UK / Ireland
UK - Prices fall to lowest level for six years
According to the latest Private Company Price Index, published quarterly by corporate advisory firm BDO Stoy Hayward, the average entry multiple being paid by private equity firms (PEPI) dipped by 14% in Q2 2008 to 11.1x earnings - the lowest level for...
UK - Accel and Carmel support USD 5m MyThings funding
Existing backers, including Accel Partners and Carmel Ventures, have supported a USD 5m investment into online registry MyThings, in a serie-B funding round co-led by Dotcorp Asset Management and GP Bullhound Sidecar.
UK - Premier Foods in talks with private equity
Food manufacturer Premier Foods Plc has reportedly been talking to CCMP, the former private equity arm of JP Morgan, regarding a cash injection.
UK - Barclays hires investment manager
Barclays Private Equity has appointed Steven Whitehead as investment manager in Manchester.
UK - Bowmark appoints two
Bowmark Capital has hired Julian Masters and Tom Shelford to its investment team.
UK - Elysian to raise first fund
Elysian Capital has been reported as raising its debut fund, Elysian Capital I, with a target of £200m.
UK - BVCA hires Roger Kelly
The British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (BVCA) has hired Roger Kelly as chief economist.
IRELAND - NCB holds first closing on EUR 75m
The Ulster Bank Diageo Venture Fund LP, managed by NCB Ventures, has held its first closing on EUR 75m.
UK - Catalyst and RIT exit MessageLabs in USD 695m deal
Catalyst Investors and RIT Capital have wholly exited their investment in software company Message Labs Ltd in a trade sale to Amercian software business Symantec valued at USD 695m.
EUROPE - EVCA study reveals little improvement in tax and legal environment
The European Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (EVCA) has published its fourth Benchmarking study of European tax and legal environments, with the results revealing that there has been little overall improvement in conditions since the previous...
UK - Foresight hires two
Foresight Group has hired Mike Rand and Tom Thorp to its environmental team.
UK - Octopus invests £220,000 in 21Net
Octopus Ventures has invested £220,000 in broadband internet access provider 21Net.
UK - IQ invests in Phonetic Arts
IQ Capital has invested an undisclosed sum in speech technology developer Phonetic Arts Ltd.
UK - Taylor Wessing hires Jonathan Rogers
Taylor Wessing has appointed Jonathan Rogers as partner.
UK - British Private Equity Awards Shortlist
unquote" is delighted to announce the Shortlist for the British Private Equity Awards 2008 . The winners will be announced at the Awards Ceremony being held on 27 November at ‘The Room’ by the River in London’s Waterloo.
UK - Private equity interest in Creston
US-based private equity firm Cartesian Capital Group is believed to have declared an interest in acquiring Creston Plc, a London-listed marketing and communications agency.
UK - Capital Fund leads £240,000 Essential Escapes investment
The Capital Fund has invested £200,000 as part of a £240,000 funding round for spa tour operator Essential Escapes, with existing shareholders providing the balance.
UK - NVM invests £7m to back buy-and-build of CloserStill
NVM Private Equity has invested £7m into CloserStill Holdings Ltd, a newly created platform company in the events and exhibitions industry.
UK - Matrix backs buyout of Metropress
Matrix Private Equity has backed the buyout of newspaper publisher Metropress Ltd.
UK - Inflexion appoints investment director
Inflexion Private Equity has appointed Richard Swann as investment director.
UK - Sovereign hires assistant director
Sovereign Capital has hired Jon Edington as assistant director.
UK - Alix appoints Dan Murphy
Alix Partners has appointed Dan Murphy as director in its performance improvement practice in London.
UK - Ferd leads EUR 15m Cloud investment
Ferd Ventures has invested EUR 7.5m as part of a EUR 15m funding round for wireless broadband provider The Cloud, with incumbent backers providing EUR 7.25m and corporate financier GP Bullhound investing EUR 300,000.
UK - DIC hires Eric Kump
Dubai International Capital has hired Eric Kump as managing director for its London office.