DACH
UK - EVCA final figures show record investment in 2007
The EVCA has released its final figures for private equiity activity in 2007, with the report showing that a record EUR 73.8bn was invested across Europe, EUR 2.6bn higher than in 2006.
GERMANY - Earlybird invests in Smoodoos.com
Earlybird has invested in just us & friends GmbH, operator of childrens online portal www.smoodoos.com. This makes Earlybird the first institutional investor following an earlier seed financing provided by Business Angels Tino Schöninger and Yulian Patzelt...
GERMANY - Lonestar and Ripplewood still bidding for German bank IKB
According to reports, the three bidders still in the race for troubled German bank IKB, which is expected to fetch a purchase price of EUR 500m, include private equity firms Lonestar and Ripplewood. The third suitor is Swedish bank SEB, said to be the...
AUSTRIA - Morgan Stanley and BAST invest in Breitenfeld
Morgan Stanley Private Equity and BAST Investment Group have acquired a 38.5% stake in specialty steel producer Breitenfeld AG from the majority shareholders Fides Privatstiftung and Fortis Privatstiftung, who recently bought back the shares owned by...
GERMANY - Equita acquires Karl Eugen Fischer Holding from Halder
Equita GmbH & Co Fonds 3 KGaA has purchased a majority participation in Karl Eugen Fischer Holding GmbH, through a secondary buyout from funds managed by Halder Beteiligungsberatung for an undisclosed amount.
GERMANY - BPE makes tender offer for Computerlinks
Barclays Private Equity (BPE) has announced a tender offer to shareholders of IT services provider Computerlinks AG. The acquisition vehicle Platin 274.GmbH, in which a fund managed by BPE holds an indirect participation, intends to offer to Computerlinks'...
GERMANY – Granville Baird said to exit Balzac Coffee
According to reports, Granville Baird, along with other existing stakeholders, is in advanced talks to exit coffee house chain Balzac Coffee. The interested parties are said to be strategic investors from France and the UK.
EUROPE - Lazard recruits Wouter Gabriels
Lazard has recruited Wouter Gabriels as managing director in investment banking in Europe.
GERMANY - 3i sells German portfolio to Heidelberg Capital
3i Group Plc has sold a portfolio of 23 minority stakes in German companies to Heidelberg Capital for an undisclosed sum. This represents the second portfolio of investments 3i has divested in the last two months as part of its plan to sell off small...
GERMANY - Watson Farley to merge with Oldenbourg Plus
UK law firm Watson Farley & Williams is to merge with German private equity boutique Oldenbourg Plus, which will give the firm its first office in Munich.
SWITZERLAND/FRANCE – Argos Soditic divests food companies after one month
Argos Soditic has agreed to sell Roland Murten AG and Cansimag France SA to Swiss food company Cornu SA for an undisclosed amount. This follows just one month after Argos Soditic acquired the two businesses, together with a third company, Kägi Söhne...
SWITZERLAND – BayTech leads USD 3m funding round for Ads-Click
BayTech Venture Capital has led a USD 3m second funding round for online advertising company Ads-Click. An initial investment of USD 4m investment was concluded in March 2007.
BENELUX/GERMANY - Waterland closes EUR 800m fund
Waterland has closed Waterland Private Equity Fund IV (WPEF IV) on EUR 800m, three months after its launch.
GLOBAL - 3i Infrastructure raises fresh funds
Despite the current sombre economic backdrop, 3i Infrastructure has launched a £114.6m new share issue to increase its warchest for investing in global infrastructure assets. The firm is issuing just over 108 million new shares at a price of 106 pence...
EUROPE - Industri Kapital re-brands as IK Investment Partners
Industri Kapital has changed its name to IK Investment Partners (IK) to mark the evolution of the firm’s investment and geographic focus.
GLOBAL - TPG en route to closing record buyout fund
TPG Capital's latest fund is well on course to top Blackstone Group's record USD 21.7bn offering last year, reports suggest. The news comes just a day after it was reported that China's State Administration of Foreign Exchange has invested more than USD...
GERMANY - TVM Capital leads funding round for Winbox
Lead investor TVM Capital and angel-entrepreneur Robert Schneider have completed a first round of financing for Winbox Technologies AG, a provider of OEM technology solutions for Windows-based TV-centric consumer electronics.
GLOBAL - China invests USD 2.5bn in TPG fund
China's State Administration of Foreign Exchange has agreed to invest more than USD 2.5bn in the latest TPG fund.
GLOBAL - LPs concern over GP strategy shift
According to a global barometer by Coller Capital, global LPs are worried about recent GP strategy shifts as the credit crisis continues to bite.
GERMANY - Cinven acquires Jost Group from Silverfleet Capital
Cinven has agreed to sell vehicles components manufacturer Jost Group to Silverfleet Capital for an undisclosed amount. The equity is invested from the fourth Cinven Fund.
GERMANY - Riverside acquires AICAT CA Technologies Consulting
The Riverside Company has acquired AICAT CA Technologies Consulting GmbH, a digital engineering company, as an add-on acquisituion for IndustrieHansa Engineering and Consulting, a business division of Advanced Information Systems Group.
GERMANY - GMT and Peacock acquire Bigpoint for EUR 70m
GMT Communications Partners, together with the Peacock Equity Fund, a joint venture between GE Commercial Finance’s Media, Communications & Entertainment business and NBC Universal, have agreed to acquire browser-based multiplayer online games company...
SWITZERLAND – Lion Capital sells Hiestand Holding
Lion Capital has agreed to sell its 32% stake in Hiestand Holding AG, a listed frozen baked products producer, to IAWS Group Plc for approximately EUR 12.7 million new IAWS shares and EUR 30m in cash.
GLOBAL - Bear Stearns private equity arm to spin out
Bear Stearns Merchant Banking, the private equity arm of investment bank Bear Stearns, is to spin out into an independent company.