Southern Europe
Southern Europe: Volume drops, value soars
Deal activity remained particularly subdued across Southern Europe in May, although the Rottapharm buyout in Italy sent overall value soaring.
DGPA backs L'Autre Chose
Italian private equity house DGPA has acquired a 55% stake in footwear brand L'Autre Chose for €8m, according to reports.
Fondo Italiano backs Labomar
Fondo Italiano di Investimento has injected €5.5m into Italian dietary supplements producer Labomar in exchange for a minority stake.
Fondo Strategico agrees to buy Avio stake from Finmeccanica
State-backed investor Fondo Strategico Italiano has agreed to buy a 15% stake in aerospace group Avio from Finmeccanica, subject to the completion of an IPO.
Synergo to launch Turkish fund
Italian private equity house Synergo has signed an agreement with the Baykam family, founders of Turkish private equity firm Baykam Capital Partners, to launch a fund focused on investment in Turkish SMEs.
Fondo Strategico backs Kedrion Biopharma
State-backed Fondo Strategico Italiano has invested €150m in Italian biopharmaceuticals company Kedrion Biopharma in exchange for an 18.7% stake.
Fondo Strategico backs Metroweb
Italian state-backed investor Fondo Strategico Italiano has made its maiden investment, injecting €200m into Milan-based fibre optics company Metroweb in exchange for a 46.2% stake.
AIFI announces new board
Italian private equity and venture capital association AIFI has announced its new governing board.
Comecer acquires Brita Trade
Fondo Italiano portfolio company Comecer has acquired Brita Trade, a Czech glass processing firm.
Sator backs Extrabanca
Sator private equity has made an initial €15m investment in independent bank Extrabanca, securing a 38.9% stake.
Inveready leads €1.5m round for Wineissocial
Inveready has led a series-A funding round of more than €1.5m for Spanish wine e-tail and recommendation site Wineissocial.
Italian GPs ask: Why Not Italy?
Why not Italy?
Nauta subscribes to €4.5m Yuilop round
Nauta Capital has participated in a €4.5m series-A funding round for portfolio company Yuilop, a Spanish smartphone software developer.
Southern Europe unquote" May 2012
“This is going to cost me a general strike,” said the Spanish prime minister, commenting on his labour reforms.
Lawyers: your most valuable asset?
Lawyers: a valuable asset?
Clessidra and Avista acquire Rottapharm
Clessidra Capital Partners and Avista Capital Partners have acquired a 50% stake in Italian drugmaker Rottapharm from the founding family in a deal that values the business at €1.7bn, according to reports.
Permira's Telepizza to extend loans
Spanish pizza delivery chain Telepizza, backed by Permira, is asking lenders to extend the maturities of its loans, according to reports.
AIFI appoints new president
The Italian private equity and venture capital association, AIFI, has appointed Innocenzo Cipolletta as president.
Fundraising activity up by 80% in 2011
European private equity and venture capital fundraising increased by 80% in 2011, according to recent figures released by EVCA.
Sator and Palladio make new bid for Fondiaria
Private equity funds Palladio Finanziaria and Sator have made a bid of up to €400m each to take control of troubled Italian insurer Fondiaria-SAI, rivaling plans for a merger with Italian financial services company Unipol.
Telefónica launches VC arm in Spain
Telecommunications group Telefónica has launched a venture capital subsidiary, Telefónica Digital Venture Capital.
Syntegra to float Moleskine
Syntegra Capital confirmed yesterday it is looking to float Italian notebook and diary brand Moleskine at the company’s annual results presentation.
Riverside promotes Juan Barnechea
The Riverside Company has promoted Juan Barnechea, who heads the firm’s origination team in Europe, to managing director.
Caixa Capital Risc raises third fund
Caixa Capital Risc has raised its third fund, according to reports in the Spanish press.