DACH
GERMANY - Lyceum sells Coperion to Deutsche Beteiligungs for €300m
Lyceum Capital has announced the sale of the Coperion Group, an application technology and services company serving the compounding, extrusion and bulk materials handling industries to Deutsche Beteiligungs AG for EUR 300m. Lyceum acquired a majority...
EUROPE - Later stage rounds dominate European venture activity in Q1 2007
Recent research into European venture investing in Q1 2007 shows that later stage rounds have dominated activity. 40% of the rounds in the first quarter were later-stage rounds, the largest percentage since 1999. In total, Q1 2007 recorded EUR 1.07bn...
GERMANY - Greater Pacific Capital front runner in bid for Merck division
UK-based private equity firm Greater Pacific Capital is the front runner to acquire the generic drugs division of Merck. GPC is bidding in association with Indian company Torrent Pharmaceuticals and backing from Fortress Group and Tudor Investment. The...
GERMANY - Klöckner Pentaplast changes hands for EUR 1.3bn
Cinven and JP Morgan Partners have sold German manufacturer of rigid plastic films Klöckner Pentaplast to The Blackstone Group for EUR 1.3bn, representing an 8x multiple of pro-forma EBITDA. In 2001, Cinven and JPMorgan acquired Klöckner Pentaplast...
GERMANY - NOXXON Pharma raises EUR 37m
NOXXON Pharma AG, a developer of mirror image oligonucleotide therapeutics, has closed a EUR 37m series-C financing round. The main investors are TVM Capital, Sofinnova Partners and Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners. Other investors contributing...
GERMANY - Mauser AG changes hands in EUR 850m transaction
One Equity Partners have sold Mauser AG for EUR 850m to fellow financial investor Dubai International Capital. In May 2003, One Equity Partners had acquired the industrial packaging specialist for an undisclosed amount.
GERMANY - StageSpace receives seed funding
StageSpace has raised an undisclosed amount of seed capital from a syndicate of investors including Mountain Partners and Tiburon Unternehmensaufbau GmbH.
GERMANY - Tough first day for listed Versatel
Apax Partners portfolio company Versatel AG has listed on the Frankfurt Prime Standard. The company placed approximately 28.5 million shares at an issue price of EUR 29 per share, raising a gross amount of approximately EUR 830m. The issue price was at...
GERMANY - Wellington Partners invests in Adconion
In a first round of funding, Wellington Partners has invested an undisclosed amount in Munich-based online advertising network company Adconion Media Group. The company was formerly known as Euroclick but recently rebranded as it is expanding beyond Europe.
GERMANY - Apax and Blackstone sell Sulo Group
Apax Partners and Blackstone Group have sold waste management company Sulo Group for EUR 1.45bn to French Group Veolia Environnement. The financial investors each acquired a 50% stake in the company in January 2004.
GERMANY - European Capital opens Frankfurt office
European Capital Financial Services has opened an office in Frankfurt expanding its pan-European mezzanine activities. Managing director Robert von Finckenstein is heading European Capital’s third office in Europe. European Capital also has offices...
GERMANY - Springwater Capital exits M+W Zander Group
Springwater Capital has fully exited its 72.89% stake in Stuttgart-based technology group M+W Zander to AIM-listed hedge funds group Absolute Capital Management Holdings Ltd (ACM). The transaction had been carried out in two phases. In February 2007,...
GERMANY - Versatel to float tomorrow
Apax Partners is listing its portfolio company Versatel AG on the Frankfurt Prime Standard on Friday 27 April. The company is issuing up to 28.577 million shares with a subscription price set at EUR 29-36 per share. The IPO is expected to generate up...
GERMANY - evidanza receives EUR 2.4m financing
In a second round of financing a consortium consisting of BayBG Bayerische Beteiligungsgesellschaft, S-Refit and KfW have invested EUR 2.4m in software developer evidanza GmbH. BayBG provided part of the funding in form of a 'stille Beteiligung'.
GERMANY - bmp invests in Brand New World
bmp has acquired a 10% stake in interactive mobile gaming provider Brand New World, after participating in a EUR 3.15m financing round. Other investors committing to the round are KfW, Creathor Venture, TiBi, Mountain Partners, as well as Business Angels,...
AUSTRIA - BAWAG looking to serve Cuban customers
Cerberus Capital Management portfolio company BAWAG PSK is said to be exploring the possibility of obtaining the permission from US authorities to serve Cuban customers.
GERMANY - Blackstone under fire from unions
According to German press, the umbrella trade union UNI Global Union is threatening to stop investing in the Blackstone Group’s funds, in case the financial investor continues to support the plans of Deutsche Telekom to outsource 50,000 jobs. According...
GERMANY - DZ Equity Partner exits KUMAgroup
DZ Equity Partner has sold its stake in German IT solutions provider KUMAgroup to WaBeKu GmbH. The transaction value has not been disclosed. The financial investor had acquired the stake at the end of 1998 from the company’s founders.
EUROPE - ECB survey says private equity poses limited systemic risk to banking sector
European leveraged buyout activity poses a limited systemic risk to the European banking sector, says a report by the Banking Supervision Committee of the European Central Bank.
EUROPE – US interest in European offers co-invest opportunities but increases valuations
‘The sign of a bubble is when the IPO market goes from push to pull,’ said Gerard Lopez this morning at the Benelux unquote" Private Equity Congress in Luxembourg. The Skype backer explained that valuation levels are increasing and cited the example...
EUROPE – Pipeline of EUR 10bn funds
There is a pipeline of mega funds coming to market in the coming months, according to Stef Oostvogels at law firm Oostvogels Pfister Roemers, speaking at the Benelux unquote" Private Equity Congress in Luxembourg this morning. He indicated that many are...
AUSTRIA - capiton exits Trenkwalder Personaldienste
caption AG has sold its stake in temporary staffing company Trenkwalder Personaldienste AG to the Trenkwalder Private Foundation. The transaction value has not been disclosed. caption had acquired a minority stake in Trenkwalder at the beginning of 2003.
GERMANY - Advent International recaps Vinnolit
Advent International has completed a EUR 495m refinancing of German chemicals company Vinnolit. Dresdner Kleinwort has been mandated as sole bookrunner to arrange the senior debt facilities. The refinancing has been driven by the Vinnolit’s continuous...
GERMANY - GANYMED receives EUR 33.7m financing
GANYMED Pharmaceuticals AG has closed an EUR 33.7m series C financing round led by Venture Incubator Partners. Other investors committing to this round are Future Capital, Ingro Finanz, LVVW, MIG, Nextech, ONC Partners, Varuma and a consortium of Swiss...