DACH
AUSTRIA - Private equity group expected to bid for BAWAG
Austria's fourth largest bank in terms of volume of assets, BAWAG, is expected to receive offers from at least four financial and trade buyers. Morgan Stanley has been appointed to run the auction process. Expected bidders are Austrian banks Raiffeisen...
GERMANY - Symrise to float by the end of 2006
The German flavours and fragrances company Symrise has announced that it intends to float shares worth EUR 650m in an initial public offering by the end of this year.
GERMANY - Permira exits Premiere
Permira is selling its stake in German pay-TV broadcaster Premiere. The transaction, which involves Permira's remaining 8.44% stake, is valued at approximately EUR 88m.
GERMANY - IPO for Quest for Growth portfolio company Wilex AG
Quest for Growth has announced that Wilex AG, its portfolio company, has successfully placed new shares in its IPO on the Frankfurt exchange. Wilex is a biopharmaceutical company based in Munich, which was founded in 1997 by a team of physicians and oncologists...
SWITZERLAND/FRANCE/ITALY - Argos Soditic's founder to leave the firm
According to press reports Edoardo Bugnone, founder of private equity firm Argos Soditic and a former chairman of the European Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (EVCA), is to leave the firm weeks after the closing of its latest fund.
GERMANY - KKR and Goldman Sachs acquire Kion forklift unit
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Goldman Sachs Group's private-equity unit have signed an agreement to acquire the Kion forklift unit of Wiesbaden-based Linde Group, the world's largest maker of industrial gases, for EUR 4bn. The sale is subject to regulatory...
SWITZERLAND - EonTech backs EUR 4m first round for Astron-Fiamm
Early stage VC investor EonTech Ventures has teamed up with Generali Group to invest EUR 4m in a first round of funding for Astron-Fiamm Safety, a Lugano, Switzerland-based company that makes safety lighting products for the automotive industry. Trade...
SWITZERLAND – IMI raises EUR 15m
Global Life Science Ventures and Abingworth Management have led a second financing round for Swiss-based IMI Intelligent Medical Implants AG. Existing investors PolyTechnos and Quantum Technology Partners also participated in the EUR 15m round.
GERMANY – Warburg Pincus acquires easycash
Warburg Pincus has acquired the leading German point of sale network service provider easycash from First Data International. The completion of the transaction is subject to approval of the German Federal Cartel Office (FCO) and the deal value has not...
GERMANY – STAR exits BUS Group for EUR 330m
STAR Capital Partners Limited has sold its stake in recycling business BUS Group to trade buyer Befesa Medio Ambiente SA for EUR 330m. The transaction represents the third exit from the financial investor’s STAR 1 Fund.
GERMANY - VC investments drop significantly
According to VC-Panel, German venture capital investments have dropped to EUR 58m in the third quarter of this year, after averaging EUR 100m for the previous two quarters. The state funded High-Tech Gründerfonds and KFW Bankengruppe also invested EUR...
SWITZERLAND – NovImmune raises SFr 58m
Geneva-based drug development company Novlmmune has announced the closing of a Series B private financing round. New investor BZ Bank led the SFR 58m financing round. Pictet Private Equity Investors SA as well as previous investors Lombard Odier Darier...
GERMANY – Intel Capital invests in BrainLAB
Intel Capital has acquired an interest in Munich-based medical technology company BrainLAB. The venture capital organisation invested $7.3m that will be used to accelerate the development of mobile point of care solutions to provide patient with consistently...
GERMANY – Biofrontera to float eventually
Having withdrawn at the last minute from an IPO on the Prime Standard in July this year, Biofrontera is set to float on 30 October on the Düsseldorf Stock Exchange. DZ Bank has been appointed to place the previously privately placed 443,514 shares.
GERMANY – Strong debut for Delticom
Tyre e-commerce company Delticom has floated successfully on the Frankfurt Prime Standard. With a first listing at EUR 37 per share, the 1.13m listed shares exceeded the initial issue price of EUR 36. Around three quarters of the listed shares are part...
GERMANY – Cold reception for Liponova
Biotechnology company Liponova has floated on the Entry Standard below its issue price of EUR 30. VEM Aktienbank placed the 250,000 shares as part of a capital increase. Trading opened this morning on EUR 27.40.
GERMANY - Delticom to float tomorrow
German tyre e-commerce company Delticom is expected to raise up to EUR 38m in an IPO on the German Prime Standard on 26 October 2006. If 850,000 shares float as expected in the middle of the EUR 33 – 45 book-building range, the company will be valued...
GERMANY - Private equity allocation on the rise
Adveq’s second full-market survey of German institutional investors’ private equity allocation strategies has revealed that private equity already accounts for 2% of German institutional investments. In 2003, this share had only accounted for 1.2% of...
GERMANY - AXA Private Equity aquires 60% of KTP
AXA Private Equity has acquired KTP (Kunststoff Palettentechnik GmbH), a producer of plastic transport packaging solutions. The value of the transaction has not been disclosed.
GERMANY- Wilex to float mid-November
Munich-based biotechnology company Wilex is planning to float on the Frankfurt Prime Standard on 13 November. The listing, offering up to 4.6m shares, will be led by WestLB and Sal Oppenheim with an offer price to be announced on 6 November.
GERMANY - 3i reinforces infrastructure team
3i has strengthened its German infrastructure team with the appointment of Uwe Danziger. A chartered accountant and qualified banking clerk, Danziger will lead 3i's German infrastructure activities.
SWITZERLAND - Santhera to list on Swiss Stock Exchange
Swiss speciality pharmaceuticals firm Santhera has announced that it will list up to 983,859 shares on the Swiss Stock Exchange. Assuming that the IPO is successful this will raise approximately SFr 83.6m-SFr 98.4m, excluding an over-allotment option....
GERMANY – 3i floats Nanogate
Europe's largest listed private equity firm, 3i, has successfully floated Nanogate AG on the Entry Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. 3i first invested in Nanogate in 1998, when it backed the spin-off from the University of Saarbrücken.
GERMANY – $10m second round for spodradio
Baytech Venture Capital and Benchmark Capital Europe have invested $10m in a Series-B funding of spodradio. Munich-based Baytech had previously invested $2.4m in a Series-A funding in 2005.