Skyway Capital eyes data-savvy healthcare deals

Skyway Capital Partners, a lower-middle-market buyout firm with 11 portfolio investments, ranks healthcare as a key focus of its hunt for companies posting Ebitda of $1 million to $7 million.

Bryan Crino, president of the Tampa, Florida, firm, said the electronic-record-technology sector remains ripe for deals as the healthcare industry reaches out to millennials entering the workforce.

“Healthcare technology revolves around patient data — you need to capture it, process it, analyze it and act on it,” Crino said. “Right now, the healthcare world is still struggling with capture and hasn’t gotten to the next steps.”

He sees Skyway Capital playing a role in helping doctors and other care providers grapple with an ever larger data stream, stemming partly from new federal coding standards for medical treatments.

“Ultimately, you’ll have access to better, more detailed data about care and your patients,” Crino said. “That’s going to continue to fuel the boom around analytics.”

Preference for patient portals

As millennials move into the U.S. workforce, most would rather connect with patient portals than a physician or nurse, he said. Portals enable people to contact healthcare providers 24 hours a day, refill prescriptions and schedule routine appointments, he said.

The firm’s exposure to the health sector includes backing Harmony Healthcare, a provider of outsourcing, interim and direct-to-hire services. Last year, Harmony was named to Inc. magazine’s list of the 500 fastest growing U.S. companies.

Founded as a boutique investment bank in 2002, Skyway began acquiring control positions in companies on its own in 2006. It’s invested in portfolio companies without a fund. Crino declined to comment on any plans to raise a fund.

He co-founded the firm with Scott Feuer, managing director. Joe Passero, in portfolio management, and Kyle Schroeder, focused on sourcing and transaction execution, are principals.

Along with healthcare companies that efficiently manage data, Skyway has a number of main investment themes going forward. Those are the rising costs of maintaining a workforce; the risks and consequences of doing business; and the continued increase in digital goods and services.

Action item: http://skywaycapital.com/about/

Photo of Skyway President Bryan Crino courtesy of the firm