France
Demeter and Emertec back Qualisteo with €2m
Demeter Partners and Emertec have invested €2m in Qualisteo, a French smart-grid specialist.
BlackFin acquires GP3 and Decalog
BlackFin Capital Partners has acquired GP3 and Decalog, two software solutions divisions for the asset management and asset servicing industry, from SunGard.
HBM leads €41m round for AAA
HBM Healthcare Investments has led a €41m funding round for Advanced Accelerator Applications (AAA), a French biopharma company specialising in molecular nuclear medicine.
Hellman & Friedman’s GTT launches IPO
Hellman & Friedman-backed Gaz Transport & Technigaz (GTT), a French marine technology and engineering company, plans on raising up to €675m in an IPO on the Euronext Paris.
Omnes divests Melkonian in SBO
Omnes Capital has sold Melkonian Group, a French provider of mining equipment, to BPI France, Amundi Private Equity Funds and Sofipaca.
Jaïna and Ecomobilité back OuiCar
Jaïna Capital and Ecomobilité Ventures have invested €3m in OuiCar, the French operator of a platform for peer-to-peer car rental services.
ICG picks up Equistone’s APEM
Equistone Partners Europe has sold its majority stake in APEM Group to minority shareholder Intermediate Capital Group (ICG).
LBO France exits Sonovision in trade sale
LBO France has reaped a 2.1x money multiple on the sale of Sonovision Group, a Paris-based provider of logistics and document engineering services for the space industry, to French industrial firm Ortec Group.
Charterhouse's Vivarte suspends debt payments
Vivarte, a French fashion group backed by Charterhouse Capital Partners, has suspended all payments on the €2.8bn debt load taken on as part of the 2007 buyout of the business.
Innovacom invests €1m in PredicSis
French firm Innovacom has injected €1m of early-stage funding into PredicSis, a Brittany-based big data predictive analysis start-up.
Ardian to acquire Vinci Park
Ardian has entered exclusive talks with French construction and concessions firm Vinci to acquire its Vinci Park division for an enterprise value of €1.96bn.
Siparex raises €200m for MidMarket III fund
French GP Siparex has held a final close for its MidMarket III vehicle on €200m, exceeding its €150m target. Greg Gille reports
Charterhouse’s Webhelp picks up SNT
Charterhouse-backed Webhelp Group, a French provider of customer management solutions, has acquired Dutch customer contact services provider SNT.
Alven backs OpenClassrooms with €1m
Alven Capital has injected €1m into OpenClassrooms, a French platform for massive open online courses (MOOC).
Iceni sells Mentor IMC to Vinci for 6x return
Iceni Capital has sold oil & gas recruitment business Mentor IMC to French group Vinci in an all-cash transaction, reaping a 6x multiple.
Alven invests €1.5m in Wisembly
Alven Capital has made an investment of €1.5m in Wisembly, a French provider of mobile software for meetings and conference calls.
VC-backed Crossject to list on NYSE Alternext
French medical device company Crossject, backed by a consortium of local venture capital firms, is hoping to raise up to €12.9m in its IPO on the NYSE Alternext Paris.
VC-backed Blablacar.com buys Podorozhniki
Accel Partners- and Isai-backed Comuto, the operator of French carpooling site Blablacar.com, has acquired Ukraine-based Podorozhniki as part of its services launch in Ukraine and Russia.
BPI launches €133m nuclear energy-focused fund
BPI France has officially launched its new fund, Fonds de Développement des Enterprises Nucléaires (FDEN), with €133m in capital.
EdRip's Cetal in OBO
Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners (EdRip) has taken part in the owner buyout of its portfolio company Cetal, a French manufacturer of heating elements.
Argos Soditic promotes two in Paris office
Mid-market GP Argos Soditic has promoted Frédéric Quéru and Raphaël Bazin to investment manager positions in its Paris office.
Montagu acquires Rexam divisions for $805m
Montagu Private Equity has acquired the healthcare devices and prescription retail divisions of UK consumer packaging company Rexam for $805m in cash.
Cautious optimism in France as government unveils pro-business policies
New research by trade body Afic reveals improving sentiment among local GPs in the second half of last year – a positive trend likely to be further boosted by the government’s newfound social democrat leanings. Greg Gille reports
Ciclad buys Slat from Initiative & Finance
Ciclad has acquired French producer of electrical power supplies Slat in a secondary buyout from Initiative & Finance.