DACH
GERMANY - Wellington and 3i lead EUR 4.5m EnOcean investment
A consortium of investors co-led by Wellington Partners GmbH and 3i Group Plc has invested EUR 4.5m into EnOcean GmbH, a producer of wireless sensors.
GERMANY - Köglmayr resigns as MD of Leonardo Venture Capital
Professor Dr Hans-Georg Köglmayr, managing director and founder of Leonardo Venture Capital GmbH, has resigned from his post due to health reasons.
UK/NETHERLANDS - Private equity interest in Reed Elsevier's trade publishing unit
Several private equity firms are thought to be among the 12 bidders that have made it through to the second round of the auction for publisher Reed Elsevier's business magazines unit, which is expected to fetch between £1bn and £1.25bn.
US - Linklaters hires Jeffrey Schmidt for New York office
Linklaters has appointed Jeffrey Schmidt as partner in the New York office.
GLOBAL - Permira beefs up Asian presence
UK-based buyout house Permira has appointed longtime Goldman Sachs banker Henry Chen as its head for Greater China.
GERMANY – EVP leads EUR 5.1m investment into Signature Diagnostics
A consortium of investors led by EVP Capital Management has invested EUR 5.1m into Signature Diagnostics, a developer of predictive diagnostics products for cancer, in a series-C funding round.
GERMANY - b-to-v invests in smash24/7 GmbH
BrainsToVentures AG has invested in online paparazzi portal company smash24/7 GmbH, which focuses on news and gossip around celebrities and events.
EUROPE - Earlybird closes new fund on EUR 127m
Earlybird has held a final closing of its new fund Earlybird IV, with investors from Germany, the US, Asia and the Middle East committing EUR 127m towards the early-stage financing of young, innovative companies.
EUROPE - Apollo and Lazard join forces
US buyout house Apollo Management and investment bank Lazard have announced a strategic partnership for private equity in Europe.
GLOBAL - Private equity investments drop 40%
A new report published by International Financial Services London has revealed that private equity investments have declined by approximately 40% in the first half of 2008 compared to the corresponding period last year.
GERMANY – eCAPITAL backs 4JET Sales+Service GmbH
eCAPITAL has closed an undisclosed financing round for 4JET Sales+Service GmbH.
EUROPE - RBS et al sell ABN assets for £156m
Reports suggest that Royal Bank of Scotland, alongside Fortis and Santander bank, has sold a portfolio of seven private equity assets controlled by ABN Amro to a consortium led by Goldman Sachs in a deal thought to be worth around £156m.
GLOBAL - Secondaries market set to grow as credit crunch squeezes returns
The private equity secondaries market could see strong growth in activity in 2008 in the wake of fears of underperformance in large buyout funds, with US private company exchange Nyppex estimating that total value could reach a record breaking USD 18bn...
GERMANY – VC-backed Curacyte AG sells subsidiary
Biopharmaceutical company Curacyte AG, which is backed by firms such as TVM Capital, AlpInvest Partners and IKB Venture Capital, has sold its subsidiary Curacyte Discovery GmbH to Medicines Co for an upfront payment of EUR 14.5m and additional payments...
GERMANY – Existing investors close new funding round for Protagen AG
Existing institutional investors MIG AG, Munich, S-Venture Capital Dortmund GmbH, and Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau have raised another, undisclosed round of financing for biotechnology business Protagen AG.
SWITZERLAND – Consortium invests CHF 23m into EsbaTech AG
A syndicate of incumbent investors, including SV Life Sciences, Clarus Ventures, HBM BioVentures, HBM BioCapital, Novartis Bioventures, BioMedinvest and VI Partners, has invested a further CHF 23m into biotechnology company EsbaTech AG.
GERMANY - GermanCapital and Morgan Stanley back Phoenix Dichtungstechnik
GermanCapital GmbH has, alongside investment bank Morgan Stanley and buy-in managers, taken over seal manufacturer Phoenix Dichtungstechnik GmbH, a subsidiary of ContiTech AG, for an undisclosed sum.
GERMANY – Montagu reviews BSN Medical
According to reports, Montagu Private Equity has hired Morgan Stanley to evaluate strategic options for portfolio company BSN Medical.
GLOBAL - Blackstone forms cleantech group
The Blackstone Group has formed a cleantech group, which will both make investments and advise Blackstone portfolio companies on renewable energy strategies.
A Pipe Dream Or Reality?
Andrew Carpenter and Mike Hinchliffe of Addleshaw Goddard on why PIPEs may make a lot of sense
GLOBAL - Syndicate eyes up Rio Tinto Alcan division
A private equity syndicate comprising Eurazeo, Apollo, AXA Private Equity, TPG and la Caisse des Dépots are considering an offer for mining company Rio Tinto Alcan’s aeronautics and automotive unit, Alcan Engineered Products, which could value the...
GERMANY - Apollo and KKR in talks with Continental
According to reports, US firms Apollo and KKR are in talks with listed auto parts supplier Continental regarding a possible 'white knight' takeover bid.
GERMANY - Capvis acquires BARTEC from Allianz Capital Partners
Capvis has acquired a majority shareholding in safety technology company BARTEC for an undisclosed amount from Allianz Capital Partners, which acquired the company in 2002. The BARTEC management continues to be invested as a minority shareholder.
WORLD - Blackstone opens Beijing office
The Blackstone Group will open a representative office in Beijing and has appointed Shan Fu, a former official with various economic bodies within the Chinese government, as its chief representative.