Nordics
Northzone, Industrifonden in $13.5m series-B for Fishbrain
Round was led by US venture firm B Capital Group and previous investor SoftBank Ventures Korea
HitecVision starts acquisition process of Karsten Moholt
Norway-based PE firm is currently awaiting the green light from competition authorities
LP direct investment: straight to the source
Limited partners are striking out on their own to source their investments directly, with numeorus new strategies emerging
CapMan prepares Harvia for IPO in Helsinki
Harvia intends to raise around тЌ45m to strengthen its capital structure and support growth
Altor acquires FH Gruppen
Swedish GP bought the stake from founder TorbjУИrn Kaarud and minority shareholders
Accent Equity acquires majority stake in Thor Shipping
First acquisition from the GP's latest vehicle, which held a final close in October 2017
Erhvervsinvest acquires majority stake in Dykon
Dykon intends to grow in its home market and abroad, and continue to develop its own brands
Nordic tech's transatlantic ambition
Nordic startups are increasingly looking to find backers with ties to the US market to support their growth strategies
Axcel exits Lessor Group
Deal marks the end of a two-year holding period under Axcel, which acquired the firm in April 2016
Spotify starts listing process with SEC filing
Spotify's direct listing lets the market find a price and cuts out the usual underwriting process
Vaaka Partners acquires Framery
Vaaka invested in the firm via its latest vehicle, Vaaka Partners Buyout Fund III
Innova partially exits Profim to Triton-backed Flokk
Deal comes less than a year after Innova bought a 75% stake in Profim in May 2017
Large-cap deals drive strong start to 2018 for European PE
GPs deploy an extra тЌ7bn in aggregate value across European buyouts in the first two months of the year compared to 2017
Balderton leads $22m funding round for Peakon
Round is backed by EQT Ventures, Idinvest Partners and Sunstone Capital
Pantheon aims for FTSE 250 as NAV per share rises
Pantheon also announces a share restructuring and the issue of a ТЃ200m asset-linked note
Draper Esprit invests in five seed funds
Managers include Berlin-based Join Capital and Helsinki-based Icebreaker
AP7 in negotiations for fourth account manager
Procurement for final account manager is ongoing, with an announcement now depending on lawyers
Priveq, SEB exit Crem International in SEK 1.8bn trade sale
Both PE firms are wholly exiting Crem after acquiring the business from Accent Equity in 2012
Hg launches Saturn fund
Naming convention follows Hg's Mercury series, which targeted the small-cap space
EQT VIII holds final close on €10.75bn hard-cap
New vehicle follows the Swedish GP's тЌ6.75bn seventh fund, which closed in August 2015
Creades exits Iabö Global to J2L for SEK 36m
Deal follows a six-year holding period under Creades, which acquired the firm in 2012
IK closes Small Cap II Fund on €550m hard-cap
Including a GP commitment of тЌ50m, the fund closed on its тЌ550m hard-cap on 15 February
Inventure, Tesi raise $2.4m for Thirdpresence
Deal marks the first investment from Inventure Fund III, which held a first close on тЌ110m
EQT Ventures leads $41m round for Small Giant Games
Participants in the round include existing investors Creandum, Spintop Ventures and Profounders