Deals
Demeter acquires 42% stake in Comarth
Demeter Partners has acquired a 42% stake in engineering firm Comarth, the fifth deal from their fund Demeter 2.
Providence’s KDG headed for IPO
Providence’s Kabel Deutschland is said to conduct an IPO at the Frankfurt stock exchange on 22 March, and is expected to issue a total of 52 million shares to raise EUR 700m in capital.
Primary completes £35m SBO of AMTECH from HSBC PE
Primary Capital has acquired software provider AMTECH Group in a £35m deal from HSBC Private Equity.
Bridges Ventures leads investment in AeroThermal
Bridges Ventures has led an undisclosed investment round for AeroThermal Group Limited, a developer of steam treatment technology for waste, alongside Carbon Trust Investments.
Accel, Highland and Kreos in £6m round for Autoquake.com
Existing backers Accel Partners and Highland Capital Partners have participated in a £6m investment round for online used car retailer Autoquake.com.
LCA invests £500,000 in Vigor Renewables
Low Carbon Accelerator (LCA) has invested £500,000 in solar and wind company Vigor Renewables in the form of non-voting preference shares with rights over 90% of the distributable profits.
HgCapital in exclusive talks to buy John Laithwaite
HgCapital is reportedly in exclusive talks to buy commercial laundry equipment supplier John Laithwaite in a deal worth around £150m.
Corpfin's Duplex Elevación acquires parts of MP Ascensores
Corpfin Capital-backed Duplex Elevación has acquired parts of MP Ascensores' lift maintenance portfolio.
Elysian's English Landscapes acquires Western Landscapes
Elysian Capital-backed English Landscapes, a landscape maintenance provider, has acquired Western Landscapes Limited for an undisclosed amount.
Q&A: European venture to outperform in cleantech area
Rob Genieser recently joined cleantech venture investor Environmental Technologies Fund (ETF), which currently invests from its £110m fund, closed in March 2008. Relocating from Vertex, which was headquartered in Singapore and Tel Aviv, he tells Rikke...
Siemens Venture Capital et al. exit LET Systems
Siemens Venture Capital, Tempovest Capital, Enterprise Ireland, Bank of Scotland and TVC Holdings have exited their investment in software company LET Systems via a trade sale to US-based Trimble.
EdRIP buy minority stake in Iranex
Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners (EdRIP) has purchased a 24% stake in Groupe Iranex, a nutritional ingredients company, alongside Stéphane Dondain the company CEO who holds the remaining 76%.
3i and N.I. Partners acquire Apax's stake in Vedici
3i and N.I. Partners have acquired a stake in acute care company Vedici, alongside founding directors Jérôme Nouzarède and Michel Bodkier, from Apax Partners SA and its listed vehicle Altamir Amboise.
M&A: The way forward for VC exits in 2010
Following on from a year where exit opportunities were limited at best, 2010 has the potential to see an increase in divestments for venture capital-backed companies, says Howard Palmer of European law firm Taylor Wessing
AXA PE in talks to sell Eliokem to Lanxess
AXA Private Equity is said to be in discussions with German chemical business Lanxess over the sale of its portolio company Eliokem.
NextStage sells Bewan for up to €12.5m
NextStage and Seventure have sold their holding in Bewan, IP and cable gateways specialist, to UK-based Pace, a digital TV technology company, for up to €12.5m.
Bridges and Magenta support Halo
Bridges Ventures and Magenta Partners have supported Halo Insurance Services, a niche insurance company, with an undisclosed investment.
Gresham-backed James Grant acquires part of Michael Kay
Gresham Private Equity-backed James Grant Group has announced that its division OJK Limited has acquired the entertainment element of Michael Kay & Company, the Birmingham-based specialist accountancy practice.
Gulf One acquires 7.9 percent of Belte AG
Gulf One Investment Bank B.S.C., Bahrain has acquired 7.9 percent of the shares of aluminum refiner Belte AG based in Delbrück.
Endless buys Trutex
Turnaround investor Endless has acquired schoolwear supplier Trutex.
Octopus Ventures in £1.5m round for Metrasens
Octopus Ventures has invested £1.5m in technology business Metrasens.
Trade sales make roaring start to 2010
While many companies are still waiting in the IPO wings, trade sales seem to be the preferred exit option in the UK these days. Deborah Sterescu investigates
HTGF, DuMont Venture and bAV Consult sell northworks
High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), DuMont Venture and bAV Consult have sold their stakes in northworks Software GmbH to games provider Travian Games GmbH.
Finlombarda invests €1.5m in Microcinema
Finlombarda Gestioni SGR has invested €1.5m in Italian digital distribution network of film and digital content Microcinema, taking a minority stake in the business.