France unquote
AGF leads €13.1m round for Genticel
AGF Private Equity has led a €13.1m round for biotech business Genticel alongside three new investors: Institut Régional de Développement Industriel (IRDI), Amundi Private Equity Funds and CDC Entreprises’ InnoBio fund.
OFI-backed IMV Technologies acquires NIFA
OFI Private Equity Capital-backed biotech firm IMV Technologies has wholly acquired has wholly acquired sector player NIFA’s shares from its founding shareholders.
XAnge and Auriga invest in eXo
XAnge and Auriga have participated in a €4m financing round for eXo Platform, alongside angel investors including Sacha Labourey and Bob Bickel.
EdRIP buy minority stake in Iranex
Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners (EdRIP) has purchased a 24% stake in Groupe Iranex, a nutritional ingredients company, alongside Stéphane Dondain the company CEO who holds the remaining 76%.
3i and N.I. Partners acquire Apax's stake in Vedici
3i and N.I. Partners have acquired a stake in acute care company Vedici, alongside founding directors Jérôme Nouzarède and Michel Bodkier, from Apax Partners SA and its listed vehicle Altamir Amboise.
AXA PE in talks to sell Eliokem to Lanxess
AXA Private Equity is said to be in discussions with German chemical business Lanxess over the sale of its portolio company Eliokem.
NextStage sells Bewan for up to €12.5m
NextStage and Seventure have sold their holding in Bewan, IP and cable gateways specialist, to UK-based Pace, a digital TV technology company, for up to €12.5m.
AXA PE and PAI bidding for Shell’s €1bn LPG division
AXA Private Equity and PAI Partners are among the bidders circling Royal Dutch Shell’s Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) division, which price tag nears €1bn.
2010 buyout activity promising
Although volume and value buyout figures in France have dropped in 2009, the slight recovery seen in the last two quarters could mean that a recovery is underway. Francois Rowell reports.
AXA PE invests in MenInvest
AXA Private Equity has taken a minority stake in MenInvest, an e-commerce company, in a first round of financing of an undisclosed value.
Q&A: Fundraising Review/Preview
Francois Rowell speaks to Lorenzo Lorenzotti, managing director at fund-of-fund ACG Private Equity about fundraising in 2009 and the prospects for 2010.
Atlas sells 34.4% Sporever stake
Atlas Venture has sold its 34.4% stake in Alternext-listed Groupe Sporever, an online content publisher, back to the founder and company president, Patrick Chêne.
360 Capital Partners invests in Leetchi
Franco-Italian investor 360 Capital Partners has invested under €1m in Leetchi.com, an online payment company, alongside Kima Ventures.
Q&A: The fundraising fulcrum
Francois Rowell speaks to Mounir Guen, CEO of placement agent MVision, about the fundraising climate in 2010.
NextStage invests EUR 4m in Dallavalle
NextStage has provided Dallavalle, a construction company, with a EUR 4m investment.
EdRIP and UI gestion stage OBO of Segex
Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners (EdRIP), UI Gestion and Socadif have staged an OBO of the Segex Group, a civil engineering company, alongside the management.
No go for IPOs as New Look compounds listless week
While talk is still ongoing regarding the flurry of GPs signaling their intention to list portfolio companies, many are already postponing plans as prices fall far below expectations. Francois Rowell reports
123Ventures increases shareholder base
Private equity house 123Ventures has increased its shareholder base from seven to 17 through an owner buyout.
Oaktree takes majority stake in SGD
US buy-out fund Oaktree Capital will become the majority shareholder of perfume and pharmaceutical bottle manufacturer SGD, following the group’s debt restructuring.