UK / Ireland
UK - CVC gets green light for F1 deal
The European Commission has approved the acquisition of the Formula One Group by funds managed or advised by CVC Capital Partners Group.
UK - iPLATO receives first round funding from The Capital Fund
iPLATO Ltd, the leader in mobile healthcare applications, has attracted first round funding from The Capital Fund, a £50m venture capital fund that invests in fast-growth companies in Greater London and whose investors include the DTI and The European...
UK - SVG makes EUR 2.8bn commitment to Permira IV
SVG Capital has made a EUR 2.8 bn commitment to Permira’s next private equity fund, Permira IV, which is targeting to raise EUR 8.5bn.
UK - Dunedin posts 101% IRR on Celtic Inns sale
Dunedin Capital Partners, the UK mid-market private equity house, has announced its second realisation in eight days with the sale of Celtic Inns Holdings Ltd, the Southampton-based pubs operator, to The Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries Plc for £43.6m.
UK - No deal at House of Fraser
House of Fraser has formally announced that preliminary talks regarding a possible offer for the company have ceased.
UK - Edinburgh Robotics wins new funding
Edinburgh Robotics Ltd has secured an equity investment led by Braveheart Ventures Ltd. The investment was completed via the SMART Equity Scheme which is designed to help spin-out companies, by providing matched funding to recipients of the Scottish Executive’s...
UK - UHY Hacker Young appoints new head of corporate finance
Peter Petyt has been named the new Head of Corporate Finance at the London office of top twenty accountancy firm UHY Hacker Young.
UK - HarbourVest promotes four investment staff
HarbourVest Partners today announced the promotions of four senior investment professionals. Kevin S Delbridge was named senior managing director, Michael W Taylor was named managing director, and Julia H Ocko and Scott C Voss were promoted to principals...
UK - a2e and The Capital Fund back data management MBO
Quadrate, a leading data management software company and creator of innovative solutions that enable businesses to rapidly migrate data to and from SAP, facilitating efficient data management and reporting, has completed an MBO. Funding was raised from...
UK - Porton announces new funding for Psynova
Porton Capital is leading an investment in Psynova Ltd, the latest spin-out from The University of Cambridge. Focused on the advancement and exploitation of biomarkers for neuropsychiatric disorders, Psynova aims to develop diagnostic tests and therapeutic...
UK - Enterprise Ventures appoints new investment director
Enterprise Ventures has announced the appointment of Wayne Thomas as investment director.
UK - Fabless semiconductor specialist secures $40m
Amadeus Capital Partners, the technology investor, has led a $40m Series C investment in Icera Inc., a fabless semiconductor company with offices in the UK, France and Japan, which has developed the first wireless soft modem for next generation mobile...
UK - SAV Credit secures £140m funding package
SAV Credit Ltd, a provider of credit cards and financial services products to consumers who are overlooked by mainstream financial services providers, is pleased to announce that it has secured an investment of up to £25m by Electra Private Equity Plc...
UK - Ernst & Young appoints new head of private equity
Simon Perry has been appointed to the new role of global private equity leader at Ernst & Young in a move that underlines the growing interest by professional services firms in the buy-out industry, according to the FT.
UK - University of York and IP2IPO in 25-year agreement
Intellectual property commercialisation company, IP2IPO Group plc, has signed a long-term partnership with the University of York.
UK - GermanCapital makes UK acquisition
Calder Holdings Ltd, the parent company of Calder Group, has been acquired by GermanCapital GmbH and Cognis Capital Partners from Permira. The value of the deal has not been disclosed.
UK - Hg to invest up to £20m in Wind Direct
Hg Capital has agreed to invest up to £20m in Wind Direct over the next three years. HgCapital is making an initial investment of £4.6m with an option to invest a further £15.4m over the next three years.
UK - Hungry octopus buys pizza
Octopus Asset Management has today announced that is has backed the £7m acquisition of Perfect Pizza Ltd from Papa John’s. The investments will come from the Octopus funds Eclipse VCT Plc, Eclipse VCT 2 Plc and Eclipse VCT 3/4 Plc.
UK - Scottish Equity Partners leads £8.5m funding for ip.access
ip.access ltd, a developer of in-building wireless picocell solutions, has announced the conclusion of an £8.5m financing round led by Scottish Equity Partners, including Intel Capital Corporation and Rothschild & Cie Gestion.
UK - Darlington wins Rainmaker award
Christopher Darlington of Hawkpoint Partners has won HgCapital’s Rainmaker of the Year award. During 2005 Darlington completed four deals.
UK - Quadrate completes MBO
Quadrate, a data management software company and creator of innovative solutions that enable businesses to rapidly migrate data to and from SAP, facilitating efficient data management and reporting, has completed an MBO. Funding was raised from a2e Venture...
UK - KCL rebrands as August Capital
Kleinwort Capital Ltd announced today that it will change its name to August Equity, effective immediately. Accompanying the name change is the release of a new company logo, which will begin appearing on the website (www.augustequity.com) and all company...
UK - Northern 2 VCT results show fall in NAV
NVM has recently released the preliminary results of Northern 2 VCT Plc for the year ending 31 January 2006. The reported net asset value per share fell slightly from last year’s figure of 91.0p (re-stated from 89.7p as a result of changes in accounting...
UK - Carlyle to commit £750m to UK real estate
Carlyle is to set up its first UK-only real estate vehicle - with £750m spending power - despite fears from some domestic operators that high returns have become harder to achieve, according to the FT.