Key Takeaways
- • Akin advised Apollo Global Management portfolio company Forge on its acquisition of Becker's Healthcare from Pamlico Capital, combining two significant players in the healthcare media and events sector.
- • The transaction encompasses all of Becker's Healthcare assets, including conferences, digital publications, newsletters, podcasts, and executive communities, creating a scaled platform across healthcare, life sciences, and the care continuum.
- • The combined entity merges Becker's Healthcare with Forge's existing healthcare portfolio, which includes Fierce Healthcare and Life Sciences, positioning the platform as a comprehensive healthcare industry information provider.
- • Akin's cross-functional team of 18+ professionals led by Gerald Brant (head of U.S. private equity practice) provided advisory services spanning private equity, corporate, tax, intellectual property, executive compensation, labor and employment, and real estate disciplines.
Summary
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld has advised Forge, an Apollo Global Management portfolio company and B2B events and media enterprise, in acquiring Becker's Healthcare from Pamlico Capital. The transaction represents a significant consolidation within the healthcare information and events industry, bringing together two established platforms serving the healthcare sector.
Becker's Healthcare is a leading healthcare media and events company whose asset portfolio includes conferences, digital publications, newsletters, podcasts, and executive communities. These assets will be integrated into Forge's existing healthcare division, which operates Fierce Healthcare and Life Sciences properties. The combined platform is designed to create a scaled operation spanning healthcare, life sciences, and the full care continuum, leveraging both organizations' content, event, and community capabilities.
Akin's advisory engagement drew on substantial internal resources across multiple practice areas. The matter was led by Gerald Brant, head of the firm's U.S. private equity practice, alongside private equity partners Jeffrey Kochian and Brittany Harrison. The broader team included senior counsel Erika Cohen; corporate counsel Spencer Hazan and associates Andrew Stubbs, Vera Wang, Ted Fairfield, and Jarod Manuel; tax partners Alexander Specht and Tuvia Tendler with associate Michael Mayor; intellectual property partner David Lee and associate Shivani Prakash; executive compensation and employee benefits partner Stephanie Bollheimer and associate Dilara Kesir; labor and employment partner Desiree Busching, counsel Alex Lau, and associate Daniel Glicker; and real estate counsel Alex Agahzadeh and associate Ben Lancaster. The depth of the engagement reflects the transaction's complexity across corporate structure, tax, intellectual property, employment, and real estate dimensions.
The acquisition aligns with broader consolidation trends in healthcare media and information services, where platform operators seek to build scaled, diversified content and events businesses to serve healthcare industry stakeholders.
Becker's Healthcare is a leading healthcare media and events company whose asset portfolio includes conferences, digital publications, newsletters, podcasts, and executive communities. These assets will be integrated into Forge's existing healthcare division, which operates Fierce Healthcare and Life Sciences properties. The combined platform is designed to create a scaled operation spanning healthcare, life sciences, and the full care continuum, leveraging both organizations' content, event, and community capabilities.
Akin's advisory engagement drew on substantial internal resources across multiple practice areas. The matter was led by Gerald Brant, head of the firm's U.S. private equity practice, alongside private equity partners Jeffrey Kochian and Brittany Harrison. The broader team included senior counsel Erika Cohen; corporate counsel Spencer Hazan and associates Andrew Stubbs, Vera Wang, Ted Fairfield, and Jarod Manuel; tax partners Alexander Specht and Tuvia Tendler with associate Michael Mayor; intellectual property partner David Lee and associate Shivani Prakash; executive compensation and employee benefits partner Stephanie Bollheimer and associate Dilara Kesir; labor and employment partner Desiree Busching, counsel Alex Lau, and associate Daniel Glicker; and real estate counsel Alex Agahzadeh and associate Ben Lancaster. The depth of the engagement reflects the transaction's complexity across corporate structure, tax, intellectual property, employment, and real estate dimensions.
The acquisition aligns with broader consolidation trends in healthcare media and information services, where platform operators seek to build scaled, diversified content and events businesses to serve healthcare industry stakeholders.
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