France
Essling holds €100m first close for Essling Expansion
Fund has completed its first investment, backing medical software specialist Evolucare
Essling invests €16m in Evolucare Group
GP invests in the software company via Essling Expansion, a fund that recently held a first close
Hi Inov holds first close for Hi Inov 2 on €90m
Series-A specialist also partners with Axeleo Capital for expansion into seed transactions
Chequers, TCR sell Thermocoax to trade in €158m deal
TCR has been an investor in heating technology specialist Thermocoax since 2000
Index in €40m series-B for Alan
Latest round for the French digital health insurance firm comes 10 months after its €23m series-A
Idinvest et al. inject €25m in Malt series-B
VCs Serena and Isai re-up, having previously backed the €5m series-A in 2016
Ardian’s Revima completes two bolt-ons
Ardian bought a majority stake in France-based Revima from Argos Wityu last month
PG Impact Investments holds $210m final close
Firm is independent but has access to Partners Group’s infrastructure, expertise and resources
OpenGate carves out SMAC from Colas
US-based OpenGate also carved out the silicon carbide division of Saint-Gobain last month
Idinvest holds €340m final close for second growth fund
Fund was launched with a €300m target and held a first close on €250m in November 2016
CM-CIC, BPI France back Hardis Group MBO
Up to 30 managers, led by Nicolas Odet and Yvan Coutaz, acquire stakes in Hardis
BluGem sells DMC Group to Lion Capital
Sale ends a three-year holding period for BlueGem, which bought the company via its €370m second fund
Ardian sells Citoxlab to trade in €448m deal
Sale price implies a 13.8x pro forma EBITDA multiple, based on Citoxlab’s latest results
BMO holds fourth close for co-investment fund on €95m
Fund was announced in February 2017 and is expected to hold a final close by the end of March
GP Profile: Astorg
Managing partner Thierry Timsit discusses investment strategy, competition, ESG and political instability
Sofinnova et al. invest €20m in Afyren
France-based biotech business Afyren plans to commercialise its products in 2020
Tikehau IM holds €2.1bn close across funds
Tikehau IM's four vehicles, focusing on direct lending, were launched around a year ago
Iris leads €20m series-B for Virtuo
Balderton and Raise also take part in the round, which will fund the car rental firm's UK expansion
Hi Inov leads $6.2m series-A for Deepomatic
Previous investor Alven Capital and entrepreneur Bertrand Diard also take part in the round
Azulis buys Helios Group in SBO
GP invests in Helios, a construction and road marking specialist, via Middle Market Fund V
Unquote Private Equity Podcast: Dual speed ahead
Listen to the latest episode of the Unquote Private Equity Podcast, in which the team navigates the bifurcation in private equity fundraising
UI Gestion closes Cap 6 on €105m
Mid-market focused Cap 6 is larger than its predecessor, M.I5, closed on €93.5m in 2011
US investors eye European first-time funds
Maiden fundraises are maintaining momentum, with US institutional investors increasingly drawn to such vehicles
Ardian, BPI France sell Ouvêo
Ardian had owned the France-based manufacturer of windows and other joinery since 2012