Nordics
SWEDEN - Segulah recruits Håkan Dahlin as CFO
Segulah has appointed Håkan Dahlin as CFO to start in his new position in the spring.
FINLAND - FVCA says 2005 was best year ever for exits
2005 was a year of fundraising and exits in Finland, according to a survey by the Finnish Venture Capital Association (FVCA).
FINLAND/UK - VC-backed Ark Therapeutics awards management
AIM-listed biotechnology company, Ark Therapeutics Group plc, has awarded options to members of its management team.
FINLAND - Argentum invests NOK 160m in new Eqvitec fund
Norwegian Argentum has agreed to invest NOK 160m in Eqvitec Technology Fund III, which expects to raise around NOK 1.2bn.
DENMARK - VC-backed 7TM Pharma receives milestone payment
7TM Pharma has received an undisclosed milestone payment for its research into therapeutic angiogenesis in collaboration with Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals Inc.
NORDICS - Five players in battle for 'Nordic Private Equity Firm of the Year' title
Accent Equity Partners, Altor, EQT, Industri Kapital and Nordic Capital have been nominated for 'Nordic Private Equity Firm of the Year' by Financial News Private Equity News: Awards for Excellence in Private Equity - Europe 2006.
NORWAY - Epcon sold to M-I Swaco
3i has sold its stake in Epcon Offshore AS, the leading provider of produced water treatment systems for the oil & gas industry, to M-I Swaco.
SWEDEN - IK sells Oriflame shares for SEK 587m
The Industri Kapital 1997 fund has today sold 4.2% of the total number of shares and votes in Oriflame for SEK 587.5m.
DENMARK - IK porfolio firm buys Zealand Care
Industri Kapital-owned mobility aids provider Welzorg has signed an agreement to acquire Danish market leader Zealand Care A/S from Sahva A/S, a Danish group active in orthopedics. This is Welzorg’s first major step in its internationalization and the...
SWEDEN - Oracle buys VC-backed HotSip
Oracle Corporation has entered into an agreement to acquire Swedish HotSip AB, which is backed by 3i, Argnor Wireless Ventures, GO Capital and Ledstiernan.
DENMARK - Dansk Kapitalanlæg splits into two funds
Dansk Kapitalanlæg has set up a new DKK 900m fund to invest in Danish companies with sales between DKK 25-250m. The group has decided to focus on investments in more established businesses.
EUROPE - LBO market smashes EUR 100bn barrier
2005 saw further significant growth in the European buyout market with the total value of deals topping EUR 100bn for the first time ever, according to the latest European Buyout Review due to be published in March 2006 by Incisive Media in association...
DENMARK - Denmark heads Forbes Capital Hospitality Index
Denmark, Finland and Iceland are the world's most hospitable countries to foreign investors, according to Forbes first Capital Hospitality Index.
SWEDEN - Accent Equity divests Nordic Bake-Off to Vaasan & Vaasan
Accent Equity has announced the sale of Nordic Bake-Off to Vaasan & Vaasan, the Finnish Group of bakery businesses owned by CapVest Equity Partners. The value of the deal has not been disclosed, but it is understood that Accent has generated a very good...
FINLAND - Hannes Snellman ranked leading M&A law firm
Hannes Snellman has been identified as a leading Finnish law firm in areas such as M&A by the PLC Which Lawyer? Yearbook 2006.
SWEDEN - Priveq's Hemtex increases market share in Sweden
Hemtex has demonstrated exceptionally strong sales development during the second half of 2005 and has further strengthened its position in the Swedish market for home textiles.
SWEDEN - MySQL secures $18.5m in series C funding
MySQL AB, a developer of open source databases, has announced the completion of an $18.5 million series C round of financing led by Institutional Venture Partners (IVP).
SWEDEN - CapMan appoints Mats Gullbrandsson as partner
Mats Gullbrandsson has been appointed partner at CapMan as of 16 February 2006. Gullbrandsson has previously worked as an investment director in CapMan’s buyout team in Stockholm.
FINLAND - Finland attracts top foreign researchers
The Finland Distinguished Professor (FiDiPro) funding programme, launched by Tekes and the Academy of Finland, has received a great number of applications for foreign researchers that could start work in Finland from 2007.
FINLAND - Sitra appoints Timo Kekkonen as executive director of the Innovation Programme
Timo Kekkonen, director general of the technology department of the Finnish Ministry of Trade and Industry, has been appointed executive director of Sitra’s Innovation Programme, with effect from 15 February 2006 until the end of 2007.
SWEDEN - Accent Equity acquires interpreting and translation group
Accent Equity has acquired 100 % of the shares in a Swedish language group owned by Lantz International.
DENMARK - Danish venture investments double in value
Danish venture capital investment activity has more than doubled from Q4 2004 to Q4 2005, according to a report by Vækstfonden and the Danish Venture Capital Association.
SWEDEN - Altor invests in Nimbus Boats
Altor Equity Partners has acquired a 60% shareholding in Nimbus Boats through the Altor 2003 fund. The value of the deal has not been disclosed and the former owners will keep the remaining 40%.
NORWAY - Venture-backed MCP opens offices in the US
Maritime Communications Partner (MCP), the global maritime cellular operator, has announced the opening of offices in Miami.