Deals
UK - Nordic Venture Partners leads £5m funding for Player X
Mobile media company Player X has received a second round of venture funding provided by new investors Nordic Venture Partners and Long Acre Partners. This follows a first round of funding in 2005 from Arts Alliance and Bullion International.
HUNGARY - Riverside exits Salgglas
The Riverside Company has exited Hungarian manufacturer of safety glass Salgglas to CEE Industrial Holdings Ltd. The sale price has not been disclosed, but the exit generated a 4x cash-on-cash return and a gross IRR of 19%.
UK - KKR looks at Pearson
Pearson the media group is the subject of buyout speculation. It is reported that KKR is weighing up a £7bn bid for the publisher of the Financial Times which has its core business in educational publishing.
LITHUANIA - Mid Europa buys Baltic mobile operator for EUR 450m
Mid Europa Partners has agreed to acquire 100% of Baltic mobile operator Bité from TDC for a cash consideration of EUR 450m. Bité has generated an annual revenue growth of 20% over the past two years and the new owner is committed to the continued development...
SPAIN - Mercapital and La Caixa try to sell Occidental again
Mercapital and the other shareholders of hotel chain Occidental have appointed Goldman Sachs to find a buyer for the company.
ITALY - Clessidra sells Societa Gasdotti Italia
Clessidra Capital Partners has sold Societa Gasdotti Italia (SGI) to ABN AMRO Global Infrastructure Fund for EUR 300m, giving returns to the firm of 4x its initial investment and an IRR of around 90%.
UK - Wales Creative IP funds film
Flick, a new film directed by David Howard, has received funding from the £7m Wales Creative IP Fund.
FRANCE - Erytech Pharma raises EUR 12m
AGF Private Equity, Auriga Partners and AXA Private Equity have invested joined seed investors Cap décisif and Rhône-Alpes Amorçage in the EUR 12m second round of funding for Erytech Pharma.
GERMANY - bm-t invests in Analytik Jena AG
bm-t beteiligungsmanangement thüringen GmbH has invested EUR 1m in manufacturer of high performance and analytical instruments Analytik Jena AG. Following its investment the venture capitalist will hold a 3% shareholding in the company.
GERMANY - Finatem announces three investments
Finatem Beteiligungsgesellschaft has announced three investments from its latest fund Finatem II. The financial investor has acquired the Schwinn Group as part of a management buy-in as well as Deutsche Notrufzentralen und Sicherheitsdienste Holding GmbH...
DENMARK - NorthCap Partners sells Instadia to Nasdaq-listed Omniture
NorthCap Partners has sold Instadia to Omniture, a web analysis company listed on Nasdaq, for an undisclosed sum. Instadia was founded in 2000 and IVS, which is now part of NorthCap Partners, invested in the company two years later.
FINLAND - Innofinance and FII invest in bio-gas company
Innofinance and Finnish Industry Investment have invested EUR 600,000 in Tampere-based bio-gas company Puhdas Energia Oy. Founded in 2001, it focuses on optimising small scale fixed bed gasification technology.
SPAIN - Candover is the most likely buyer of Parques Reunidos
The sale of leisure complex Parques Reunidos is nearing its final stages.
ITALY - Cerberus sells the holding of Fila
US-based hedge fund Cerberus Capital Management has sold its portfolio company Sports Brands International, a holding company of sportswear brand Fila.
FRANCE - SG Capital Europe takes 88% of business advice call-centre SVP
SG Capital Europe has backed the management buyout of Paris-based SVP Group.
FRANCE - XAnge and Auriga invest EUR 5m in marketing software developer Neolane
XAnge has led the EUR 5m second round of venture funding in marketing and communications software developer Neolane. Auriga Partners, which invested EUR 2m alongside the company's CEO and management in 2002, re-invested on this occasion.
DENMARK - Asetek receives $4m in funding
Asetek, a provider of thermal management solutions for semiconductors, has secured a $4m investment following the $5m round closed last year. Northzone Ventures, Vaekstfonden, KT Venture Group, and a group of private investor participated in the round....
UK - ABN AMRO Capital backs £70.4m buyout of TGI Friday's
ABN AMRO Capital, in association with US-based Carlson Restaurants Worldwide, has agreed to acquire 45 TGI Friday’s restaurants in the UK from Whitbread Plc. As the global leader in the casual dining industry, Carlson Restaurants Worldwide is the master...
GERMANY - Granville Baird acquires Zarges Tubesca
Granville Baird Capital Partners Advisers has acquired Zarges Tubesca from Taros Capital for a total consideration of EUR 156m. The management also reinvested in the company and will hold a minority stake.
UK - Aberdeen Asset Managers Growth Capital backs £17m MBO of Oliver Kay
Aberdeen Asset Managers Growth Capital has led the £17m management buyout of Oliver Kay Ltd, a supplier of fresh fruit, vegetables, delicatessen products and sundries to hotels, restaurants and pubs.
UK - Foresight invests for surge in online video advertising
Foresight Venture Partners has invested £2.5m in UTarget, the online advertising services company. UTarget has created the UK’s first online TV and video advertising network, serving full page TV-style ads on websites for major brand clients. A challenge...
UK - ECI acquires Aerial Facilities in £56m management buy-in
ECI Partners has acquired Aerial Facilities for £56m. Aerial, based in Buckinghamshire, is a market leader in the design, manufacture and installation of specialist products and solutions. ECI is backing a new management buy-in team led by Ian Brown,...
DENMARK - Venture funds sell Ascio for over DKK 200m
IVS, Nordic Venture Partners and Vækstfonden have sold internet domain name company Ascio Technologies A/S to listed NBT in the UK. The value of the deal is over DKK 200m, with the sellers receiving cash, shares in NBT and options.
GERMANY - Partech invests in video-games search engine
Partech International has led a EUR 6m second round of funding in international video-games search engine Wazag.