British biotechs have a new ally in their struggle to secure funding. Corporate affairs consultancy 5654 & Company has joined the fight, setting up a health and life sciences team to help businesses reach funders and communicate with industry, media and political stakeholders.
5654 calls itself a consultancy that helps companies “act to earn reputation.” In practice, that means the business helps its clients reach decision-makers, run corporate campaigns, engage with politicians and otherwise communicate with people who may hold some influence. The expansion brings those services to the health and life sciences industries.
Ben Thornton, founding partner of 5654, framed the expansion into life sciences as a response to the U.K.’s long-standing lack of funding to equip innovators to build long-term businesses around their ideas.
“The innovation and talent the U.K. life sciences sector produces is enviable on a global scale. However, the current investor climate for growing businesses is holding the sector back,” Thornton said in a statement. “This is why we are launching our new practice, 5654 Health & Life Sciences.”
5654 said it will work with companies on communications related to venture funding, institutional and government investment, strategic partnerships, licensing, leadership and board development, IPOs and M&A. The goal is to support companies through the funding gap that opens up as U.K. companies start to need larger sums of cash to develop and commercialize drug candidates and technologies.
Matthew Neal, previously of ICR Consilium, has joined 5654 to lead the health and life sciences practice. The new hire was a founding member of Consilium and became a partner at the firm in 2021. Neal left for 5654 in the wake of ICR’s acquisition of Consilium.