Diana Marszalek 05 Nov 2019 // 12:00PM GMT
SAN FRANCISCO — Expanding its European presence, W2O Group has acquired London-based healthcare firm ISO.health — the second agency W2O has brought into its fold in less than a month.
With expertise in science and medical communications, ISO.health works with healthcare companies on strategic planning, thought leadership, science storytelling and disease awareness campaigns, as well as data and digital integration.
“They are the best at what they do in Europe and have a similar cultural mindset,” founder and CEO Jim Weiss said. With the addition of ISO.health, W2O will be able to offer clients expanded science and data offerings, a critical component of serving international pharmaceutical and biotech companies, he said.
The merger, which grew out of a collaboration between the two agencies, will also grow W2O’s London headcount to roughly 100. “We are stronger together, and our clients started to see that value,” said ISO.health co-founder Suzanne Jacobs.
The ISO.health acquisition is the latest move by healthcare-focused W2O’s push to expand capabilities and reach. In early October, W2O acquired Philadelphia firm Arcus Medica, boosting its expertise in science communications. And there will likely be more such moves in the near future.
Weiss said he is actively looking to fill gaps in W2O’s international coverage, particularly in Asia, as well as expand beyond PR into creative capabilities such as scientific visualization and advertising.
All of which is very much in line with a series of moves W2O Group has made in recent years to accelerate its growth. In May, W2O sold a piece of the company to New York investment firm New Mountain Capital, which marked the second round of funding the company has received to further its expansion.
In turn, Mountaingate Capital, the private equity firm that first partnered with W2O in 2016, ended its relationship with the agency. W2O Group used Mountaingate’s investment to fund its strategic growth, which included three acquisitions — Pure Communications, Marketeching and Sentient — as well as expanding staff and offerings. Since that time, the firm has doubled its revenue from $100m to more than $200m and its staff, which is up to nearly 800 people, according to the firm.