UK / Ireland
Playfair Capital announces $32m second seed fund
Investments will focus on artificial intelligence, machine learning, B2B SaaS and marketplaces
Permira-backed Corin boosts US presence with Omni bolt-on
Omni, which makes robotics-assisted medial equipment, is Corin's second bolt-on under Permira
Draper Esprit leads $10m round for Hadean
Aster and London Venture Partners also took part in the round for the operating system developer
Towerbrook's ICS secures refinancing package
Transaction comes almost five years after the GP acquired the business in an SBO from Blackstone
Maven leads £7m round in electric vehicle specialist Avid
Avid’s previous backers NVM Private Equity and Downing Ventures also take part in the investment
Beechbrook holds first close on £128m
Fund was launched in August with a target size of £250m and a £300m hard-cap
Investindustrial acquires Morgan
Buyout of the sports car maker comes five months after the IPO of portfolio company Aston Martin
One Equity buys GKN subsidiary from Melrose
Melrose also announced the sale of a minority stake in French aerospace company Sabca
Volpi hires Arma's Berggren
Berggren will source and execute deals across Europe, with a focus on the Nordic region
Synova generates 4x return on Meritsoft sale to Cognizant
Sale of financial software company brings to an end a holding period of three and a half years
Causeway supports MBO of GTI from Exponent
Deal for the recruitment business brings to an end a 13-year holding period for the vendor
Synova backs Chatsworth Schools platform
Initial deal comprises five schools in south-east England, with plans to expand internationally
CH&Co in exclusive sale talks with Equistone – report
Talks for the MML-backed catering and hospitality firm are reportedly based on £22m run-rate EBITDA
Summit exits Acturis in Astorg-backed deal
Sale of insurance-related software business brings to an end a nine-year holding period
VC-backed energy software firm Limejump sold to Shell
Magnesium Capital, Passion Capital and Starkraft Ventures have been backing the startup in recent years
Clyde Blowers sells Hydreco to Alcedo-backed Duplomatic
Hydreco was acquired in 2008 by Clyde Bowers' £250m second fund, which made six investments in total
TPG Capital sells Times Higher Education to Inflexion
Inflexion plans to ramp up THE's US expansion following the opening of Inflexion's Boston office in January
Felix Capital hires Lin and Shanfield
Lin has experience at Hg and Bain & Company, while Shanfield joins from Raine Group
Kreos Capital holds €700m close for sixth growth debt fund
Fund is larger than its predecessor, Kreos Capital V, which closed on its €400m hard-cap in 2016
UK's financial sector buyout slump persists
Deal volume in the sector fell for the fifth consecutive year, with aggregate value falling for the fourth consecutive year
Livingbridge acquires FluidOne from Rigby Group
B2B-focused telecommunications and data hosting company will pursue an acquisitive growth strategy
DCG, MiddleGame in $20m round for Nivaura
London Stock Exchange Group led the round for the UK-headquartered trading software firm
Endless's Antler secures £8m refinancing
Development comes 19 months after the GP acquired the luggage manufacturer from LDC
Sequoia in $42m series-B for Tessian
Email security software developer will invest in product development and international expansion