France
UI Investissement, Geneo back clinic operator GBNA
UI and Geneo invest in the company via a capital increase, partnering with the Guichard family
Capza 5 Flex Equity Fund closes on €700m
Fund offers flexible financing that combines majority and minority equity, convertible bonds and mezzanine
Advent leads $220m series-D for Shift at $1bn valuation
Avenir, Accel, Bessemer Venture Partners, General Catalyst and Iris Capital also take part in the round
Capza appoints Gauffre as head of sustainability and impact
In her new role, Gauffre oversees the structuring and development of Capza's ESG strategy and CSR policy
Andera Partners lines up DACH expansion plans
Starting with BioDiscovery 6, the GP intends to accelerate fundraising and deal-making in the region
Astorg buys Solina from Ardian
Sale ends a five-year holding period for Ardian, which acquired Solina from IK Investment Partners
Perwyn opens Paris office, eyes more investment on the continent
Firm has already made two investments in France: Isla Delice in 2018 and Keobiz in 2020
Hg sells EidosMedia to Capza
Sale ends a six-year holding period for Hg, which acquired a majority stake in Eidosmedia firms Wise and Aksia
Flexstone reaches $322m second close for co-invest fund
Firm is gearing up to announce a fourth co-investment deal for Global Opportunities IV in May
Capza closes fifth debt fund on €1.6bn, prepares new launch
Fund invests in SMEs with EBITDA of more than €12m, providing unitranche and mezzanine
Permira buys minority stake in New Immo Group
Existing investor Qualium Investissement is to retain a stake in the digital real estate platform
Lumos leads €70m series-C round for OpenClassrooms
Education technology company also attracts Salesforce Ventures, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and GSV Ventures
Ardian sells Lagarrigue to Naxicap
Sale ends a five-year holding period for Ardian, which bought a majority stake in Lagarrigue from Azulis Capital
Cap Grand Ouest 3 holds first close
Fund makes its first investment by acquiring a minority stake in healthcare consultancy Helpévia
Eurazeo invests €410m in Aroma-Zone
Following the deal, the founding Vausselin family retains a significant minority stake in the business
KKR leads €100m series-C for Ornikar
Existing investors Idinvest, BPI, Elaia, Brighteye and H14 also took part in the fundraising
Eurazeo to buy Aroma Zone for €700m – report
Company's sale attracts several buyers, including private equity firms Ardian, Bain Capital and CVC, according to reports
Alpha to sell Cyrillus to Alandia, MGA
Cyrillus is part of the Cyrillus-Vertbaudet group, but this sale only seems to include the Cyrillus business
SBOs, mega-deals fuel strong Q1 for French buyouts
While the sharp quarter-on-quarter rebound of late 2020 was not replicated, the French market remained buoyant in Q1
Cathay Innovation buys minority stake in Seaya Ventures
Cathay and Seaya expect to build synergies and further develop their complementary expertise
Silver Lake's Cegid buys VC-backed Talentsoft
Following the merger, the combined group's turnover is expected to exceed €600m
Capza hires France Invest's Gaillard as partner
In his new role, Gaillard focuses on the structuring and international development of Capza's platforms
Ardian Buyout VII closes on €7.5bn
Fund invests in high-growth potential businesses with enterprise values of €300m-2bn
Activa sells Alliance Etiquettes to Chequers
Activa reinvests in the business in exchange for a minority stake, via its ACF IV fund