Deals
GERMANY - StageSpace receives seed funding
StageSpace has raised an undisclosed amount of seed capital from a syndicate of investors including Mountain Partners and Tiburon Unternehmensaufbau GmbH.
UK - LDC back buyout of MB Aerospace
LDC has backed the management buyout of engineering contractor MB Aerospace Holdings. LDC will own a majority stake in the newco, which has been formed from MB Aerospace and MB Faber, two of the main subsidiaries of 109 year-old generalist engineering...
FINLAND - Eqvitec exits Secgo Software
Eqvitec Technology Fund I has sold its 18% holding in Secgo Software, a Finnish information security and mobility management software company, to Birdstep Technology ASA for EUR 9.2m. Eqvitec invested in Secgo in the company's spin-off from Secgo Group...
UK - Rhone Capital exits Early Learning Centre after acquisition by Mothercare
Chelsea Stores, the owner of the Early Learning Centre children's toys retailer, has been acquired by Mothercare for £85m in cash and shares. The deal represents an exit for Rhone Capital, a private equity player which participated in the consortium...
UK - Gresham reaps 12x money on exit from Penn Pharmaceuticals
Gresham Private Equity has reaped 12x its money from its exit from Penn Pharmaceuticals. The company has been acquired by LDC in a secondary management buyout worth £67m.
UK - ABN AMRO backs £163m tertiary buyout of office supplier from Hermes
ABN AMRO Capital has acquired office supplier OyezStraker Group Holdings Ltd for £163m in a secondary management buyout from Hermes Private Equity. The deal will see ABN AMRO invest £41.2m for a majority stake in the newco with Hermes reinvesting for...
UK - ECI Partners sells Nuaire to Electra realising IRR of 80%
ECI Partners has sold ventilation system manufacturer Nuaire to Electra Partners realising an IRR of 80%. ECI acquired Nuaire in a management buyout from its founder for £38m in 2004. Electra's investment was supported by debt provided by Bank of Ireland...
HUNGARY - GMT and MidEuropa complete sale of Invitel
Mid Europa Partners, GMT Communications Partners today announced the completion of the sale of fixed telecommunications services provider Invitel to Hungarian Telephone & Cable Corp for a total consideration of EUR 470m. The agreement to sell Invitel...
GERMANY - Tough first day for listed Versatel
Apax Partners portfolio company Versatel AG has listed on the Frankfurt Prime Standard. The company placed approximately 28.5 million shares at an issue price of EUR 29 per share, raising a gross amount of approximately EUR 830m. The issue price was at...
GERMANY - Wellington Partners invests in Adconion
In a first round of funding, Wellington Partners has invested an undisclosed amount in Munich-based online advertising network company Adconion Media Group. The company was formerly known as Euroclick but recently rebranded as it is expanding beyond Europe.
GERMANY - Apax and Blackstone sell Sulo Group
Apax Partners and Blackstone Group have sold waste management company Sulo Group for EUR 1.45bn to French Group Veolia Environnement. The financial investors each acquired a 50% stake in the company in January 2004.
FRANCE - Apax sells Parkéon to Barclays Private Equity for around EUR 260m
Apax Partners has agreed to sell the former parking and ticketing division of Schlumberger (e-city) to Barclays Private Equity for a total consideration of approximately EUR 260 million.
FRANCE - CDC CI backs Genoyer's secondary buyout
CDC Capital Investissement has acquired a majority stake in the secondary buyout of oil, gas, water and petrochemicals pipes manufacturer Genoyer. The deal means an exit for Carlyle, which had piloted the company's first buyout in 1998.
NL - GIMV sells Holonite to Egeria
GIMV has sold its stake in Holonite, a producer of composite stone finishing elements for the construction industry, to Egeria. The transaction price remains undisclosed, but the sale has a positive impact of EUR 5.3m (EUR 0.23 per share) on GIMV’s...
UK - Aberdeen backs the £6m BIMBO of MSIS
Aberdeen Asset Managers Growth Capital has backed the BIMBO of industrial cleaning company MS Industrial Services Ltd. Aberdeen has invested £2.5m as part of the £6m deal. Aberdeen intends to grow the company from an industrial cleaning and waste disposal...
GERMANY - Springwater Capital exits M+W Zander Group
Springwater Capital has fully exited its 72.89% stake in Stuttgart-based technology group M+W Zander to AIM-listed hedge funds group Absolute Capital Management Holdings Ltd (ACM). The transaction had been carried out in two phases. In February 2007,...
UK - Matrix sells Maven to Munro Global
Matrix has realised its investment in market research agency Maven through a sale of the business to Munro Global. The value of the deal was not disclosed, although Matrix reported that it was "a very satisfactory and profitable exit".
GERMANY - Versatel to float tomorrow
Apax Partners is listing its portfolio company Versatel AG on the Frankfurt Prime Standard on Friday 27 April. The company is issuing up to 28.577 million shares with a subscription price set at EUR 29-36 per share. The IPO is expected to generate up...
BELGIUM - Netlog receives EUR 5m funding
Index Ventures has led a EUR 5m first round of funding in social networking company Netlog. Other investors in the round were Skype co-founders Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis, as well as Saul Klein and Robin Klein of the Accelerator Group.
FRANCE - AXA PE acquires SYNERLAB
AXA Private Equity has acquired SYNERLAB Group, a French pharmaceutical sub-contractor. SYNERLAB manufactures and packages dry drugs and liquid drugs to customer requirements. SYNERLAB has 520 staff and recorded revenues in 2006 of approximately EUR...
NL - DocMorris sold to Celesio
3i, HgCapital and Neuhaus Partners have fully exited their stakes in mail order pharmacy to Celesio AG. The transaction value has not been disclosed. The management team will remain invested in the company holding an approximate 10% stake.
UK - 3i sees 3x return from Smart & Cook exit
3i has sold its stake in commercial brokers Smart & Cook via a sale of the company to AXA UK Plc. The deal has generated 3x returns for the investor which backed the company in a £57m buyout in 2004.
UK - Risk Capital Partners makes invesment in listed Public Recruitment Group
Risk Capital Partners has invested £5m for a 28% stake in AIM-listed Public Recruitment Group Plc (PRG). PRG is a leading public sector staffing and services provider, with a special focus on the Education and Social Work sectors.
UK - 3i and Doughty Hanson provide Garlik with £6m series-B funding
Online identity experts Garlik have secured £6m in series-B funding from 3i and Doughty Hanson. This equity injection builds on an initial £3m investment from the two firms in January 2006, bringing the total raised to date to just over £9m. It follows...