Former KKR dealmaker launches healthcare-focused buyout firm

By Chibuike Oguh

(Reuters) - Jim Momtazee, a former dealmaker at U.S. buyout firm KKR & Co Inc <KKR.N>, has launched his own firm to pursue private equity deals in the healthcare sector.

Momtazee, who spent 21 years at KKR and led its Americas healthcare team for a decade, said in a statement he formed Patient Square Capital together with Maria Walker, a former partner at consulting firm KPMG.

The move comes as the outbreak of the novel coronavirus has strained some healthcare providers, while spurring growth in some sectors such as telemedicine and vaccine production.

Patient Square Capital plans to look for deals across the healthcare industry, including technology-enabled services, biopharmaceuticals, the pharmaceutical value chain, medical devices, diagnostics, providers, digital health and consumer health, the statement said.

"We're going to be broad-based in our focus on all aspects of healthcare, bringing depth of knowledge, scale, expertise, and long-term view to our investments," Momtazee told Reuters in an interview.

Prior to leaving KKR last year, Momtazee worked on some of the buyout firm's biggest healthcare deals, including the $33 billion take-private of U.S. hospital operator HCA Healthcare Inc <HCA.N>, as well as the acquisition of contract research firm PRA International for $1.3 billion in 2013.

(Reporting by Chibuike Oguh in New York; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)