Finland
Inventure and Nexit back $5.2m round for Rightware
Inventure and Nexit Ventures have reinvested in Finnish user interface software developer Rightware, which has closed its $5.2m series-B funding round.
The end of the Nordic dream?
Buoyant economies and market-beating returns have long made the Nordics top of LPs' wish lists. But a slowdown in exit activity combined with an increase in capital chasing deals may indicate tougher times ahead.
Nordic unquote" May 2013
For almost 40 years, Sweden was one of the few countries in the world where private retail of pharmaceuticals was banned.
DFJ Esprit et al. back M-Files Corporation
DFJ Esprit and Finnish Industry Investment have injected €6m into M-Files Corporation, a technology start-up based in Finland.
Atomico, Index, IVP in $130m Supercell funding round
Atomico, Index Ventures and Institutional Venture Partners (IVP) have invested in a $130m funding round for Finnish mobile games developer Supercell.
Finnish state launches €1bn start-up fund
The Finnish Economy Ministry is launching a €1bn venture capital start-up fund to attract private investors.
Nordic unquote" April 2013
The Nordic market is changing. Long dominated by the powerhouse economy of Sweden and seemingly impervious to the crisis gripping Europe, 2012 was a tougher year and saw many new developments.
Ratos et al. acquire Nebula Oy
Ratos, alongside Rite Ventures and the company's management, has agreed to acquire Finnish cloud services provider Nebula Oy for €82.5m.
Nordic unquote" March 2013
SVCA head Marie Reinius told unquote” in a recent interview that the most pressing issue for Swedish private equity at the moment is to have clear, long-term guidelines regarding tax regulation that are internationally competitive, for both large and...
VNT Management's Power Fund III holds final close
VNT Management Oy has held a final close for its Power Fund III on €77m.
Sofinnova et al. invest in MetGen
Sofinnova Partners has led a €2.2m round for Finnish start-up MetGen, with participation from Finnish Industry Investment and Finnvera.
Sentica’s fourth fund hits first close
Sentica Partners has held a first close for its Sentica Buyout IV fund at approximately €115m, and aims to hold a final close at around €130m later this year.
Nordic unquote" February 2013
Although January remained fairly quiet compared to historical dealflow levels, EQT made headlines by keeping its fundraising streak alive: the Nordic firm closed its second infrastructure vehicle, EQT Infrastructure II, on €1.9bn after 11 months on...
Nokia launches $250m fund
Corporate venture firm Nokia Growth Partners (NGP) has launched its third fund with a $250m commitment from parent company Nokia.
Nordic private equity's 2012 highlights
Even the strong Nordic economies have struggled in 2012, as their key trading partners in the eurozone suffer under the weight of Greek and Spanish debt. Deal activity is down and Sweden's tax men are keen to take a cut of the private equity industry's...
Cinemas could be the big deal in 2013
While Terra Firma is considering getting out of the movie business, its private equity competitors could see some very attractive investment opportunities this year.
Vaaka Partners sells EMC Talotekniikka to Imtech
Vaaka Partners has sold its majority stake in Finnish technical services provider EMC Talotekniikka to Dutch trade buyer Royal Imtech.
Lifeline Ventures backs Applifier
Finnish company Applifier, which operates a cross-promotion network for social games and applications, has raised €3m in a series-B funding round led by Lifeline Ventures.
Open Ocean Capital backs Nordic Telecom
Finnish unified cloud communication provider Nordic Telecom (NTC) has raised $1.3m in a series-A funding from Open Ocean Capital.
Nordic unquote" December 2012/January 2013
The Nordic private equity market – at one point seemingly impervious to the economic turmoil facing the rest of the world – has had a tough year.
Ratos in partial exit from Bisnode
Swedish business information firm Bisnode, a portfolio company of Ratos, has divested Baby DM Scandinavia.
Nokia sells Optical Networks to Marlin
Nokia Siemens Networks has sold its optical networks business unit to US-based Marlin Equity Partners, in a deal likely to close in the first quarter of 2013.
Nordic PE investment fell in Q3
Private equity funds invested around €1.1bn in the Nordics in the third quarter, €750m less than in Q2, according to the Argentum Q3 2012 Report. The figures paint Q3 as the trough for the region this year.
Inventure et al. invest in Web of Trust
Sino-Finnish venture capital group Inventure has invested €1m in surfing tool Web of Trust (WOT), alongside private investor Risto Siilasmaa and the Finnish Industry Investment.