HEAL Partners Announces $25m Follow-On Investment in Edge Early Learning. Fund 1 Heavily Overscribed, Fund 2 Launch Imminent

HEAL Partners, an Australia-based global Growth and Follow-On Fund specialising in Health, Education and Lifestyle sector investments (“HEAL”), today announced a $25m follow-on investment into Edge Early Learning (“Edge”), a leading Queensland based childcare operator. The funding supports Edge’s continued growth in South-East Queensland and its imminent entry into new markets and lifts HEAL's direct shareholding in Edge to more than 35%. 

Edge founder and Chairman Mark Evans said “Our business model of both developing and operating premium early learning childcare centres has proven successful and we are now looking to materially accelerate our growth plans. We have secured a number of new opportunities that will see us double our existing footprint to 50 centres. We are now targeting 100+ centres in the next two to three years”. 

HEAL Partner Martin Robinson says, “We are very pleased to continue to our partnership with Edge and to support them in their next exciting phase of growth”. 

The fundraising and capital re-organisation was also supported by existing shareholder and property partner Centennial Property Group (“CPG”). Phil Latham, Senior Partner at Navis Capital and former Chairman of Guardian Early Learning Group, will join the Edge board as a CPG representative. 

HEAL launched Fund I in August 2020 with three cornerstone investments, demonstrating the calibre of high growth opportunities available to the Fund: Edge Early Learning Centres (Australia), Removery (Tattoo Removal, USA) and Fertility Partners (IVF, Canada) and has since made several further investments across the USA, Australia and Asia. 

Fund 1 has been heavily oversubscribed with A$ 140m of commitments, surpassing its initial target of A$ 100m. 

HEAL Partner, Martin Robinson, said, “We are very pleased with the composition and performance of our Fund 1 portfolio. We have committed the majority of our funds to date, with the remainder to be deployed over the next six months or so. We have seen several third party investments across our portfolio companies at significant premiums to our initial entry prices. Given the strong feedback from our investor base, we plan to launch a larger Fund 2 in the new year”. 

HEAL targets Health, Education and Lifestyle assets that are high-growth and globally and/or regionally scalable and has a strong commitment to ESG. Aside from founding its own opportunities, HEAL invests in later stage rounds where it can be an active and engaged participant in the management and operation of the underlying asset. 

“Since launching HEAL, we have been impressed with the large number of high quality and investible opportunities we have evaluated that demonstrates the seismic shifts underway across the HEAL sectors, concluded Robinson. 

HEAL’s Investment Partners are Peter Chapman and Martin Dalgleish from Asia Principal Capital, Mark Evans and Chris Chambers from Normanby Capital and Martin Robinson. Mark Evans, Chris Chambers and Peter Chapman are also founders of Edge. 

HEAL is also backed by pre-eminent industry leaders in the Health and Education sectors, including Chris Rex (Former CEO of Ramsay Healthcare), Stuart Giles and Cathie Reid (Co-founders of Icon Group and Epic Pharmacy), and Rod Jones (Founder and Executive Chairman of Navitas), alongside other industry luminaries. HEAL’s Investment and Advisory Committees have collectively created more than $19bn of shareholder value in the targeted HEAL sectors of Health and Education.

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About HEAL Partners: 
HEAL is an early and growth stage acceleration investment vehicle focused on revenue generating growth businesses in the health, education and lifestyle sectors with the potential for global scale or industry disruption. Led by a team of proven founders, investors, portfolio managers and operators, we are focused on capitalising on opportunities created by new specialties in developed markets. 
Visit: www.healpartners.com 

About Edge Early Learning: 
Edge Early Learning’s quest is to become Australia’s best in early childhood education by empowering its educators and providing them with the environment, resources, and support to create the best learning opportunities for the children in their care. With a team of passionate and experienced educators, Edge Early Learning’s educational program supports and enhances learning milestones and journeys across all areas of early development, including promoting health and wellbeing