Deals
UK - NewMedia SPARK backs MarketClusters with $3m funding round
NewMedia SPARK has led a $3m series-A funding round for MarketClusters Ltd, developer of the 'StrategyWire' intelligence platform which enables corporates to accurately filter expert opinions created in blogs and news feeds.
UK - Rutland acquires ATM operator in £45.3m deal
Rutland Partners' portfolio company Notemachine Ltd has acquired TRM (ATM) Ltd, the UK operations of TRM Inc. for £45.3m. Notemachine, formerly Scott Tod was delisted from AIM by Rutland in September 2006 and TRM is a complementary business involved...
FRANCE - MBO Partenaires acquires 35% of Degetel
MBO Partenaires has backed the management buyout of IT services company Degetel. The private equity firm took a 35% stake, with the balance being retained by management. Banque Palatine led the pool of banks which underwrote the debt package.
FRANCE - AXA Private Equity backs European expansion of rich contents producer
AXA Private Equity has announced it has invested in Brainsonic, a Paris-based rich media contents producer.
CEE - Private equity eyes up Bulgarian telco… again
Private equity firms are reported to be interested in the Bulgarian Telecommunications Company after Novator, the investment vehicle owned by Icelandic billionaire Thor Bjorgolfsson, brought in Lehman Brothers to advise it. Novator acquired a 65% stake...
ITALY - BC Partners joins the competition for Alitalia
Press reports suggest that pan-European firm BC Partners is also interested in troubled airline Alitalia.
UK – The Capital Funds injects £250k into LFH
London growth investor The Capital Fund has invested £250,000 in LFH Brand Identity, a print and design management agency. The funding will be used to procure new business, as well as to consolidate existing client relationships. The Capital Fund is...
FRANCE - XAnge and Aurinvest pair up to back business search engine developer
XAnge and Aurinvest have injected EUR 4m in software developer Sinequa. XAnge invested three quarters of this series-A funding through XAnge and Capital and two of its FCPI funds.
UK - Ingenious VCTs back Peter Gabriel
Ingenious Media's two music VCTs have made a further joint investment, totalling £2m, to support the North American release of the next solo album of international artist, Peter Gabriel. The investment will be made through the formation of a joint venture...
NL - Apax to sell stake in PCM
Apax Partners has reportedly sold its 47.5% stake in Dutch publishing firm PCM Uitgevers to Stichting Democratie en Media (SDM), currently owner of 41.9% of the shares.
UK - Braveheart invests £1m in NiTech Solutions
Braveheart Investment Group has invested approximately £1m in NiTech Solutions Ltd, a spinout company from Heriot Watt University, which has developed a patented mixing technology for process industries. The investment includes monies from the Scottish...
UK - Hutton Collins backs MBO of Windsor
Hutton Collins is backing the management team of Windsor, the insurance broker, in a take-private deal worth £33.7m. Hutton Collins is providing £15m in debt and equity financing alongside a £19m senior debt package supplied by KBC.
ITALY - Investors deny sale of SEAT Pagine Gialle
According to reports in the Italian press, Investitori Associati and the other backers of SEAT Pagine Gialle are not looking into selling their joint stake of 50.1% in the directory business this year.
SPAIN - Advent sells Parques Reunidos in Spain's largest ever exit
As anticipated by unquote news" on 17 January, Candover has acquired leisure complex Parques Reunidos from Advent International in Spain's first mega-deal of the year.
SPAIN - Clave Mayor buys IT support business
Private equity firm Clave Mayor has announced its investment in IT company Angelpc Global Support SA. The company provides 24-hour IT support via a network of professionals connected via a software link. .
FRANCE - Platina LP takes two thirds of industrial engineer Cira Concept
In a EUR 13m deal, Platina Finance has acquired two thirds of Cira Concept via its fund Platina LP. The transaction was leveraged with a EUR 7m debt underwritten by Société Générale.
GERMANY - 3i divests Bornemann Pumps
3i has sold its 40% stake in German manufacturer of displacement pumps, Bornemann Pumps to BWK GmbH Unternehmensbeteiligungsgesellschaft and the Bornemann family. The value of the transaction has not been announced.
POLAND – bmp exits Bankier pl
bmp AG has exited its remaining stake in Polish company Bankier pl. The shares were placed with institutional investors for an approximate value of EUR 3.2m.
GERMANY – Klastech raises EUR 2.1m
German start-up Klastech Karpushko Laser Technology GmbH has received EUR 2.1m as part of a series-A funding round led by Triangle Venture Capital Group. The financing will be used to build up international sales and marketing for the company as well...
ITALY - All eyes on Alitalia
Italian turnaround funds, industrial players and US private equity houses are said to be among the interested parties in troubled airline Alitalia. It is understood that the deadline for the submission of offers is next Monday.
UK - Amadues, Accel and TVM invest $22.5m in Cambridge Broadband
Cambridge Broadband, the developer of carrier-class wireless transmission equipment for cellular backhaul, has raised $22.5m of funding. Taking part in this round were existing investors Amadeus Capital, Accel Partners and TVM Capital, together with new...
UK - Green Biologics awarded £560,000 to boost ‘Green’ Fuel Development
An Oxfordshire biotechnology company is set to develop a new low-cost ‘next generation’ biofuel, with £250,000 funding from the Department of Trade and Industry’s Technology Programme and £310,000 from shareholder investors and business angels....
FRANCE - City Star Private Equity leads its third deal
City Star Private Equity has led its third buyout since its creation in 2005. The private equity firm has invested in real estate construction management business Habiva, alongside Paluel Marmont Capital and Maceinvest.
SWEDEN - Litorina buys waste management company
Litorina Kapital has acquired Resta, a Stockholm-headquartered waste management company. Following the acquisition, Litorina will own approximately 75% of the company and the founders the remaining 25%.