Southern Europe unquote
Axis and Baring inject €20m into Avanza
Axis Participaciones Empresariales and Baring Private Equity Partners have injected €20m into Spanish services and processes outsourcing firm Avanza.
KKR considers Spain’s NH Hoteles
KKR has made an offer to buy bonds that can be converted into shares in Spanish hotel group NH Hoteles, according to reports.
Spanish government to launch new VC fund
The Spanish government will announce the launch of a new VC fund to back technology startups next week, according to reports in the local press.
Principia backs 4W Marketplace with €2.5m
Italian VC Principia has injected €2.5m into online advertising network 4W MarketPlace.
The Southern European renaissance
After a bleary-eyed summer, Southern European deal activity awoke last month with a notable increase in both volume and value.
Inveready leads €850,000 round for MyStarAutograph
Inveready has led an €850,000 funding round for online signed merchandise retailer MyStarAutograph.
Vertis Venture et al. back AppsBuilder
Vertis Venture, Zernike Meta Ventures and business angels have backed Milan-based app development platform AppsBuilder with €1.5m.
GED buys own portfolio with tail-end fund
GED has raised a secondary tail-end fund that has acquired the portfolio of its first Iberian fund, GED Iberian.
Caixa participates in €3m round for Gigas
Caixa Capital Risc has committed capital to the €3m funding round for technology infrastructure and cloud hosting service provider Gigas.
Southern Europe unquote” October 2012
The aim of social-impact investment is to back companies that seek to solve the challenges society faces.
PAI partners acquires Marcolin in €207m LBO
PAI partners has agreed to acquire a 78.39% stake in listed Italian eyewear manufacturer Marcolin at a price of €4.25 per share.
Fondo Strategico Italiano prepares bid for Ansaldo Energia
Fondo Strategico Italiano will make a non-binding offer to acquire around 30% of power plant construction business Ansaldo Energia, according to reports.
HIG Europe backs Vértice 360 Servicios Audiovisuales
HIG Europe has acquired a 49.99% stake in Spanish audiovisual group Vértice 360 Servicios Audiovisuales (VSA) for €16m.
Bain buys Telefónica unit for €1bn
Bain Capital has agreed to the acquisition of Atento, the call-centre unit of Spanish telecommunications giant Telefónica, for €1.04bn.
Oltre tackles the big issue
Social impact investing, where funds target opportunities which offer a social as well as financial return, are taking off in some parts of Europe. However, in Italy they are a rare sight. Amy King reports
BDMI backs Nonabox
Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments (BDMI) has led a funding round for Nonabox, a Spanish online retailer of pregnancy and infancy products.
Paine acquires stake in Eurodrip from Global Finance
Paine & Partners has acquired a 67% stake in Athens-listed Eurodrip from Global Finance's Aquanova and another shareholder in a deal valued at €100m.
Kibo launches €45m fund
Kibo Ventures has launched a €45m fund to back internet and mobile start-ups, and held a first close on €42m.
Vertis backs LinkPass with €1m
Southern Italian investor Vertis has injected €1m into professional networking app LinkPass.
Investindustrial and Trilantic buy Euskaltel
Investindustrial and Trilantic Capital Partners have acquired 48% of Basque telecommunications provider Euskaltel through the holding company International Cable Holdings.
Just-Eat bolts on SinDelantal.com
Just-Eat, the online takeaway ordering service backed by an investor consortium, has acquired its Spanish equivalent SinDelantal.com.
TLcom backs Beintoo with $2m
London-based VC TLcom Capital has injected $2m into Beintoo, an Italian provider of loyalty programmes for apps and websites.
Shareholders reject Trilantic’s bid for Euskaltel
Shareholders in Basque telecommunications group Euskaltel have rejected Trilantic’s bid for the company due to disagreements over the company’s valuation, according to reports in the Spanish press.
N+1 buys majority stake in Secuoya
Spanish GP N+1 has acquired a 55% stake in audio-visual services and television content provider Grupo Secuoya.