UK / Ireland
UK - Apposite et al lead £10m further investment into Serentis
Co-lead investors Apposite Capital, MVM Life Science Partners and Denmark-based Novo have led an investment of £10m into biopharmaceutical company Serentis in a second tranche of series-A funding.
GLOBAL - Secondaries market set to grow as credit crunch squeezes returns
The private equity secondaries market could see strong growth in activity in 2008 in the wake of fears of underperformance in large buyout funds, with US private company exchange Nyppex estimating that total value could reach a record breaking USD 18bn...
UK - RBS sells debt
According to reports, Royal Bank of Scotland has sold £4.2bn of loans used to finance private equity acquisitions to a consortium comprising Apollo, TPG and Blackstone's debt investment arm GSO Capital.
UK - HBOS could invest £100m into portfolio company
According to reports, HBOS could be forced to inject approximately £100m of equity into portfolio construction company Crest Nicholson, which is thought to be close to breaching a banking covenant.
UK - Asian investors eying Apax
According to reports, three Asia-pacific based investors are interested in acquiring the 10% stake put up for sale by Apax Partners, with valuations thought to be around the USD 10bn mark.
UK - Octopus appoints investment manager
Octopus Investments has appointed Matthew Setchell as investment manager.
UK - Sovereign-backed Renovo acquires 1st Saxon-Clenmay
Sovereign Capital-backed Renovo Services Group has acquired gas and electrical maintenance provider 1st Saxon-Clenmay Group for an undisclosed sum.
UK - RJD backs IPES buyout
RJD Partners has backed the buyout of IPES Holdings Ltd, a provider of outsourced fund administration services.
UK - NBGI acquires Food & Drink Group assets
NBGI Private Equity has backed the buyout of a portfolio of wine bars and pubs from Food & Drink Group Plc (F&DG) for an undisclosed sum.
UK - Investec hires two
Investec Investment Bank and Securities has appointed Gareth Taylor as director in the corporate finance division and Matthew Wesley as associate director in the debt advisory team.
UK - Vago and Youngblood resign from ACP board
Derek Vago and Eric Youngblood have resigned from the board of ACP Mezzanine.
UK - Catapult invests £600,000 into DigePrint
Catapult Venture Managers has invested £600,000 as part of a £1.25m funding round for DigePrint Ltd, a designer and manufacturer of digital print processors.
GLOBAL - Blackstone forms cleantech group
The Blackstone Group has formed a cleantech group, which will both make investments and advise Blackstone portfolio companies on renewable energy strategies.
A Pipe Dream Or Reality?
Andrew Carpenter and Mike Hinchliffe of Addleshaw Goddard on why PIPEs may make a lot of sense
Large buyouts on hold
For large buyout houses reliant on debt market liquidity, there are no magic solutions to put money to work and the best strategy may be to wait it out. By Nathan Williams
UK - Palatium hires two
Private equity real estate investor Palatium has hired a specialist mezzanine and preferred equity team from Citigroup to manage its planned specialist fund.
UK - JP Mogan opens in Jersey
JP Morgan Private Equity Fund Services has opened a new office in Jersey to service existing and new offshore clients.
UK - Riverside buys Tensator
The Riverside Company has acquired queue management provider Tensator Group Ltd for an undisclosed sum.
GLOBAL - Syndicate eyes up Rio Tinto Alcan division
A private equity syndicate comprising Eurazeo, Apollo, AXA Private Equity, TPG and la Caisse des Dépots are considering an offer for mining company Rio Tinto Alcan’s aeronautics and automotive unit, Alcan Engineered Products, which could value the...
UK - Amadeus et al invest USD 14m into Enigmatec
Amadeus Capital Partners, Pentech Ventures and Herald Ventures have continued to support data centre automation solutions provider Enigmatec Corporation Ltd in a USD 14m serices-C funding round, alongside Scottish Enterprise and Noble Venture Finance.
UK - KKR-backed NIS aquires Anite in £54.3m deal
Northgate Information Solutions, a provider of specialist software, outsourcing and IT services backed by KKR, has acquired public sector IT specialist Anite Public Sector Holdings Ltd in a £54.3m deal.
UK - GfK seeks support from Apax for TNS bid
German market researcher GfK has held talks with Apax Partners to gain funding for its bid for research group Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS).
UK - YFM invests £250,000 into Syphan
The YFM Group managed Yorkshire & Humber Equity Fund (YHEF) has invested £250,000 in network security appliances developer Syphan Technologies.
UK - Catapult leads £600,000 MDL investment
Catapult Venture Managers has invested £250,000 as part of a £600,000 second funding round for Michelson Diagnostics Ltd, a medical imaging technology developer.