Forge to Acquire Becker’s Healthcare, the #1 Events and Digital Media Portfolio Shaping U.S. Healthcare Industry

Becker’s to Join Fierce Healthcare and Life Sciences to Create a Scaled Platform Across Healthcare, Life Sciences and the Full Care Continuum

NEW YORK, Sept. 22, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Forge, the B2B events and media company [formed by the combination of Emerald and Questex after the acquisition by Apollo Funds in July 2026], today announces it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Becker’s Healthcare (“Becker’s”), a leading media and events platform serving hospital, health system and healthcare executives, from Pamlico Capital. The acquisition will include all of Becker’s media and events assets, including its 16 annual conferences, more than a dozen digital publications, and its portfolio of newsletters, podcasts and executive communities.

The acquisition will significantly expand Forge’s presence in healthcare and life sciences by combining Becker’s with Forge’s existing healthcare portfolio, Fierce Healthcare and Life Sciences (“Fierce”). The combination of Becker’s and Fierce will create a scaled 365-day omnichannel platform reaching key decisionmakers across the majority of the healthcare ecosystem, spanning the value chain from biotech, pharma to hospitals, health systems and payers, through over 35 live events, trusted media, digital products, newsletters, podcasts and year-round executive communities.

“Becker’s sets the agenda for the business of healthcare,” said Paul Miller, Chief Executive Officer of Forge. “Its daily reporting reaches the leadership of every major health system, hospital and payer in the country, and its stages are where those leaders gather. Combined with Fierce Healthcare and Life Science’s reach, we will be able to serve healthcare decisionmakers across the full continuum of care, with significant opportunity to grow as these markets grow.”

Becker’s Healthcare was founded by Scott Becker with a vision to deliver news and insights to healthcare leaders and decisionmakers across North America. That vision guided the firm through significant growth and expansion of the company’s content and event offerings. Jessica Cole has served as President and CEO since 2010, growing Becker’s into one of the country’s most influential healthcare media companies.

“Becker’s was built by staying relentlessly focused on the needs of the people who run healthcare, and by a team that treats that as a personal responsibility,” said Cole. “Joining Forge gives our team a bigger platform to do exactly that, with more reach, more data and more ways to connect our audiences across the industry. The grit, commitment to clients and white-glove service that has always defined Becker’s remains at our core, now with more speed and a bigger vision for what's ahead.”

“Becker’s is exactly the kind of business we looked to invest in when we formed Forge: a category leader with an exceptional management team, deep audience trust, durable first-party data, marquee live events and a year-round engagement model, operating in a market with powerful long-term tailwinds,” said Shahid Bosan, Managing Director at Apollo. “Bringing Becker’s together with Fierce Healthcare and Life Sciences under Forge will create meaningful scale across healthcare and life sciences, and we see significant opportunity for the company to accelerate growth by connecting these complementary audiences, brands and capabilities.”

The acquisition also reflects Forge’s strategy to build scale and depth in markets with strong secular tailwinds, where the underlying industries are growing, and the need for trusted communities, content and connections is growing with them. Healthcare and life sciences are an increasingly important part of the global economy, with technology, demographics, innovation and changing models of care continuing to reshape the industry. These are large, dynamic markets benefiting from powerful long-term growth drivers including an aging population, continued healthcare investment, advances in technology and life sciences, and the increasing complexity of how care is financed and delivered. These structural trends are creating sustained demand for trusted information, expertise, connection, and business opportunities across the healthcare ecosystem.

“This acquisition is an important example of our strategy to build positions in attractive, high-growth markets where we can create greater value by bringing together audiences, content, data and marketplaces,” Miller added. “We see significant opportunity to continue investing in businesses where we can build scale, deepen our relationships with decisionmakers and create more ways for customers to engage throughout the year.”

BrightTower acted as lead financial advisor, and Holland & Knight LLP acted as legal counsel to Becker’s Healthcare in this transaction. JEGI LEONIS acted as financial advisor, and Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP acted as legal counsel to Forge.

About Forge

Forge is a leading global B2B events and media company, connecting buyers and sellers across high-value industries through live events, trusted media brands, digital products and year-round communities. Powered by first-party data, technology and deep market expertise, Forge helps businesses discover opportunities, build the right relationships and stay engaged well beyond the event itself. It is a company guided by a single purpose, Moving Markets.

For more information, visit forgelive.com.

About Becker’s Healthcare

Becker's Healthcare is a Chicago-based B2B multimedia and events company and the go-to source for healthcare decisionmakers. Through its digital products, executive communities and live events, Becker's reaches over 1.5 million leaders and executives via its digital products and welcomes more than 15,000 attendees across its live events each year. It's an audience spanning nearly every seat at the healthcare leadership table, built by a team committed to growth, focus, and initiative.

For more information, visit www.beckershealthcare.com.

Media Contact

Kate Spellman
Chief Commercial Officer
Forge
kate.spellman@forgelive.com