Benelux
NL - ProFibrix closes $11m Series A financing round
ProFibrix BV, a Leiden-based biotech company focused on products to stop bleeding and initiate tissue repair, has closed a Series A financing round raising $11m. The round was led by Index Ventures and backed by some of the current share holders of ProFibrix....
BELGIUM - Candover to invest in excess of EUR 50m in Ontex
Ontex has agreed to a financial restructuring which will see its private equity backer Candover inject more than EUR 50m into the business. Candover's stake is understood to rise to more than 80% following the restructuring. Merrill Lynch has reportedly...
NL - Bridgepoint acquires Wolters Kluwer Education for EUR 774m
Bridgepoint has announced that it has acquired Wolters Kluwer Education (WKE) in a transaction which values the company at EUR 774m. Debt was provided by ING and Société Générale.
NL - Bridgepoint to acquire Wolters Kluwer education division
Wolters Kluwer, the Dutch publishing group, is understood to have agreed the sale of its education division to Bridgepoint Capital in a deal worth more than EUR 750m.
NL - Van den Ende & Deitmers acquires 30% stake in Albumprinter
Van den Ende & Deitmers Crossmedia Fund has acquired a 30% stake in Albumprinter, a company which offers a fully integrated end-to-end solution that enables consumers to create hard cover photo books and other photo products using their own digital images....
BELGIUM - Waterland takes a stake in Indicator
Waterland Private Equity Investments has announced that it has supported the management buyout of Indicator, a publisher of professional newsletters and books aimed at small and medium-sized companies and self-employed entrepreneurs. No financial details...
EUROPE - Covenant-lite loans stoke heavy fears
Reports of banks accepting тcovenant-liteт loans to win deals has worried industry professionals. тIt is due to an oversupply of capital and a very clear sign of an overheated market,т one banker said. тIt is a bad structure and will come unstuck т we...
EUROPE - No overhang, but concerns regarding returns say LPs
'There is no capital overhang,' according to Urs Wietlisbach at Partners Group, speaking at the EVCA Investors' Forum in Geneva on Wednesday. As Thomson revealed that nearly EUR 90bn was raised for investment last year, panelists were quick to point out...
NL- Esprit Capital Partners sells NetEconomy to Fiserv
Esprit Capital Partners has sold NetEconomy, a provider of information technology services to the financial industry, to Fiserv for an undisclosed consideration.
NL - GIMV acquires Prolyte through Dutch subsidiary Halder
GIMV has acquired, through its Dutch subsidiary Halder, a majority shareholding in Prolyte, the European market leader in movable aluminium constructions for the entertainment and exhibition industry. Prolyte was owned by the managers and founders of...
GLOBAL - S&P launches industry index
In a move that underlines the increasing significance of private equity, ratings agency Standard & Poorтs has launched a new index to track the industryтs performance. The tracker will follow the 25 most liquid private equity firms around the globe.
BELGIUM - 3i backed AviaPartner acquires Aero Groundservices
AviaPartner, a 3i portfolio company, has acquired cargo handling firm Aero Groundservices from VCK Holding, a logisitics and travel company.
NL - ABN AMRO Capital and Allianz Capital Partners acquire Sdu
ABN AMRO Capital and Allianz Capital Partners have acquired publishing and secruity identification group Sdu from the Dutch State, each taking a 50% stake in a transaction valued at €415m.
NL - ABN AMRO Capital acquires Vetus Den Ouden
ABN AMRO has acquired water sports business Vetus Den Ouden in a secondary buyout from Alpinvest Partners following an auction process.
BELGIUM - Benelux Venture Summit to be held on 8 March
The Benelux Venture Summit, to be held on 8 March at KBC Bank in Brussels, will see 25 fast growing companies from the Benelux ICT and Life Sciences scene showcasing their talents. 150 pan-European VCs, corporate investors and intermediaries will also...
NL - Bencis Capital Partners appoints new partner
Menno van der Meer has joined Bencis Capital Partners as a partner as of 1 February. He will operate from the firm's Amsterdam office.
BELGIUM - Fortis acquires majority stake in automotive supplier Penne
Fortis Private Equity has acquired a majority stake in Penne NV, an Aalst-headquartered automotive supplier.
GLOBAL - Bear Stearns acquires private equity placement agent
Bear Stearns has strengthened its private equity fundraising services with the acquisition of Crane Capital Associatesтs fund placement business.
US - Blackstone buys Equity Office for $39bn in world's largest buyout
The Blackstone Group has secured the worldтs largest leveraged buyout, agreeing a $39bn price (ТЃ20.2bn) for Equity Office, the biggest office landlord in the US. Blackstone won the deal after fending off competition from real estate investment trust...
NL - Waterland portfolio company Optisport to acquire ESN
Waterland Private Equity has announced that its portfolio company Optisport has signed a letter of intent to acquire Exploitatie Sportobjecten Nederland (ESN) as part of its buy and build strategy.The first formal steps of the acquisition process are...
NL - ABN AMRO Capital to acquire Baarsma Wine Group
ABN AMRO Capital has signed an agreement to acquire a majority interest in wine distribution firm Baarsma Wine Group Holding. The current management team will retain a 40% stake in the firm and in addition, managers in key positions will be given the...
EUROPE - Return expectations of private equity investors reach record levels
The return expectations of private equity investors have strengthened significantly over the last 12 months т almost half of LPs are now forecasting medium-term returns of 16%+, according to Coller Capitalтs latest Global Private Equity Barometer, compared...
EUROPE - Advent International announces global promotions
Advent International has announced the promotion of 13 members of its global investment team.
EUROPE - European Buyout Review shows 2006 record year for private equity
2006 was a record year for European buyouts with the total value of deals topping over EUR 160bn for the first time ever, according to the latest European Buyout Review due to be published in March 2007 by Incisive Media in association with Bridgepoint....