France
Five Seasons Ventures holds first close for maiden fund
French VC firm's first fund, dedicated to agriculture technology, holds a €60m first close
Essling Capital launches Essling Expansion fund
French GP's third fund, with a target of more than €200m, focuses on majority acquisitions
Daphni leads €6.4m round for Margo Bank
Banking startup will invest in technical infrastructure as well as HR development
Serena et al. back Privateaser
Serena Capital, Isai and FJ Labs invest €10m in French venue-booking app Privateaser
Capitem Partenaires buys Aluthea in MBO
GP buys a 20% stake in French aluminum foundry Aluthea while managers retain the remainder
Sofinnova holds final close for Sofinnova IB I
Having held a first close on €106m in February 2017, Sofinnova IB I closes on €125m
21 Centrale Partners V reaches first close on €200m
Announced in Q3 2015, 21 Centrale Partners V should close in Q3 2018 on around €300m
Alliance invests in Clas
Clas Equipement will use the new capital to boost its growth and development
Equistone VI holds final close on €2.8bn hard-cap
Mid-market PE investor saw total potential commitments of тЌ4bn, significantly exceeding target
Eurazeo posts sharp increase in AUM in annual results
Dramatic increase in AUM was primarily driven by deals with Idinvest and Rhône Capital
Cathay and OrbiMed divest Echosens to Astorg
Deal is the first exit for Cathay's 2014-vintage €500m Sino-European MidCap fund
Eurazeo makes final exit from Accor
Eurazeo placed the shares with institutional investors through an accelerated book-building
Amundi to raise fourth small-cap fund
French asset manager sets the target for the fund at €150m and plans a final close in H2 2018
Ventech holds first close on €140m
Ventech will stick to its strategy of investing in early-stage European companies
Idinvest in €15m round for Geolid
Fundraising round sees Idinvest making its entrance as new a shareholder in Geolid
Equistone Partners buys back Groupe Karavel in SBO
Equistone previously backed the French online travel agency between 2007-2011
NCI Gestion, Unexo back Filpack in OBO
GPs invest €4.5m in the French manufacturer of packaging for the fruit and vegetables sector
Idinvest hires Cavalin as legal director
Cavalin will be involved in structuring and raising investment vehicles, as well as all legal concerns
Charterhouse-backed Comexposium in €355m refinancing
Comexposium secures a term loan B facility from ING, Natixis, Deutsche Bank and Societe Generale
Ventech et al. in series-B round for The Agent
GPs invest €7m in the French e-commerce retail platform to fund international growth
Ardian raises €700m for first European real estate fund
Investors comprise pension funds, insurance companies and high-net-worth individuals
CM-CIC invests €9.5m in Index Education
OBO sees CM-CIC acquire a minority stake in the French education software publisher
BNP Paribas launches venture fund
BNP Paribas Capital Partners' vehicle targets financial services and insurance startups
DLA Piper overhauls Paris office's tax team
Paris office hires nine lawyers, including three tax-focused partners and a corporate law partner