Benelux
Trade buyer appetite boosts mid-cap valuations
Mid-cap valuations
Kebek acquires Belgian business Mifratel
Belgian buyout firm Kebek Private Equity has acquired Mifratel, a Belgian contact centre operator, alongside the company’s management.
Vendis invests in Victoria Group
Retail and consumer brand-focused investor Vendis Capital has acquired Victoria Group, a Belgian jewellery designer.
Charterhouse’s Webhelp picks up SNT
Charterhouse-backed Webhelp Group, a French provider of customer management solutions, has acquired Dutch customer contact services provider SNT.
German PE tempted by allure of Luxembourg LPs
With a government promising to keep industry regulation fine-tuned to the benefit of its denizens, Luxembourg has become a hotspot for GPs in post-AIFMD Europe. Ellie Pullen reports
MIF invests €1.2m in MI Airline
Mainport Innovation Fund (MIF) has injected €1.2m into MI Airline, the Dutch developer of a tablet app for airline cabin crews.
VC-backed uniQure raises $91.8m in IPO
Venture capital-backed Dutch gene therapy company uniQure raised well above its original expectation in its listing on the Nasdaq, bagging $91.8m.
Q4 Barometer: dealflow bounces back
Following a weak Q3, the final months of 2013 marked the strongest quarter of the year, according to the latest unquote” Private Equity Barometer, published in association with SL Capital Partners.
EVCA appoints senior public affairs manager
Anna Lekston, EVCA
Placement agents: a dying breed?
The placement agent industry has attracted criticism of late, with some labelling it as nothing more than a glorified introductory business. As fundraising becomes more complex, Alice Murray investigates how relevant this advisory service is
Former NYSE Euronext chair Hessels joins General Atlantic
Jan-Michiel Hessels, General Atlantic
Fintech: throwing down the gauntlet to financial services
Financial technology dealflow is growing at a steady pace and the banks are taking note. Amy King investigates the drivers and challenges behind the fintech revolution.
Insurers to ramp up private equity exposure in 2014
Insurers are rethinking their investment strategies and beginning to increase their exposure to private equity. Some are even looking at it from an asset-liability management perspective.
GCC backs Eyefreight
Global Cleantech Capital (GCC) and De Hoge Dennen Capital have led a €9m funding round for Eyefreight, a Netherlands-based provider of transportation management software-as-a-service (SaaS).
France's Access holds €190m first close for FoF
French funds-of-funds manager Access Capital Partners has held a first close on €190m for its latest vehicle, Access Capital Fund VI Growth Buy-out Europe (ACF VI).
Chrysalix SET et al. invest in Luxexcel
Chrysalix SET, Munich Venture Partners (MVP) and Filsa Capital have invested in Luxexcel Group, a Netherlands-based developer of optical 3D printing technology.
SDNsquare raises €1.5m
TMT-focused investor Merapar has led a €1.5m funding round for SDNsquare, a Belgian provider of network and storage solutions.
PAI reaches halfway line with €1.4bn first close
French private equity house PAI partners is understood to be halfway towards the hard-cap of its latest vehicle, PAI Europe VI.
Sweet deal: Bencis's Continental Candy acquires K&H
Bencis Capital Partners-backed Continental Candy Industries (CCI) has acquired Kraepelien & Holm (K&H), a Dutch manufacturer of liquorice and wine gums.
2013 buyouts: overall value stabilises around €75bn
The overall value of European private equity-backed buyouts has hovered around the €75bn mark for the third year in a row, with last year's deals totalling €74.7bn.
Apollo raises $17.5bn for Fund VIII
Apollo Global Management has bucked the trend of large-cap players downsizing their funds compared to pre-crisis efforts: the firm has amassed $17.5bn for its latest global vehicle after a little more than a year on the road.