Ventizz Capital Sells U.S.-Based Gish Biomedical

Germany’s Ventizz Capital has announced the recent sale of its 100% stake in American medical products company Gish Biomedical, Inc., to Milan-based Sorin Group. Ventizz acquired Gish in 2007 via the Ventizz Fund III with the purpose of aiding expansion of another portfolio company, MEDOS Medizintechnik AG. With the strategic sale of Gish, MEDOS will now focus on pushing the next generation of its own products in Europe.

Gish Biomedical (www.gishbiomedical.com)
California-based Gish Biomedical has been a leading producer of medical devices for more than twenty-five years. The company designs, develops, and manufactures a variety of medical devices for use in hospitals, specifically in the surgery setting. Devices include blood reservoirs, cardiovascular tubing, catheters, oxygenators, and other products for cardiovascular surgery, orthopedics, and oncology. Gish prides itself on all manufacturing processes being in full compliance with both U.S. and international standards. Gish Biomedical employs roughly 75 people at its facilities in Rancho Santa Margarita, California.

Ventizz Capital Partners Advisory (www.ventizz.de)
Established in 2000, Ventizz Capital is a private equity firm specializing in high-tech companies in Germany and other German-speaking countries. The firm currently manages four funds with a combined total of €675 million in capital under management.

Ventizz invests in the communications, information technology, medical, and renewable energy sectors, among others, and has made 33 investments to date.

The fund’s investors come from Europe, North America, and Asia and include institutional investors, fund-of-funds, foundations, pension funds, insurance companies, and private investors. The typical VCF investment will be in a company already producing revenues of €5 million and will have a horizon of three to six years.