DACH
GERMANY - Seventure leads EUR 7m investment into Retailo
Seventure has led a EUR 7m funding round for gift cards retailer Retailo AG, alongside existing investors Wellington Partners and Endeavour Vision.
GERMANY - bmp backs second mando funding round
A consortium of investors led by incumbent backer bmp and including existing investor VC Fonds Technologie and new investor ERP-Startfonds has supported Mando, a mobile television service provider, with an undisclosed a second round of funding.
Candover reveals full extent of downturn
Pioneering buyout house to downsize fund and cut staff as portfolio halves in value. Ashley Wassall reports
Private equity to be public relations nightmare
Ashley Wassall reports from Geneva
PE set to become PR nightmare: EVCA forum
Ashley Wassall reports from Geneva
GLOBAL - Google launches $100m venture fund
Search engine Google has set up Google Ventures, a $100m venture capital fund designed to invest in early-stage companies.
EUROPE - EVPA hires MD
The European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA) has hired Beate TrУМck as managing director.
EUROPE - Price joins Candover as general counsel
Philip Price, formerly with hedge fund SRM Global, has joined Candover Investments as general counsel.
EUROPE - Silverfleet's Paramount trouble a blip
Silverfleet Capital has called in debt advisers for its portfolio company Paramount Holdings, a UK-based restaurant group which saw its pre-tax loss increase to ТЃ27m in the year to June 2008, up from ТЃ12m the previous year.
GERMANY - Candover and Cinven to divest Springer
According to reports, Candover and Cinven have appointed UBS and Goldman Sachs to approach potential buyers for publisher Springer Science and Business Media, in a deal that could fetch up to £2bn.
EUROPE - 3i Infrastructure stays solid
Following the stark pre-close period statement released by 3i Group plc yesterday the firm's infrastructure arm published a contrastingly bright statement today, revealing steady investment activity and strong performance.
Taking Stock
Market conversations currently indicate that the public markets are the place to go shopping for bargains, but will the discussion turn into deals? Ashley Wassall investigates
AUSTRIA - Private equity circles Constantia
According to press reports, several private equity funds including EQT and Nordic Capital are entering the second round of bidding for heiress Christine de Castelbajac's stake in listed holding Constantia Packaging.
EUROPE - 3i licking wounds – to aide healing?
3i Group today released its pre-close period trading update, warning the markets of stark writedowns ahead and revealing the scale of its de-leveraging operation.
GERMANY - Target Partners appoints partner
Target Partners has appointed Olaf Jacobi as a new partner.
SWITZERLAND - Nordic Capital may fetch EUR 10bn for Nycomed
Nordic Capital portfolio company Nycomed, a Swiss drugmaker, has been put on the block and may fetch up to EUR 10bn.
SWITZERLAND - BioMedPartners strengthens management team
Basel-based BioMedPartners has strengthened its management team with the addition of Dr Andreas J Schulze and the promotion of Patrick Burgermeister.
GERMANY - Leonardo files EUR 5m lawsuit against management company
Leonardo Venture is suing its former management company, Leonardo Venture Capital GmbH, for damages totalling around EUR 5m on the grounds of alleged dereliction of duty.
AUSTRIA/NORWAY - GCP-backed Identec acquires TunnelCom
Gamma Capital Partners-backed Identec Solutions AG, an Austria-based supplier of industrial tracking and tracing solutions, has acquired Norway-based TunnelCom, a provider of automatic tagging solutions for the tunnel, mining, oil and gas industries....
GERMANY - Merck launches strategic venture capital fund
Merck KGaA has launched Merck Serono Ventures, a venture capital fund designed to invest in biotech start-up companies in the company's core therapeutic areas.
GLOBAL - Freshfields elects 14 new partners
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has elected 14 new partners, with the appointments taking effect from 1 May 2009.
GERMANY - Key leveraged team members leave Dresdner Kleinwort
Kai Gebauer, the managing director and head of leveraged finance for Germany and CEE at Dresdner Kleinwort in Frankfurt, has resigned together with the main part of his team, including vice-presidents Jennifer Kroehl and Paul Kim and associate Aileen...
GERMANY – KKR and Permira to restructure ProSiebenSat1 debt
KKR and Permira are reported to have hired Houlihan Lokey to negotiate a restructuring of almost EUR 2bn of debt in portfolio broadcasting company ProSiebenSat1.
GERMANY – Creathor Venture invests in Tellja
Creathor Venture has invested an undisclosed sum into online marketing portal Tellja GmbH.