Sector
Idinvest reaches €60m first close
Paris-based Idinvest Partners has held a first close on its Idinvest Digital Fund II on €60m.
Academic endeavours: online education set to explode
Online education
Funding Circle raises $37m in series-C round
UK-based crowdfunding platform Funding Circle has raised $37m in a series-C round led by Accel Partners.
PE-backed Primacom to take over rival for €600m
Cable network Primacom, backed by private equity firms Alcentra and Avenue Capital, has placed an estimated €600m bid for rival cable network Tele Columbus.
Permira walks away with Dr Martens
After months of speculation, Permira has acquired iconic footwear brand Dr Martens for ТЃ300m.
Inflexion backs CMO Compliance
Inflexion has backed the management buyout of CMO Compliance, a software company focused on health, safety and environment (HSE) governance, and risk and compliance.
Hard times over for hardware investments?
The hardware end of Europe’s technology market has largely been ignored by GPs in favour of the safety net of software. Ellie Pullen investigates the reasons behind its neglect and whether the sector is about to become a more appealing investment opportunity...
F-star raises €9.4m from Atlas, Aescap et al.
Biopharmaceutical company F-star has raised тЌ9.4m in a series-A round supported by Altas Venture, Aescap Venture, TVM Capital among others.
Wonga buys VC-backed Billpay
Cash lender business Wonga, backed by a consortium of venture capital firms, has acquired online payment business Billpay, a portfolio company of numerous German VCs.
Innova creates GWP for PLN 375m
Innova Capital has bought Polish internet portal Wirtualna Polska (WP) and merged it with Grupa o2 in a transaction totalling PLN 375m.
Faction raises further $3m
Ski equipment and apparel retailer Faction has received a further $3m in funding from Octopus Investments and London-based angel investors.
Goldman Sachs sells Rothesay stake to Blackstone et al.
Goldman Sachs has sold a majority stake in UK-based life insurer Rothesay Life to Blackstone, GIC and Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual).
GCP rebrands to Kester and offloads TEG
The former European private equity division of Greenhill & Co, GCP Capital Partners, has simultaneously rebranded as Kester Capital and divested Travel Entertainment Group (TEG).
Mid Europa's Diagnostyka buys Olympus Consilio
Mid Europa Partners-backed Diagnostyka has acquired Poland-based Olympus Consilio as part of the GP’s consolidation strategy of the laboratory market in the CEE region.
Mobiles Republic raises $6m series-B round
French mobile news app producer Mobiles Republic has raised $6m in a round led by Intel Capital with co-investment from existing backers Creathor Venture and XAnge Private Equity.
Intel, Index back onefinestay
Intel Capital has backed London-based start-up onefinestay in a round led by Index Ventures.
Intel Capital leads $20m round for SkySQL
Intel Capital has led a $20m series-B round for SkySQL.
Vertis in €1.2m round for Chef Dovunque
Vertis has led a €1.2m round for Chef Dovunque, an Italian firm that selects and distributes organic ingredients for home-cooking.
Almi invests in Aqwary
Almi Invest has backed Aqwary, a Swedish recreational diving security equipment start-up.
DFJ Esprit et al. invest in Unbound
DFJ Esprit, Forward Investment Partners (FIP) and Cambridge Angels have injected ТЃ1.2m into Unbound, a London-based crowdfunding platform for book publishing.
Permira reaps £111m in Hugo Boss recap
Permira has recapitalised German luxury fashion retailer Hugo Boss, returning around 47% of the original investment to LPs.
Stock Spirits valued at £470m in IPO
Stock Spirits, a CEE-focused spirits producer backed by Oaktree Capital Management, started trading on the London Stock Exchange at 235p per share, valuing the business at ТЃ470m.
HTGF invests in second-hand luxury retailer Rebelle
High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) has backed second-hand luxury goods selling platform Rebelle in a seed round.
Miroma backs SBTV
Miroma Ventures has invested in SBTV, a UK-based online youth broadcaster, in a deal that values the company at ТЃ8m.