UK / Ireland
Pricing expectations begin to level out
The latest unquote” online poll reveals that the pricing mismatch that is said to have hampered dealflow throughout last year is still noticeable, although the gap has narrowed. Mareen Goebel reports
Maven backs Applied Language Solutions with £1.4m
As a joint manager for the government-backed Capital for Enterprise Funds (CfE Fund) Maven Capital Partners has invested £1.4m in language service provider Applied Language Solutions.
Steadfast’s Falk & Ross acquires BTC activewear
Steadfast Capital’s portfolio company Falk & Ross Group has acquired BTC activewear, a UK-based promotional clothing distributor.
Cognetas appoints investment manager
Mid-market player Cognetas has appointed Antoine de Péguilhan as investment manager.
Advent names new head of LP services
Advent International has appointed Robert D Brown as managing director and global head of limited partner services.
Carlyle appoints Morgan Stanley's Petrick to new role
The Carlyle Group has hired Michael Petrick as managing director and global head of credit alternatives and capital markets.
Primary completes £35m SBO of AMTECH from HSBC PE
Primary Capital has acquired software provider AMTECH Group in a £35m deal from HSBC Private Equity.
Bridges Ventures leads investment in AeroThermal
Bridges Ventures has led an undisclosed investment round for AeroThermal Group Limited, a developer of steam treatment technology for waste, alongside Carbon Trust Investments.
Accel, Highland and Kreos in £6m round for Autoquake.com
Existing backers Accel Partners and Highland Capital Partners have participated in a £6m investment round for online used car retailer Autoquake.com.
MCR hires De Zoysa as new director
Corporate restructuring and insolvency adviser MCR has appointed Thish De Zoysa, a qualified chartered accountant, as director.
LCA invests £500,000 in Vigor Renewables
Low Carbon Accelerator (LCA) has invested £500,000 in solar and wind company Vigor Renewables in the form of non-voting preference shares with rights over 90% of the distributable profits.
HgCapital in exclusive talks to buy John Laithwaite
HgCapital is reportedly in exclusive talks to buy commercial laundry equipment supplier John Laithwaite in a deal worth around £150m.
Elysian's English Landscapes acquires Western Landscapes
Elysian Capital-backed English Landscapes, a landscape maintenance provider, has acquired Western Landscapes Limited for an undisclosed amount.
The state of government-backed venture
Deborah Sterescu speaks to Rory Earley, CEO of government-backed LP Capital for Enterprise, about what the UK venture capital industry needs to thrive
unquote" 8 March 2010
Trade sales are dominating the exit market these days with unquote" recording 17 in Europe, compared with nine secondary buyouts and a single IPO at the time of going to press.
Edwards Angell bulks up private equity team with new hire
Law firm Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge has hired Shawn Atkinson as a London-based partner.
Siemens Venture Capital et al. exit LET Systems
Siemens Venture Capital, Tempovest Capital, Enterprise Ireland, Bank of Scotland and TVC Holdings have exited their investment in software company LET Systems via a trade sale to US-based Trimble.
Institutional investors raise the bar on climate change
The Copenhagen Climate Summit is widely considered a failure in terms of regulation, as no real consensus was reached. This is not to say, however, that all hope should be lost. By Francinia Protti-Alvarez
Pohjola’s Selected Private Equity Funds II reaches first closing on €97m
Finnish based, pan-European private equity fund of funds manager Pohjola Private Equity Funds has reached the first closing of its Selected Private Equity Funds II (SPEF II) on €97m.
M&A: The way forward for VC exits in 2010
Following on from a year where exit opportunities were limited at best, 2010 has the potential to see an increase in divestments for venture capital-backed companies, says Howard Palmer of European law firm Taylor Wessing
Industry sets sights on P2Ps
The public-to-private market in the UK and Ireland is bustling with activity this year with four transactions having been announced in the last two months. Deborah Sterescu investigates.
Bridges and Magenta support Halo
Bridges Ventures and Magenta Partners have supported Halo Insurance Services, a niche insurance company, with an undisclosed investment.
Gresham-backed James Grant acquires part of Michael Kay
Gresham Private Equity-backed James Grant Group has announced that its division OJK Limited has acquired the entertainment element of Michael Kay & Company, the Birmingham-based specialist accountancy practice.