France
FRANCE – Barclays Private Equity to sell Converteam
Barclays Private Equity is rumoured to have asked Lehman Brothers and Hawkpoint to find a suitor for power conversion engineers Converteam, a former subiseiry of Alstom. The deal could value Converteam at over EUR 1.5bn.
FRANCE – Index Ventures leads EUR 7m B-round funding for Criteo
Index Ventures led existing investors AGF Private Equity and Elaia Parenters in a EUR 7m B-round of funding for Criteo, bringing the total financing the company has received to EUR 10m.
FRANCE/ITALY - VCM opens first international office in Paris
German VCM Capital Management has opened its first international office in Paris which will be responsible for relationships in the French and Italian markets.
FRANCE – Japanese investors lead financing round in DiBcom
Japanese investors NIF SMBC Ventures led NTT Finance in a new round of financing for Dibcom. Clipperton Finance advised the French start-up on the deal.
FRANCE - Colony Capital becomes majority shareholder in football club
US-Colony Capital has become the majority shareholder in football club Paris-Saint Germain (PSG) with a 61.6% stake.
FRANCE – CDC Innovation leads EUR 5m financing round in Aldebaran Robotics
CDC Innovation has led a EUR 5m series–A round of financing for Aldebaran Robotics’ NAO robot. I-Source Gestion also participated in the deal. The Parisiam start-up company develops 60cm tall humanoid home robot companions.
A Year of two halves
Daniel Morland of Close Brothers Corporate Finance assesses the state of the debt market at the end of what turned out to be a turbulent year
Coller Capital Research
LPs sceptical about buyout returns
UK/SPAIN - LCA invests £2.5m into Classical Renaissance
Low Carbon Accelerator Ltd (LCA) has completed an investment of £2.5m, provided in the form of a profit participating loan, into Classical Renaissance España SL. As part of the deal, LCA will recieve an equity stake in Classical Renaissance Ltd, the...
UK/FRANCE - Platina announces EUR 75m close of fourth fund
Platina Finance Ltd has announced an intermediary close of its fourth fund, the European Renewable Energy Fund 1 LP (EREF), on EUR 75m. The fund was launched in October 2007 and is targeting a final close of EUR 250m by the end of 2008.
FRANCE – I-Source Gestion and GIMV lead EUR 7.3m investment in Movea
I-Source Gestion and GIMV have co-led a EUR 7.3m funding round for start-up Movea both pledging EUR 3m each. Also investing is Thomson a subsidiary of the French research institute CEA. The deal represents the first round of financing for the company.
FRANCE – Argos Soditic completes MBO of ORSYP
Argos Soditic has backed the management buyout of ORSYP, a Paris-based provider of enterprise job scheduling solutions and IT services. The deal aims to move ORSYP from a medium-sized company to a global leader in IT solutions. The financial details of...
FRANCE – A Plus Finance invests EUR 600,000 in Lorience Paris
In a first round of financing A Plus Finance invested EUR 600,000 in perfume and cosmetics producer Lorience Paris.
FRANCE - Montefiore Investment acquires 60% of Asmodée
Montefiore Investment has acquired a 60% stake in Asmodée in a deal worth between EUR 40-50m, which sees Naxicap Partners exit its 20% share of the company. The management retains 40%.
FRANCE - Crédit Agricole SA opts out of new Eurazeo shareholder pact
Crédit Agricole SA the second largest shareholder in Eurazeo with 16% of the capital and 22.3% of voting rights behind Société Civile Haussmann Percier and affiliates, which control 23.44% of the capital and 32.69% of voting rights, will not be a part...
FRANCE - Carlyle acquires 35% of Numericable and Completel
The Carlyle Group has acquired a 35% stake in Numericable and Completel from Cinven. Cinven retained 35% while Altice has 30%.
Reader's letter - An emerging private equity hub
In an exclusive letter to the private equity community, the Government of Monaco explains where it stands with regards to the industry
Precarious - Times for listed players
Seduced by Euronext Amsterdam, private equity firms are looking to the stock exchange to search for extra cash. But success is by no means guaranteed and results so far are a mixed bag
Where there's a will, there's a way
Motivated by the industry's relentless urge to complete more deals, private equity professionals and their bankers are scrambling to find new ways around the obstacles they face. The credit crunch has shaken up the leveraged finance world, but crises...