DACH
GLOBAL - Lehman sells venture capital arm
Lehman Brothers has fully divested its US-based venture capital arm Lehman Brothers Venture Partners through a sale to the current management team, backed by HarbourVest Partners.
GERMANY - Leonardo Venture increases stake in two portfolio companies
Leonardo Venture has increased its stakes in portfolio companies ISIS sentronics GmbH and MedicalCommunications Soft- und Hardware GmbH, for a combined value of nearly EUR 2m.
GLOBAL - GIC and Future Fund acquire 7.7% of Apax
Apax Partners has sold nearly 8% of it its management company and future carried interest to GIC Special Investments and Future Funds, two Asian-Pacific investors.
GERMANY – BVK and PE firms launch company database
The German Private Equity Association (Bundesverband Deutscher Kapitalbeteiligungsgesellschaften, BVK) has together with a group of international private equity firms launched a company database providing information for scientific research on private...
GERMANY – Kennet leads EUR 10m sprd.net investment
Kennet Partners has led a EUR 10m funding round for customisation apparel company sprd.net AG, alongside existing investor Accel Partners.
EUROPE – 3i Group acquires 3i Quoted
3i Quoted Private Equity today agreed to be acquired by 3i Group in a deal that values 3i QPEP at ТЃ355.2m. The acquisition will be effected through a solvent liquidation of QPEP, allowing 3i to acquire the 55% stake in 3i QPEP it did not already own....
EUROPE - 3i sells stake in Infrastructure
Listed private equity firm 3i has reduced its stake in its infrastructure fund to a third after selling 77 million shares. The placing raised ТЃ61m towards the ТЃ2bn debt pile the investor has accrued; half of which is due in the next three years.
LUXEMBOURG/DACH - Sal Oppenheim creates new investment holding
German private bank Sal Oppenheim is reorganising it business and investment activities, with all investment holdings being placing into a newly formed entity that will be independent from the bank.
EUROPE - Debt-free deals see sharp rise in Q4
According to unquote" data, more than a quarter of the 237 buyouts completed across Europe in the last three months of 2008 contained no acquisition leverage, while in the beleaguered UK a staggering 40% of Q4 buyouts were all-equity deals.
AUSTRIA - Pontis- and uni-backed Alumonte files for insolvency
Pontis Venture and uni venture-backed ALUmonte Technologiefortschritt in Aluminium GmbH has filed for insolvency.
EUROPE - Candover downsizes fund
UK buyout house Candover has become to latest large-cap investor group to succumb to the pressures facing firms at the top of the market by announcing a reduction in the size of its latest fund.
GERMANY - Lazard hires Doll
Lazard has appointed Alexander Doll as managing director in its German financial advisory business.
GERMANY - zouk leads EUR 10.4m funding round for Triton-Format
zouk ventures has led a EUR 10.4m financing round for water management specialist Triton-Format AG, alongside US-based investor group Meidlinger Partners.
EUROPE – Activist shareholder mulls 3i QPE takeover
AIM-listed investment group Crystal Amber has taken a stake in 3i's Quoted Private Equity and is reported to be in talks with management and 3i regarding delisting the fund.
UK/EUROPE - BNP Paribas and Northern Lights to partner
According to reports, BNP Paribas Investment Partners is to announce a strategic partnership with US-based Northern Lights Ventures, a private equity firm focused on the institutional asset management industry.
GLOBAL - KKR appoints Donohue as managing director
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts has announced that Suzanne Donohoe will join the firm's global capital and asset management group as managing director and global head of the client and partner group.
GERMANY - BluO acquires Metro unit in EUR 10m deal
Private equity newcomer BluO has acquired Adler, the beleaguered fashion store unit of listed retailer Metro, in a deal thought to be worth EUR 10m.
AUSTRIA/CEE - Schoenherr establishes distressed M&A team
Austrian law firm Schoenherr has established a dedicated distressed M&A team.
GLOBAL - Permira bulks up Technology team
Permira has strengthened its technology team with the appointments of Brian Ruder and Bruce Chizen as a partner and senior advisor, respectively.
GERMANY - HTGF invests EUR 500,000 into Liquiverse
High-Tech Gründerfonds has invested EUR 500,000 into software business Liquiverse.
GLOBAL - LPs 'will find a way out'
"There's no question, that on our new deals, we'll have the availability to get out," said Rafael Stone of Washington State University's Board of Regents, speaking at the unquote" South African Private Equity Congress in Cape Town this morning.
UK/NETHERLANDS - HgCapital to close Amsterdam office and consumer team
HgCapital has announced that it is to close its office in Amsterdam and its London-based consumer and leisure team.
GERMANY/US - Neuhaus and ERP back sofatronic
Returning backer Neuhaus Partners and ERP-Startfond have invested an undisclosed seven-figure sum into blue-ray company sofatronic GmbH in a second round of funding.