Deals
Carlyle launches takeover bid for vwd Group
Carlyle is looking to take German market data provider Vereinigte Wirtschaftsdienste (vwd Group) private.
Electra buys debt portfolio for £30m
Electra Partners has acquired a portfolio of mezzanine debt and second lien debt in five UK and European companies for £30m.
LBO France completes Diam SBO
LBO France has finalised the acquisition of French point-of-purchase display manufacturer Diam International from HIG Capital.
Inveready in €1m round for AB Therapeutics
Inveready has taken part in a €1m funding round for Spanish pharmaceuticals firm AB Therapeutics.
GMT buys Seagull AS
GMT Communications Partners has acquired Seagull AS, a Norwegian provider of training systems for seafarers, in a management buyout.
V4C's Konsalnet acquires G4S's Polish operations
Value4Capital (V4C) portfolio company Konsalnet Holdings has completed the add-on acquisition of G4S Holdings (Polska).
Rutland's Laidlaw buys Timbmet Door Solutions
Laidlaw Interiors Group, an interior products firm backed by Rutland Partners, has acquired doorsets and interior products supplier Timbmet Door Solutions Ltd (TDSL) for ТЃ7.8m.
BDMI backs Whisbi
Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments (BDMI) has made an equity investment in online communications service provider Whisbi.
LDC exits Direct Group in trade sale
LDC has sold UK-based outsourced insurance services provider Direct Group to Ryan Specialty Group.
Spanish VCs back ForMune with €4.4m
Venture capital firms Inveready and Caja Navarra, alongside public company Navarra Development Society (Sodena), have supported the spinout of biotech firm ForMune from parent company Digna Biotech with a capital commitment of €4.4m over the next three...
Berrier Capital backs Ploonge
Italian private equity firm Berrier Capital has acquired a 25% stake in social dining site Ploonge, according to reports in the Italian press.
European VC "stronger now than in 2000"
Venture capital is on an upward trajectory, with phenomenal exits and a handful of fund closes building momentum. Kimberly Romaine interviews John Holloway, director at European Investment Fund, Europe's largest venture backer, about the industry's decade...
Redpoint et al. invest in Zendesk
Redpoint Ventures, Index Ventures, GGV Capital, Goldman Sachs and existing backers have invested $45m in customer service software provider Zendesk, alongside a $15m facility provided by Silicon Valley Bank.
EdRIP takes stake in Alouette OBO
Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners (EdRIP) has taken a minority stake in the owner buyout of French radio station Alouette.
Cabiedes leads €1m round for Kantox
Spanish venture capital firm Cabiedes & Partners has led a тЌ1m funding round for currency exchange firm Kantox.
Faraday participates in $1.9m round for PlaySpace
Spanish VC Faraday Venture Partners has participated in a $1.9m funding round for PlaySpace, a developer and operator of Spanish and Portuguese social games.
General Atlantic leads $44m round in Yemeksepeti.com
General Atlantic has acquired a minority stake in Turkish online food ordering business Yemeksepeti.com as part of a $44m funding round that also included Endeavor Catalyst.
FSI Régions invests in Altec MBI
FSI Régions and venture capital firm MPcroissance have backed the management buy-in of French agricultural equipment manufacturer Altec.
French PE-backed Ludendo buys Hamleys
Ludendo, a French toy store chain backed by NiXEN Partners and other French private equity players, has acquired iconic UK-based toys retailer Hamleys in a deal believed to be worth ТЃ60m.
ECI-backed Fourth buys Adaco
ECI Partners portfolio company Fourth, a software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider targeting the hospitality sector, has acquired Adaco, a global supplier of SaaS to the hotel sector.
HIG combines US and European metallised paper firms
HIG Capital has acquired Belgium-based ARMetallizing (ARM) and US-based Vacumet Paper from their corporate parents, and will merge the businesses following the transaction.
Initiative & Finance acquires Fil Rouge in BIMBO
Initiative & Finance (I&F) has taken a majority stake in the buy-in management buyout of French marketing group Fil Rouge.
French capital gains tax reform spells trouble for PE
The French government is pushing forward with an in-depth tax reform, as announced by new President François Hollande during the Spring election, which will see capital gains taxed at the same rate as income tax – a move likely to worry local fund managers....
HIG acquires Rio Tinto's speciality alumina business
HIG Capital has completed the acquisition of the speciality alumina business of listed company Rio Tinto.