DACH
GERMANY - EQT buys Kabel Baden-Württemberg
EQT has signed an agreement with funds advised by Blackstone and CDPQ to acquire 100 % of Kabel Baden-Württemberg GmbH & Co (Kabel BW). EQT intends to continue supporting Kabel BW’s expansion and move into triple play.
AUSTRIA - The Carlyle Group acquires UC4 Software
Financial investors PONTIS Venture Partners and Capexit have exited their joint 21% stake in UC4 Software GmbH. The electronic job scheduling specialist was sold to The Carlyle Group in a joint replacement capital and MBO transaction. The founding manager,...
GERMANY - Auctus Management acquires PharmaZell GmbH
Auctus Management has acquired Raubling-based PharmaZell GmbH from the Lubrizol Group.
GERMANY - Brockhaus sells majority stake in DMS
Brockhaus Private Equity has exited its controlling stake in DMS Dynamic Micro Systems Semiconductor Equipment GmbH. The acquirer, Arcadia Beteiligungen, together with management, plans to support the continued expansion of the firm initiated by Brockhaus....
GERMANY - MatlinPatterson to take over Heros
MatlinPatterson has agreed the takeover of insolvent currency transport service Heros with its creditors.
GLOBAL - JPMorgan sells private equity portfolio
Press reports confirm that Goldman Sachs Asset Management and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board have co-led the secondary purchase of a US$925m stake in the JPMorgan Partners Global Fund from JPMorgan Chase.
GERMANY - Skadden, Arps names new partner
International law firm Skadden, Arps has named Dr Lutz Zimmer as partner at its Munich practice. Zimmer joined Skadden as counsel in 2004 and has extensive experience in the fields of private equity and venture capital.
GERMANY - Olbort to leave 3i
Following more than seven years on 3i's Mittelstand finance team, Martin Olbort has opted to leave the company. Olbort will become managing partner of Weilbacher Olbort Paletten, looking after business, finance and strategy.
GERMANY - German secretary of finance points to changes in law
Speaking at the BVK's eighth private equity convention, Joachim Würmeling set out the German government's intent to improve the country's legal framework for private equity funds. The secretary to the German ministry of finance said 'As announced in...
GERMANY - Eyesquad receives series A funding
BayTech Venture Capital has lead a EUR 4m Series-A funding round with co-investor Adara Ventures in Eyesquad. The firm is a micro‑imaging systems company which provides solutions for cameras in camera phones and other micro-imaging applications.
SWITZERLAND - Endoart SA receives SFr 13.5m series C funding
A syndicate of investors co-led by Venture Incubator AG, Switzerland and Renaissance PME managed by Vinci Capital has invested SFr 13.5m in Endoart SA. The series C financing also received commitments from EMBL Ventures and Genevest. A number of existing...
GERMANY - 3i floats Magix
3i has successfully backed the floatation of international multimedia software provider MAGIX AG. The company listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange on 6 April. The offering was 13.2 times oversubscribed and left 3i with an 11.2% stake in the company...
GERMANY - DZ Equity Partner acquires aluminium and titanium specialist
DZ Equity Partner GmbH, together with company management, has acquired 100% of TITAL Titan-Aluminium-Feinguss GmbH. The value of the transaction, which was agreed on 1 April, is undisclosed. The vendors, a group of private investors, were advised by Hübner,...
GERMANY - Commerzbank closes syndication for HT Troplast recap
Commerzbank Corporates and Markets has closed syndication of the EUR 100m senior secured debt facilities for HT Troplast GmbH. New lenders funded into the transaction on 31 March. Headquartered in Troisdorf, HT Troplast is a producer of PVC-based profiles...
GERMANY - Maybach family to return as co-owner of MTU
The EQT IV Fund has invited the Maybach family to reinvest in MTU Friedrichshafen, which was founded by Karl and Wilhelm Maybach in 1909. No financial details of the transaction have been disclosed. EQT has also announced that it has appointed four industrial...
GERMANY - KPMG advises ECM on Sport Group divestiture
KPMG has advised ECM Equity Capital Management on the sale of Sport Group to Industri Kapital. Headquartered in Germany, Sport Group has over 550 employees. The group has three main product groups: artificial turf, tracks and playgrounds. In 2005, it...
GERMANY - White & Case expands private equity and tax team
Law firm White & Case LLP has expanded its Düsseldorf offices with the appointments of Hans-Jörg Wittmann and Christoph Kuzaj. Both lawyers are joining the firm following more than three years with Simmons & Simmons.
GERMANY / UK - Wellington Partners back Zopa in further round
Wellington Partners has provided $15m to UK-based Zopa Ltd in a second round of financing. The group was initially part of a first round financial consortium including Benchmark Capital and Bessemer Venture Partners.
GERMANY - Blackstone Group to slim down German presence
According to a report in Financial Times Deutschland on Friday, the Blackstone Group is planning to reduce its presence on the ground in Germany. Future transactions will be led out of the company's London offices, says the report.
GERMANY - DZ Equity Partner and L-EA Private Equity acquire German GIMV investment
DZ Equity Partner as lead investor and L-EA Private Equity have completed the acquisition of Konrad Hornschuch, a manufacturer of plastics, in a secondary buyout from funds advised by Halder.
GERMANY - Bank of Ireland opens office in Frankfurt
Bank of Ireland has opened a new leveraged finance office in Frankfurt, focusing on debt provision for mid-market transactions. The team, led by Ralph Betz and Maurice Fitzgerald, will offer mid-cap senior and debt arranging capabilities to private equity...
SWITZERLAND - Capvis acquires stake in Stadler Rail Group
Capvis has acquired a 20% stake in railway machinery producer Stadler Rail Group. The current owner, CEO Peter Spuhler reached the decision to form a partnership with Capvis when looking for an equity partner to broaden the company's shareholder base.
GERMANY - Dr Neuhaus Techno Nord exits EUTEX holding
Following the listing of EUTEX on the Entry Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in December 2005, Dr Neuhaus Techno Nord has exited its remaining stake in the company. The strategic investor is an undisclosed Russian company operating in the field...
GERMANY - New partners announced at TVM Capital
TVM Capital has announced the promotions of ICT principal Chris Cobbold and Life Sciences principal Dr Annegret de Baey-Diepolder. Both have been made partners with the established IT and Life Science investor. Additionally, Dr Axel Polack has been promoted...