France
Industries & Finances recruits associate
Nicolas Degrassat, Industries & Finances
BPI France et al. back EBlink with €2.8m
French telecoms equipment developer EBlink has received €2.8m in funding from investors BPI France, 360 Capital Partners, Seventure Partners and I-Source Gestion.
Iris and BPI France invest €10m in Mister-Auto
Iris Capital and BPI France have injected €10m into Mister-Auto, a France-based online retailer of car parts and accessories.
State-backed BPI France pledges not to outbid PE firms
French state investment arm BPI France has pledged it will not look to compete unfairly with local private equity players.
Gimv, UI Gestion acquire Almaviva
Gimv and UI Gestion have acquired French operator of private clinics Almaviva Santé from 21 Partners, with each of the firms contributing €40m towards the buyout.
Weinberg's Alliance Automotive in high-yield refinancing
Alliance Automotive, a French portfolio company of Weinberg Capital Partners (WCP), has issued a €185m private high-yield bond.
CEA Investissement et al. back Bioaxial
Paris-based medical equipment company Bioaxial has raised €1.9m from CEA Investissement, Viveris Management, Inserm Transfert Initiative (ITI) and several individual investors.
Naxicap et al. back Arenadour platform
Naxicap, Arkea Capital and Ouest Croissance have backed the merger of thermal spas Thermes Adour and Thermes des Arènes, creating the Arenadour group.
R Capital gains independence from Rothschild
R Capital Management has spun out from the Rothschild group and rebranded as Keensight Capital.
Speechly Bircham opens Paris office
Law firm Speechly Bircham has opened a new office in Paris, offering corporate, litigation and tax planning services.
French mid-cap dealflow stages comeback
French mid-market
VC-backed Implanet floats
French medical technology company Implanet, backed by several venture capital firms, has listed on the NYSE Euronext Paris with a market cap of €39m.
Sofinnova leads €15m round for Pixium
Sofinnova Partners has led a €15m extension of Pixium Vision’s two-part series-A round alongside BPI France and existing investors Omnes Capital and Abingworth Management.
Apax buys Europe Snacks from IK Investment
Apax Partners has acquired savoury snacks maker Europe Snacks from IK Investment Partners.
KKR reaps €461.6m in Tarkett flotation
KKR has received €461.6m from the flotation of portfolio company Tarkett, a French flooring and sports surface maker, after the company priced its IPO at €29 per share.
PAI sells Atos stake for €545m
PAI partners has divested a 9% stake in its portfolio company Atos, a listed French IT services provider, for €545m in a private placement.
Alven injects €3m into Bime
French VC Alven Capital has invested €3m in business intelligence software Bime.
BPI France's Cassiopae makes two bolt-ons
BPI France Ile-de-France and BNP Paribas Développement have supported portfolio company Cassiopae’s acquisitions of Germany-based Singhammer dtSoftware and the Crédito division of Brazil-based Disoft Solutions.
GE Capital and Ares refinance Astorg's Ethypharm
GE Capital and Ares Management have provided Astorg Partners portfolio company Ethypharm with a €170m unitranche facility.
Women still under-represented in French investment teams
Although French private equity houses are increasingly trying to address the situation, women remain vastly under-represented in investment teams and in more senior roles, according to the latest survey by Deloitte and trade body AFIC.
Omnes-backed Exclusive Networks bolts on Secureway
Omnes Capital-backed Exclusive Networks Group, a French IT security software company, has acquired Dubai-based Secureway.
Partech et al. back Pricematch with €1m
Partech Ventures, via its recently closed Partech Entrepreneur seed fund, has taken part in a €1m round for Pricematch, a French software company specialising in revenue management for hotels.
Auriga holds €40m first close for Bioseeds fund
French VC Auriga Partners has held a first close on €40m for its latest vehicle, Auriga IV Bioseeds, after seven months on the road.
21 Partners backs Synerlab
21 Partners has acquired Synerlab Group, a French drug manufacturing and packaging company, from Ardian in a management buyout.