UK / Ireland
UK - SCM new hire for London office
SCM has hired Karin Russell-Wiederkehr as new partner to run the representative office in London which opened earlier this year.
IRELAND - DFJ backs Irish Broadband acquisition
DFJ Esprit portfolio company Imagine Communications Group has acquired Irish Broadband from NTR and Kilsaran Concrete in a EUR 47m deal.
UK - Private equity-backed IPOs outperform
According to research by Cass Business School, commissioned by the BVCA and the London Stock Exchange, private equity-backed companies perform better on listing than companies backed by other sources of capital. The key findings in the study included:
EUROPE - KKR fund mystery
Confusion surrounds the progress of fundraising for KKR's latest European vehicle today, with some reports suggesting a EUR 6bn final close and others reporting that the fund is still in the fundraising process.
UK - Geocapital and HgCapital sell loss-making Axiom
Geocapital and HgCapital have sold service fulfillment software Axiom Systems Holding Ltd to Finnish telecom software solutions provider Comptel for £7m in an all-equity deal.
UK - Highland Capital invests in Autoquake
US-based Highland Capital Partners has led the £6m second round of funding in online used care retailer Autoquake alongside returning backer Accel Partners.
UK - Celerant appoints new head of private equity and M&A
Management consultancy Celerant Consulting has appointed David Axon as new head of private equity and merger & acquisitions.
UK - HgCapital expands UK Wind Farm portfolio
HgCapital's portfolio company RidgeWind has acquired equity rights to a pipeline of 90MW wind farms from co-developer Wind Prospects. RidgeWind has also completed the £18m project financing of the Bagmoor Wind Farm.
GLOBAL - Summit closes two funds
Summit Partners has closed two funds,a Europe-focused private equity fund on €1bn and its fourth subordinated debt fund on $825m. This brings the total amount Summit Partners has available for investment in North America, Europe and Asia to almost $6bn.
UK - Adamant Ventures opens in Scotland
Swiss healthcare focused financial advisory firm Adamant Biomedical Investments has opened a venture capital arm in Edinburgh. Adament Ventures will target healthcare companies based in the UK, Scandinavia, Central Europe and the US.
EUROPE - EIIB creates private equity practice
The European Islamic Investment Bank has established a private equity and corporate advisory department based in London.
UK - Finance Cornwall invests in Cloud Nine
Finance Cornwall has invested an undisclosed sum in Kernow Eco Housing, a designer and marketer of high specificaion homes built from sustainable materials.
UK - ISIS portfolio company acquires Homelife Options
ISIS Equity Partners' portfolio company SLC Group has acquired Homelife Options Ltd, a company that provides supported living services to people with learning disabilities.
UK - CVC appoints new head of telecoms
CVC Capital Partners has appointed Lorne Somerville as new head of telecoms.
UK - Longbow and Capital Fund invest £1m in Domainex
Longbow Capital and The Capital Fund have invested £1m in biopharmaceutical company Domainex.
GLOBAL – Industry leaders outline challenges at BVCA summit
At today's BVCA’s 25th Anniversary VIP Summit, run in association with unquote”, market leaders hammered out what they believe to be the major challenges facing the industry in the year to come.
UK - Spark, Catapult and Nesta invest in Haemostatix
Spark Ventures, Catapult and Nesta have invested £1.24m in drug development company Haemostatix Ltd.
UK - Ludgate backs packaging solutions company
Ludgate Environmental Fund Limited has commited £4m into Rapid Action Packaging (RAP) Limited; of this sum, £1.5m will go to ordinary shares and £2.5m towards a convertible unsecured loan stock (CULS).
UK - Finance Wales invests in Epitiro
Finance Wales has invested an undisclosed sum in Epitiro, a company which undertakes analysis of broadband providers.
UK - Acorn backs two mechanical services companies
Acorn Capital Partners has backed the buyout of Thermotech and TAC Mechanical Services, a provider of fire protection systems maintenance and a provider of air conditioning systems maintenance repectively.
WORLD - Warburg Pincus closes $15bn fund
Warburg Pincus has closed its latest fund, Warburg Pincus Private Equity X on $15bn. The fund has a broad investment remit focusing on early-stage investments through to buyouts and special situations.
UK - YFM in £2m investment in Micrima
YFM Group and Swarraton Partners have led a £2m investment in Micrima, a company that is developing radio wave technology to improve the detection of breast cancer.
UK - Shackleton Ventures raises fund and strikes deal
Shackleton Ventures has closed Shackleton Secondaries II LP (SSIILP), a £25m fund dedicated to secondary deals. The private equity house has also purchased 13 portfolio companies from 3i for an undisclosed amount.
UK - Matrix re-cap delivers 5x returns
Matrix Private Equity Partners (MPEP) has re-capitalised Holloway White Allom, a construction company. The deal was financed with £5m of cash and a £12m debt package from Lloyds TSB.