Columna Capital, a pan-European private equity firm focused on the European lower mid-market, has acquired a majority stake in Evidenze from Buenavista Equity Partners, a pan-European platform providing outsourced services to the pharmaceutical industry, including clinical trial management and data analytics.
With its operational headquarters in Barcelona and offices in Portugal, Italy and Germany, Evidenze serves clients in more than 20 countries. The company was established in 2020 with the backing of Buenavista Equity Partners through the integration of four complementary pharmaceutical services businesses and has since completed six strategic acquisitions, enabling it to expand its footprint across Europe and build a partner network spanning more than a dozen markets across the continent.
Founding partners Pedro Hernández and Albert Gallart will retain a minority stake in the company and remain actively involved in the business alongside the management team, ensuring continuity in the organic and inorganic growth strategy pursued to date.
A strong commitment to Barcelona and the Spanish life sciences ecosystem
The investment in Evidenze is aligned with Columna Capital’s strategy of backing entrepreneur-led businesses operating in stable, high-growth sectors across Europe. With this transaction, Columna Capital further strengthens its position as one of the most active international investors in Spain, where it already holds three portfolio companies. Columna thereby reaffirms its intention to continue expanding in Spain, attracted by the depth of the local business ecosystem and, in particular, by the strength of Barcelona’s biomedical hub, a leading European centre for clinical research, biotechnology and digital health.
Evidenze operates as a diversified platform structured around three business lines: clinical research services, scientific services, and digital health services, supporting clients throughout the full lifecycle of a drug, from early-stage development to commercial launch, clearly differentiating the company from its direct competitors.
The company employs nearly 400 professionals and serves more than 270 active clients, including the world’s top ten pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms and non-commercial sponsors. In 2025, it reported net revenues of €40 million.
A growth plan focused on international expansion
Evidenze’s strategic value creation plan is centred on a disciplined M&A policy and sustained organic growth, driven by increasing market share, alongside strategic investments in technology, artificial intelligence capabilities and the development of complementary high-value-added services.
Michael Tose, Partner at Columna Capital, said: "We are delighted to partner with Evidenze’s exceptional founders and management team to support the company in its next phase of growth. Evidenze’s differentiated competitive positioning, strong client focus and deep technological and data capabilities — together with solid organic growth, profitability and a proven M&A track record — place the business firmly on the path to becoming a leading pharmaceutical services provider in Europe. This investment underlines our strong commitment to the Spanish market and our broader pan-European healthcare services strategy. As an entrepreneur-founded asset manager, Columna is excited to partner with Evidenze’s founders to support their vision of expanding their offering across Europe."
Jaime Bachs Lobo, Managing Director at Columna Capital, added: "We are very pleased to partner with the Evidenze team in this strategic investment, which marks an important milestone for Columna in Spain and accelerates our growth in the European healthcare segment. With a strong track record of building European market leaders, we bring deep expertise in cross-border corporate transactions and look forward to working closely with the founders and management team to develop a clear value creation strategy through disciplined acquisitions, organic growth and expansion into adjacent higher-value services."
Pedro Hernández, co-founder of Evidenze, said: "Partnering with Columna marks an exciting new chapter in the Group’s growth journey. At the same time, this transaction will give us access to a significant pool of resources and expertise, leveraging the multidisciplinary approach of Columna’s investment team. The new shareholder structure reflects the strategic continuity of our industrial project, built on innovation, execution capability and international ambition."
Albert Gallart, co-founder of Evidenze, added: "With this transaction, Evidenze will not only gain a strong financial partner, but also Columna’s entrepreneurial culture and growth expertise. Through this strategic alliance, we are bringing on board the ideal partner to accelerate our expansion plans, strengthen our ability to take on ambitious projects and seize new growth opportunities across Europe."
Enrique Centelles, Managing Partner and Head of Private Equity at Buenavista Equity Partners, commented: "We are extremely proud of the work we have done with Evidenze over the years. We started the Evidenze project by bringing together four local niche businesses, which we ultimately transformed into a pan-European platform. We completed 10 add-on acquisitions to equip the group with all the capabilities needed for international expansion. Evidenze has become a benchmark in the pharmaceutical sector, not only in clinical trial execution but also in end-to-end services. We are confident that under this new chapter with Columna, the company will continue its successful journey."
The financial terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.
Evidenze and its shareholders were advised financially by Evercore. Buenavista was advised legally by DLA Piper, with KPMG providing financial, legal and tax due diligence, and L.E.K. Consulting providing commercial due diligence. The founders were advised legally by Broseta.
Columna Capital was advised legally by Pérez-Llorca, with Marlborough Partners acting as financial adviser, Deloitte providing financial, legal and tax due diligence, Candesic carrying out commercial due diligence, and Rainel Sanchez-de la Rosa advising on technical and operational due diligence. In Luxembourg, Dechert provided legal advice and PwC advised on tax matters. Debt financing for the transaction was provided by Capza.
About Columna Capital
Columna Capital is a London-based entrepreneurial private equity firm focused on the European lower mid-market, with an investment focus on Spain, France, Italy and Switzerland. Founded in 2009 and led by four partners, Columna brings together a committed team of professionals who actively support management teams and entrepreneurs to drive organic growth and execute strategic consolidation transactions. Columna typically invests in companies with revenues of up to €100 million and significant growth potential, with sector focus on (i) health and wellness, (ii) animal health, (iii) financial and business services, and (iv) agribusiness.
About Evidenze
Evidenze is a global healthcare knowledge management company specialising in clinical research (CRO), digital health solutions, medical education, consulting, patient support programmes and scientific communications. With expertise in telemedicine, AI-driven analytics and real-world data, Evidenze drives healthcare innovation by integrating advanced technologies to improve clinical decision-making and patient care.
About Buenavista Equity Partners
Buenavista Equity Partners is an independent investment manager founded in 1996, operating in the middle-market segment. The firm currently manages more than €1.2 billion across a range of private equity, infrastructure and venture capital vehicles.
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