Latham Advises BenevolentAI on €1.5 Billion Business Combination With Odyssey

Latham & Watkins has advised BenevolentAI, a leading, clinical-stage AI-enabled drug discovery company, on its business combination with Odyssey Acquisition S.A., a Euronext Amsterdam-listed special purpose acquisition company. The high-profile transaction values BenevolentAI at €1.5 billion and represents the largest-ever listing of a biotech company on Euronext Amsterdam and one of the largest-ever European listed deSPACs.

The combination will support the acceleration of BenevolentAI's development, scale-up its clinical pipeline, continue investment in its technology platform, and consolidate its leadership position in AI-enabled drug discovery.

The Latham team was led by London corporate partners Robbie McLaren and Sam Newhouse, with associates Jennifer Cadet, Leah Adeniran, Saavan Shah, and Venice Ma. Advice was also provided on capital markets and public M&A matters by London partners Anna Ngo, Chris Horton, and Douglas Abernethy, with associates Matthew Fisher and Yolanda Min; on tax matters by London partner Helen Lethaby and Chicago partner Diana Doyle, with associates Lina Le Roux and Michael Zucker; and on executive compensation, employment, and benefits matters by London partner Kendall Burnett, with associates Natalie Brown and Adam Ray.