Sector
FRANCE - A Plus Finance invest EUR 2m in Novalys
A Plus Finance invested EUR 2m in software company Novalys. Novalys generates 40% of its turnover in Exports. The investment will be used to continue its expansion abroad.
ITALY - Intesa Sanpaolo invests EUR 7m in software company
Intesa Sanpaolo has taken a 23% stake in software company Dedalus in a deal valued at EUR 13.6m, to which the investor provided EUR 7m.
UK - Oxford Capital Partners leads £1.2m investment in waste water technology
Oxford Capital Partners has led a £1.2m investment in Microbial Solutions Ltd, a waste water treatment company. H20 Venture Partners and existing investor Rainbow Seed Fund also participated in the funding round. Microbial Solutions is a newly formed...
PORTUGAL - Explorer Investments acquires construction company
Explorer Investments has acquired industrial player Cosntrutora da Ferraria through its fund Explorer I.
SWEDEN - Industrifonden and Via Venture supports Tonium with SEK 35m
Industrifonden, Via Venture Partners and Arvid Svensson & Ekstranda Media AB have invested SEK 35m in Tonium AB, a developer of portable DJ-systems.
UK - Zeus backs £22m+ buyout of networking services supplier
Zeus Private Equity has completed its third deal with the management buyout of networking services supplier Electranet (UK) Ltd. ZPE has invested £6m as part of a funding package worth more than £22m. HSBC provided senior debt and working capital facilities.
EUROPE - Index closes first ventures growth fund on EUR 400m
Index Ventures has closed its latest fund Index Ventures Growth I LP on EUR 400m. The fund was formed to address the market opportunity created by the maturation of Europe’s start-up industry and the movement of traditional late-stage investors into...
FRANCE – I-Source Gestion closes new fund I-Source 3
I-Source Gestion has closed I-Source 3 on EUR 60m. The fund will be used to continue I-Source’s early-stage venture investments in information and communication technology companies in Western Europe.
GERMANY - High-Tech Gründerfonds backs start-up Immunservice
High-Tech Gründerfonds has provided seed financing for Immunservice GmbH, a start-up which develops immune biomimetic hormones for drug testing. The seed financing enables the company to optimise production of its lead product Pulmoleukin to industrial...
A new frontier
Sovereign wealth funds have the resource to emerge as serious challengers to private equity in the M&A space. However, unless they address transparency concerns these ambitions are likely to be thwarted by protectionist government intervention.
UK - Infrastructure player crashes Biffa deal with £1.5bn offer
Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) is reported to be making a £1.5bn offer for waste services company Biffa. Last month, Biffa opened its books to HgCapital and Montagu Private Equity after they made a £1.2bn joint bid for the London-listed group.
ITALY - Ergon acquires 50% stake in industrial manufacturer
Belgian Ergon Capital Partners has agreed to acquire a 50% stake in Nicotra-Gebhardt from Fondo Interbancario d'Investimento Azionario in a deal valued at approximately EUR 80m.
Bargain hunting
In recent times, quoted companies have presented a real headache to acquire and have accounted for a tiny proportion of dealflow - there were seven take-privates in 2006 and there have been 12 in 2007. If the public markets' focus on share price continues...
GERMANY - Business angels invest six figure sum in drug portal apomio.de
Business angels Lukasz Gadowski and Oliver Jung have invested a six figure sum in apomio GmbH, which runs an independent online portal for price comparisons of drugs, care and food products. The company is set to capitalise on changes in the legal framework...
FINLAND - CapMan establishes EUR 835m real estate fund
CapMan has held a first close of CapMan Hotel RE Ky, a real estate fund, on EUR 835m.
UK - Matrix realises 3.3x from full BBI exit
Matrix Private Equity Partners has realised over 3.3x its original investment of £2.3m through the sale of its shareholding in AIM-listed BBI Holdings Plc. Matrix originally invested in BBI, a healthcare business that focuses on diagnostics and diabetes,...
GERMANY/UK - Wellington closes EUR 265m fund and opens London office
Venture capital firm Wellington Partners has made two announcements that show a shift towards pan-European venture. The VC has closed a EUR 265m fund, Wellington Partners IV Technology, surpassing its target of EUR 250m in just over six months. The fund...
UK - Catapult supports £500,000 FDTEK funding
Catapult Venture Managers has invested £330,000 as part of a £500,000 financing round for information technology company FDTEK Holdings Ltd.
UK - The Capital Fund backs £450,000 2sms financing
The Capital Fund has invested £250,000 as part of a £450,000 financing round for mobile phone messaging services provider 2sms. The balance of the equity has been supplied by Richard Goldstein, an experienced SME investor, who has joined the 2sms board.
SWEDEN - Sunstone leads SEK 40m round in CMC Contrast
Sunstone Capital has invested SEK 40m in CMC Contrast, a medical imaging company, together with existing investors øresund Healthcare Capital and Malmöhus Invest.
UK - Accel Partners leads $15.5m OpenAds funding
Accel Partners has led a $15.5m series-B funding round for online advertising platform OpenAds, alongside exisiting investors Index Ventures, First Round Capital, Mangrove Capital Partners and O'Reilly AlphaTech Ventures.
GERMANY - KfW joins other VCs in backing Protagen AG
Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) has joined existing lead investors MIG AG and Co KG Beteiligungsfonds 3 and S-Venture Capital Dortmund GmbH in raising EUR 1m in interim financing for protein research company Protagen AG. This is the third round...
SWEDEN - Venture-backed MySQL sold to Sun Microsystems for $1bn
Benchmark Capital along with Index Ventures, Scope Capital, SAP Ventures, Institutional Venture Partners, Intel Capital, Red Hat and Presidio STX are to realise their investments in MySQL AB through a $1bn sale of the company to Sun Microsystems.
UK - Francisco Partners leads Data Connection funding
San Fransico and London-based venture capital firm Francisco Partners has led a significant investment round for telecom networking company Data Connection Ltd, alongside strategic partner Sequoia Capital.