington, NC and the Boston area, will combine with W2O Group’s BrewLife, headquartered in San Francisco. BrewLife's president Carolyn Wang departed the firm earlier this year to join Google's Verily.  

Pure Communications founder and CEO Andrea Johnston (pictured left) will lead the integrated firm, which will be part of W2O Group’s network and officially launch in early 2017. 

Johnston started Pure Communications in 2004 and has a portfolio of VC-funded start-ups to publicly traded biopharmaceutical and medical device companies. Pure currently employs approximately 30 people. BrewLife has staff across the US and Europe. 

“This is a key move to accelerate our vision to become a pre-eminent communications consultancy of the future, combining high-touch strategic counsel in the C-suite with cutting-edge communications programs for healthcare, technology and global brands,” said Jim Weiss, founder and CEO of W2O Group.

When Weiss talked to the Holmes Report about the Mountaingate investment earlier this year, he said the deal is intended to fund acquisitions that extend W2O’s geographic reach and service offerings. 

Petsky Prunier served as advisors to Pure Communications on the transaction.