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LeapFrog Investments has announced acquisition of a USD 22 million majority stake in Kenya’s GoodLife Pharmacy which will now build on its financial services specialism by diversifying its private equity investments into a closely linked health sector.
This will develop a platform that combines both payers and providers, thereby bringing consumers greater access to affordable, quality healthcare.
Dr. Felix Olale and Michael Fernandes, Partners, will serve as Global Co-Leads for health investments. They will be supported by a team of eight specialists with deep healthcare investment expertise, and experience of African and Asian markets. Leapfrog’s wider global network will support origination and execution.
“Low health insurance penetration, coupled with an increase in utilization of services has an enormous impact on the ability of consumers to access and afford quality health care. By moving into health, we are taking a unique approach and addressing the challenge from both sides – investing in both health insurance companies and health service providers,” said Dr. Olale.
A leading healthcare expert in emerging markets, Dr. Felix Olale was previously the Chairman of the Excelsior Group, a US-Kenyan based advisor and investor in healthcare, finance and technology companies in Africa. Prior to that he was an Associate Partner with McKinsey & Company in New York.
Michael Fernandes, Global Co-Lead responsible for Asia, has an extensive track record in health investments. He previously served as Country Head for India for Khazanah Nasional Berhad, leading a global healthcare team responsible for over $7bn of investments across the platform. Michael also served on the Boards of the Indian-based Infrastructure Development Finance Company and Apollo Hospitals, the leading healthcare provider in India.
“Our focus is on investing in companies that are re-thinking traditional approaches to solving health problems by finding new ways to deliver consumer-centric models,” said Michael Fernandes “By focusing on bridging the gap in products and services that are most relevant within emerging markets, we can bring health services closer to the consumer and improve patient outcomes, while making top returns for our investors.”
The Goodlife transaction was led by Dr. Olale who added that “The future of healthcare in emerging markets is about looking at a model that will endure for the 21st century. At the center of this is a focus on consumer-centric and integrated healthcare. Goodlife’s business model delivers on this imperative. It is a pharmacy, a wellness outlet, a diagnostics centre, and in the future will also be a place where you can access clinicians through telemedicine.
This is a model that markets like East Africa are ripe for, particularly as we see a dramatic increase in chronic lifestyle diseases.”
Goodlife provides trusted pharmaceuticals and wellness products to over 600,000 customers from 19 different convenient locations across East Africa.
With LeapFrog’s investment, Goodlife plans to expand its footprint to more than 100 stores over the next five years.