AVISTA CAPITAL PARTNERS ACQUIRES SPEAR EDUCATION

Avista to leverage expertise in the healthcare technology sector and dental end-market to support Spear's growth ambitions

NEW YORK, Dec. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Avista Capital Partners ("Avista"), a leading private equity firm focused exclusively on healthcare, today announced its acquisition of Spear Education ("Spear" or the "Company"), a tech-enabled provider of digital and in-person clinical training, practice analytics and consulting solutions for the dental market. Transaction terms were not disclosed.

Headquartered in Scottsdale, AZ, Spear is the industry's leading dental education provider. Spear offers unmatched breadth of content including 5,000+ on-demand videos, 300+ hands on workshops annually, and 100+ study club modules. Spear's solutions enable dentists to learn higher acuity skills and generate new revenue streams, providing a high ROI to dental practices and practitioners across the spectrum of experience.

Avista Partner Sriram Venkatraman, said: "Avista sees Spear as a compelling investment opportunity given its industry leadership, demonstrated growth potential and diversified business model. We look forward to leveraging our deep experience in the healthcare technology sector and dental end-market to help accelerate Spear's growth trajectory."

CEO of Spear Education Kaleim Manji, said: "Spear has achieved robust growth over the last several years, with increases in membership and the expansion of our digital content. We are well positioned to capitalize on the tremendous opportunities ahead, against the backdrop of an accelerating industry. We are thrilled to have Avista as a partner as we pursue a multi-lever expansion strategy that will result in compelling benefits for our customers, employees and the entire dental industry."

Steve Schiess, an Avista Strategic Executive with over 30 years of experience in the dental industry, most recently as the CEO of Zest Dental Solutions, a former Avista portfolio company, added, "Spear offers dentists a tremendous value proposition. Spear's education and training courses enable dentists to learn new skills that drive the retention of procedures in-house which, in turn, delivers a high return on their Spear investment. We believe there are multiple opportunities to accelerate both the dental practices' and Spear's growth."

Wilkie Farr & Gallagher LLP acted as legal advisor and William Blair acted as financial advisor to Avista.

About Spear Education

Spear Education is dentistry's premier source for continuing education. The company 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. For more information, go to www.speareducation.com.

About Avista Capital Partners

Founded in 2005, Avista Capital is a leading New York-based private equity firm with over $8 billion invested in more than 40 growth-oriented healthcare businesses globally. Avista partners with businesses that feature strong management teams, stable cash flows and robust growth prospects – investing in the medical devices, pharmaceuticals, outsourced pharmaceutical services, healthcare technology, healthcare distribution and diagnostics, and consumer healthcare sectors. Avista's Strategic Executives and Advisors are an integral part of the team, providing strategic insight, operational oversight and senior counsel, which helps drive growth and performance, while fostering sustainable businesses and creating long-term value for all stakeholders. For more information, visit www.avistacap.com.

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SOURCE Avista Capital Partners