France
Unquote Private Equity Podcast: Back for secondaries
When activity begins again, will LPs be willing to take a pricing hit? And where will buyer and seller expectations meet?
Aquiline Capital closes fourth fund on $2bn
Fund invests in North American and European businesses operating across the financial services sector
Ace Management et al. invest €50m in Mecachrome
Company has benefited from a state-guaranteed loan from its banks with a financing of €60m
Bridgepoint buys insurance group CEP from JC Flowers
GP invests via Bridgepoint Europe VI, which closed on its €5.7bn hard-cap in December 2017
Impact Investing Report 2020
Unquote has now released its inaugural Impact Investing Report, published in association with the Aztec Group
Cowen Healthcare Investments closes third fund on $493m
Cowen Healthcare Investments III targets the biopharma, diagnostics and digital health sectors
Omnes invests €60m in Biofutur's MBO
GP invests in the company via Omnes Croissance 4 and a co-investment vehicle dedicated to the deal
BlackRock leads $190m series-D for ContentSquare
Content optimisation platform has raised $310m since being founded in 2012
Video: OTPP's Topley discusses liquidity squeeze, GP discipline
Joe Topley, head of European funds at Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, shares his LP perspective on the current state of the private equity market
Global Founders et al. in €4m seed round for Pennylane
Fresh capital will be used to continue developing the company's platform
Andera Partners backs Groupe Panhard MBO
Deal is the eighth from Andera Partners' Winch 4 vehicle, which focused on SMEs in France and Spain
Eurazeo increases stake in Idinvest to 80%
Eurazeo acquired 70% of the French asset manager in early 2018
Eurazeo portfolio's revenues dragged down by travel & leisure assets in Q1
Rest of portfolio revenue remained stable, with updated NAVs not due until mid-year
Unigestion gears up to invest in small and mid-market PE
Unigestion partners expect investment opportunities to emerge in the small-cap market
Unquote Private Equity Podcast: Belt & braces
Rowan Bamford and Gareth Rees from Liberty GTS examine the impact of Covid-19 on W&I insurance, and share their take on where the M&A market is headed
Parquest Capital sells Homeperf
GP, alongside minority shareholders BNP Paribas, Arkéa and Vivalto, reinvest in the business
Travel sector assets: Seeking solutions to long-lasting woes
Unquote explores the challenges ahead, how PE-backed companies are adapting their business models, and how they can bounce back
360 Capital holds €90m first close for fifth fund
Fund targets series-A and -B rounds in European startups and deploys tickets in the €2-10m range
Cathay Capital raises €500m for Innovation II fund
Fund targets startups operating in a wide variety of sectors, with a focus on artificial intelligence
Cathay Capital closes Midcap II on €800m
Fund targets companies based in Europe, Asia and North America with high-growth potential and expansion plans
Abénex backs Prevost Laboratory Concept
GP deploys capital from Abénex Croissance, which targets French SMEs across a wide variety of sectors
Capital Croissance buys MCC from Abénex
Sale ends a seven-year holding period for Abénex, which invested in MCC via its France Transmission Fund
Acquisition prices for SMEs decline in Q1 2020 – research
Prices paid to acquire SMEs declined significantly to 9.3x EBITDA in the first quarter of 2020
LGT buys Bridgepoint-backed 5aSec in debt-to-equity swap
Bridgepoint has sold its equity stake in 5aSec for a symbolic €1, which sees the firm wholly exit