CEE
Q1 Barometer: Year of sustained growth finally halted in Q1
The European private equity market cooled in Q1, even before the Covid-19 crisis took hold, after an especially active Q4 2019
Ara Partners closes debut fund on $400m
Fund makes buyout and growth capital investments in companies based across North America and Europe
Ambienta raises $150m for absolute return fund
Ambienta X Alpha is managed by a team based in London, led by chief investment officer Fabio Pecce
Grafton invests $20m in Omilia
Funding will be used to expand the company in North America and western Europe
Altamar holds first close for €750m secondaries fund
ACP 4 targets the growing market for GP-led secondary transactions
Tech, IT and software valuations remain stable – survey
Report from GCA Altium tracks the effect of the coronavirus crisis on listed technology companies
Omers Ventures Fund IV closes on $750m
Fund targets growth-orientated, disruptive technology companies based across North America and Europe
Index Ventures raises $2bn across two new funds
Index Ventures Growth V, which targets later-stage companies, raises $1.2bn, while Index Ventures X closes on $800m
Inovo launches €40m second fund
Fund will invest in CEE-based tech startups in late-seed and series-A rounds
CMS expands Poland-focused team
CMS transactions team will continue to be led by partner Rafał Zwierz
Market braces for 12.6% drop in valuations by Q2 – report
NAVs expected to drop for Q1, with a steeper mark-down for Q2 as the crisis take its toll
Unquote Private Equity Podcast: Fund financing in a fix
The Unquote team looks at how PE managers are turning to fund financing in a bid to shore up their portfolios
Baring Vostok buys minority stake in Synergetic
None of the existing shareholders reportedly leave the company's capital structure
The Deals Pipeline
A fortnightly highlight of deal processes underway and involving PE, either on the buy- or sell-side, across Europe
KKR expects lower valuations for its portfolios due to Covid-19
GP forecasts that emergency restrictions will challenge its ability to market new funds and strategies
EC launches €300m platform Escalar
In its pilot phase, Escalar will provide up to тЌ300m, backed by the European Fund for Strategic Investments
Sicav-backed NChain acquires Crea
Crea is a software development and implementation firm focused on Bitcoin and IT security
Crescent European Specialty Lending Fund II closes on €1.6bn
CESL II invests in a diversified portfolio of private secured debt issued by European companies
Secondaries players hold fire despite copious dry powder
Market is likely to pause until Q2 2020 valuations are released, potentially leading to a flurry in Q4
V4C, Ananda Impact acquire Doktor 24
Investment will finance Doktor 24's acquisition of two other healthcare businesses in Hungary
StepStone closes fourth secondaries fund on $2.1bn
SSOF IV's investment strategy focuses on the inefficient segments of the secondaries market
Q&A: Cambridge Associates' Featherby on PE's time to shine
Very few managers will have net benefited from this crisis, says Featherby, but PE could still showcase its ability to outperform
How private equity is helping fight the Covid-19 outbreak
A round-up of initiatives by GPs across Europe т and their portfolio companies т to help their communities
Insight Partners XI closes on $9.5bn
Fund deploys equity tickets in the $10-350m range in startups operating across the software industry