France
Innovacom seed fund Technocom 2 closes on €30m
Seed fund Technocom 2 has held a final close on €30m, after receiving a €18.7m commitment from Fonds National d'Amorçage (FNA).
Auriga and Omnes inject €7m into Eptica
Auriga Partners has joined existing investor Omnes Capital (formerly Crédit Agricole Private Equity) in a €7m round for French CRM software editor Eptica.
Sofinnova Partners exits BlueKiwi
Sofinnova Partners has sold its entire stake in social networking software editor BlueKiwi to IT services firm Atos SA Group.
Sofimac et al. in €2.5m round for Jet Metal Technologies
Sofimac has joined existing investors Viveris Management, Aster Capital, Naxicap Partners and Rhône-Alpes Création in a €2.5m funding round for French surface treatment specialist Jet Metal Technologies (JMT).
FSI leads €24m round for Viadeo
Fonds Stratégique d’Investissement (FSI) has led a €24m funding round for Paris-based professional social network Viadeo.
SGCP invests €800,000 in Materiel-Velo
Société Générale Capital Partenaires (SGCP), the growth capital arm of Société Générale, has invested €800,000 in French cycling equipment distributor Materiel-Velo.
CDC Innovation et al. in €4.7m round for ASK
Historical backer CDC Innovation has led a €4.7m round for French contactless technology company ASK, alongside new investors.
Seventure leads €3.5m round in LNC
Seventure Partners has led a €3.5m funding round for French medical nutrition specialist Laboratoires Nutrition et Cardiométabolisme (LNC), alongside a pool of new investors and historical backer EPI.
CIC Mezzanine holds €63m first close
CIC Mezzanine Gestion has held a €63m first close on its third mezzanine fund, three months after launch.
France unquote" April 2012
European corporates are getting serious about venture. A new venture initiative dubbed OpVentures has been spawned by French businesses France Télécom and Publicis, when they acquired a 24.5% stake in Iris Capital Management, a CDC spin-out.
French asset manager launches PE unit
Meeschaert Capital Partners, focusing on growth capital and small- and mid-cap buyouts, has been established by French asset management group Meeschaert Gestion Privée.
Cognetas rebrands as Motion Equity Partners
Mid-market firm Cognetas has been rebranded as Motion Equity Partners, operating out of Paris and Milan.
State-funded FSN PME invests €1m in TalentSoft
FSN PME, the French State's €400m venture fund, has made its second investment by providing €1m to HR solutions software developer TalentSoft.
PE-owned SPIE in €375m high-yield refinancing
French engineering group SPIE, acquired by a consortium of private equity houses last year, has priced a €375m high-yield bond to refinance the debt structure put in place at the time of the buyout, according to reports.
Crédit Agricole PE becomes Omnes Capital
Coller Capital has finalised the acquisition of Crédit Agricole Private Equity (CAPE), which has been renamed Omnes Capital.
LBO France delays fundraising effort
French mid-cap GP LBO France has pushed back the launch of its next €1.5bn White Knight IX vehicle - which was supposed to take place in Q1 - to Q3 2012, according to French publication Capital Finance.
Bank investments in PE down 69%
Anecdotal evidence highlights that PE houses cannot rely on banks and insurance companies to raise the bulk of their funds anymore. Data from French association AFIC backs this up with worrying numbers. Greg Gille reports
Entrepreneur Venture invests in Société Financière JF3H
Entrepreneur Venture has made a growth capital investment in Société Financière JF3H, the holding company of French coach travel operators Regnault Autocars and Nouvelle Aisne Tourisme.
Montagu strengthens French team
Montagu Private Equity has hired Antoine de Peguilhan as investment director and Adrien Sassi as analyst in its Paris office.
Fresh €1.5m round for Novapost
Existing investors including Alven Capital and Fa Dièse have contributed to a €1.5m funding round for French electronic HR solutions provider Novapost.
CDC Entreprises et al. in €7m round for E-Blink
CDC Entreprises has joined existing shareholders 360 Capital Partners, Masseran Gestion, I-Source Gestion and Alven Capital Partners in a €7m round for French telecoms company E-Blink.
De Pardieu Brocas Maffei appoints new counsel
French law firm De Pardieu Brocas Maffei has hired Maxime Dequesnes as counsel in its private equity practice.
Seventure and Lundbeckfond inject €5m in Enterome
Seventure Partners and Lundbeckfond Ventures have provided French biotech company Enterome with a €5m series-A round of funding.
XAnge PE and Creathor Venture in €2.5m round for Mobiles Republic
XAnge Private Equity and Creathor Venture have invested a joint €2.5m in French mobile apps developer Mobiles Republic.