DACH
UK/ITALY - Candover writes off Ferretti investment
Candover is opting out of the restructuring of portfolio company Ferretti, an Italian yacht manufacturer, completely writing off its investment in the business.
GERMANY - Holtzbrinck Ventures funds Stylight
German corporate venture firm Holtzbrinck Ventures has invested an undisclosed value in fashion search engine Stylight GmbH.
SWITZERLAND - UBS appoints group CEO
UBS has appointed Oswald J Grübel as its new group CEO, succeeding Marcel Rohner, who has resigned.
SICAR amendments are good news for GPs
In October 2008, Luxembourg's dedicated regime for private equity funds was updated. The possibility to create subfunds and the significant enhancement of the Luxembourg Limited Partnership are the two key innovations
EUROPE - Commission holds hearing on PE regulation
The EU Commission is today in Brussels holding its hearing into private equity regulation and conduct in Europe, in what should be a significant step towards a conclusion of the long running political debate. Prior to the conference, an industry "task...
SWITZERLAND - Alven Capital invests EUR 1m into eboutic
French investor Alven Capital has made an investment of around EUR 1m (CHF 1.5m) into Internet shopping club eboutic SA.
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 £355.2m. 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 £61m towards the £2bn 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 - Silverfleet bolsters investment team
Silverfleet Capital has increased the size of its investment team in Munich with the appointment of Klaus Maurer as an executive.