Deals
SWITZERLAND - Molecular Partners AG raises CHF 18.5m
Index Ventures has led a CHF 18.5m series-A financing round for biotechnology company Molecular Partners AG. Other investors contributing to the round include BB Biotech Ventures, Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation and Endeavour.
GERMANY - DZ Equity Partners invests in MK Metallfolien GmbH
Frankfurt-based DZ Equity Partners has acquired a minority stake in MK Metallfolien GmbH. The transaction value has not been disclosed. The founder of the company, Gerd Cloppenburg, remains invested and holds a majority stake. The new capital will be...
UK - Liverpool Seed Fund backs EditLite with £300,000 funding round
Liverpool Seed Fund has invested ТЃ300,000 in EditLite Ltd. EditLite has developed software called тYourViewт which uses simple graphic icons to edit video footage. The software, which has a number of worldwide patents, enables the user to filter hundreds...
SPAIN - New technology leads demand for seed capital
Around 40% of projects landing Spanish seed investment originate from the so-called "new technology" sector.
SPAIN - SRP invests EUR 3.4m in solar energy player
Government-backed agency Sociedad Regional de Promoción del Principado de Asturias (SRP) has led a funding round of EUR 3.4m for Rioglass Solar.
FRANCE - Carlyle sells Cameca to Ametek for EUR 82m
Carlyle has sold France-based scientific equipment manufacturer Cameca to NYSE-listed Ametek for EUR 82m.
UK - Creative Ventures backs TNWA Group
Creative Ventures has invested in TNWA Group, a leading developer of a new online multiplayer gaming platform. The funding provided by Creative Ventures has enabled TWNA to acquire Enemy Down, a leading destination for Europeтs competitive PC gamers....
UK - Oxford Capital Partners backs Glide Pharma with £2.3m
Oxford Capital Partners has joined existing investors on a ТЃ2.3m funding round for Glide PharmaTM, the specialty pharmaceutical company developing products based on its innovative needle-free Glide SDIтЂ drug delivery system. Existing shareholders include...
UK - Exponent acquires Cardsave from RJD, Morley Fund Managers and LDC
Exponent Private Equity has acquired Cardsave, a supplier of credit card terminals and services to independent retailers. The company was bought from a consortium of shareholders which included RJD Partners, Morley Fund Management and LDC. Lloyds TSB...
UK - Bowmark acquires Las Iguanas from Piper Private Equity for £27m
Bowmark Capital has acquired Las Iguanas, a chain of Latin American restaurants, in a ТЃ27m buyout. The transaction provided an exit for Piper Private Equity, which invested ТЃ3.4m in the business in July 2002. Piper has reaped returns of 6x its investment...
GERMANY - VTC Industrieholding exits TAKRAF
German industrial group VTC Industrieholding GmbH has announced the sale of TAKRAF GmbH to Milan-based Tenova, a fully-owned subsidiary of Techint Group. The deal value has not been disclosed and the transaction is subject to the approval by antitrust...
UK - MVM backs new spinout Heptares Therapeutics
MVM Life Science Partners has provided Heptares Therapeutics with an undisclosed sum of early-stage funding. Heptares has spunout of the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge.
GERMANY - BayBG invests in B2B online retailer
BayBG Bayerische Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH has invested EUR 1m in Mercateo AG. The new capital will be used to further develop and optimise the company’s software. For this purpose it will employ 10 new software developers.
FRANCE - PAI to sell Yoplait
French large-cap private equity firm PAI partners is reportedly considering divesting dairy products company Yoplait.
IRELAND - Amadeus, Balderton and Spark invest $17.75m in Intune Networks
Amadeus Capital Partners, Balderton Capital and Spark Capital have led a $17.75m investment in Intune Networks, a developer of technology for telecommunications networks. 3i and ICC Venture Capital are existing shareholders in the company having invested...
FRANCE - UI Gestion backs F2A's secondary buyout
UI Gestion has acquired a majority stake in ventilation equipment manufacturer F2A, previously backed by Finadvance and Ciclad.
SPAIN – Clave Mayor leads buyout of Natural Food
Clave Mayor has wholly acquired Natural Food alongside industrial backer George Stravrakakis.
UK - Blackstones quits plans to delist FKI
Blackstone has ended talks with engineering group FKI about a possible ТЃ768m take-private deal. The London-listed group announced that it was in contact with a suitor in May this year.
FRANCE - Eurazeo and its LPs invest EUR 500m equity in Elis deal
French buyout house Eurazeo and Eurazeo Co-Investment Partners (ECIP) provided around EUR 500m in equity out of a total transaction value of EUR 2.28bn for the tertiary buyout of textile rental business Elis.
UK - Modus completes second deal with £11.4m development capital investment
Modus Private Equity has backed insurance administrator Fish Administration Ltd with ТЃ11.4m of development capital. The deal represents MPE's second since being set up 12 months ago by Paul Newton, Mike Rogan, Paul Hogarth and Brendan Flood.
GERMANY – Burda Digital Ventures invests in Tripsbytips.com
Burda Digital Ventures has acquired a minority stake in German online community Tripsbytips.com. The transaction value has not been disclosed.
UK - Index leads $30m round for Viagogo
Index Ventures has led a $30m funding round for Viagogo, bringing its total venture backing so far to $50m. The company is an online ticket reseller. A number of private investors have also contributed to the fundraising round. Viagogo intends to break...
UK - Virgin Media auction delayed
The auction that would see Virgin Media taken private has reportedly been delayed. The communications group cited turbulence in the debt markets as the reason for the postponement. A deal may not now complete until early 2008.
SWEDEN - Apax sells Global Refund to BPE for over EUR 360m
Apax Partners has sold Global Refund, a Swedish VAT refund service, to Barclays Private Equity for a sum in excess of EUR 360m. As part of the transaction, the management team will continue to be shareholders in the company.