News
UK - YFM further invests in BeCheeky.com
The YFM Group has further invested in online retailer BeCheeky.com as part of a second round of funding for the company.
GERMANY – Duke Forest divests O3SIS
Duke Forest Capital has sold its portfolio company O3SIS AG, a provider of carrier-grade mobile software solutions, to listed Gemalto NV for an undisclosed amount.
UK- Pantheon sells fund interests
PIP, the London-listed investment trust of Pantheon Ventures, has sold a number of its fund interests in an effort to boost the company's liquidity to meet its commitments.
UK/GERMANY - Freshfields appoints heads of ENR sector group
Freshields Bruckhaus Deringer has appointed London-based partner Laurie McFadden and Hamburg-based partner Dirk Hamann as joint heads of the firm's energy and natural resources (ENR) sector group.
EUROPE - Barclays boosts European mergers advisory business
Barclays plans to hire as many as 65 bankers for its European mergers advisory business in an attempt to become one of the top three global securities firms.
UK - Montagu in legal battle with GHD co-founder
Private equity group Montagu is reportedly in a legal battle with the co-founder of its portfolio company Good Hair Day (GHD), Martin Penny.
UK - Blackstone looks to acquire Brixton
Private equity group Blackstone is reportedly interested in acquiring Brixton, the biggest owner of warehouses in Britain.
UK - Gresham to back MBO of listed Formation Group
Private equity firm Gresham is reportedly backing the £25m management buyout of AIM-listed sports and talent-management agency Formation Group, which represents the likes of Simon Cowell, Ant and Dec and footballers including Manchester United's John...
BELGIUM - Gimv leads EUR 10m VCST investment
Gimv has lead a EUR 10m investment into auto part manufacturer VCST, alongside venture investor LRM.
GERMANY/NETHERLANDS - Advent-backed Oxea acquires ester plant from ExxonMobil
Advent International portfolio company Oxea has agreed to acquire an Amsterdam-based ester production plant from ExxonMobil.
FRANCE - Octant Partenaires strengthens team
Octant Partenaires has recruited Benjamin Brochet as an associate.
UK/SWITZERLAND/SWEDEN – KKR’s Alliance Boots circles Swedish pharmacies
KKR portfolio company Alliance Boots is reported to be interested in acquiring a portfolio of pharmacies being sold by Apoteket, which is owned by the Swedish state.
EUROPE - Perella hires partner in advisory group
US-headquarted Perella Weinberg Partners has hired Stefan Jentzsch as a partner in its advisory group. He will be based in the firms London office.
UK - Trade bodies request govt-backed VC fund-of-funds
Venture capital, biotechnology and IT trade bodies have sent a proposal to Lord Mandelson detailing the need for a new £750m government-sponsored fund-of-funds to support the declining venture capital industry.
UK - BC Partners shelves $5bn iShares bid
According to reports, BC Partners has taken its $5bn bid for Barclay's iShares off the table, following Barclays decision to sells its asset management division, Barclays Global Investors (BGI) as a whole, including iShares.
EUROPE - Max Planck Innovation and LSP launch DDC Ventures
Max Planck Innovation GmbH, the technology transfer arm of Germany's Max Planck Society, has teamed up with Life Sciences Partners ( LSP) to launch DDC Ventures, a EUR 100m venture fund.
CEE - Recovery to be protracted
The economic recovery of the Central and Eastern European region is going to be long and protracted, resembling much more a "fish hook" than a V- or U-shape, according to Tibor Almássy of PricewaterhouseCoopers, speaking today at the 3rd annual unquote"...
UK - 3i et al. invest further £5.1m into Metalysis
A consortium of existing investors, comprising 3i, Environmental Technologies Fund, Chord Capital, Seven Spires Investments and Cody Gate Ventures, has invested in excess of £5m into specialist metals and alloys producer Metalysis Ltd.
HUNGARY - Launch of EUR 100m SME fund for CEE
ELAN SBI Capital Partners, an arm of Japanese financial services business SBI, and MFB Invest, the investment banking arm of the Hungarian Development Bank, have launched SBI Europe Fund, a EUR 100m vehicle designed to invest in small- and medium-sized...
UK - Ipes makes two senior appointments
Ipes, a provider of fund administration services to the private equity industry, has hired Richard Grainger as chairman and Gavin Hayman as chief financial officer.
UK - Osmosis Capital makes senior hire
Osmosis Capital has hired Jim Totty as partner and senior investment manager.
GERMANY - Wellington Partners invests EUR 8m into Experteer
Wellington Partners, via Wellington Partners Ventures III, has invested EUR 8m into career service Experteer GmbH.
IRELAND - Roche et al. invest additional EUR 3.3m into Opsona
Roche Venture Fund and Enterprise Ireland have invested more than €3m into biotechnology company Opsona Therapeutics in an extension to the company's series-B funding round, bringing the total to in excess of €21m.
BELGIUM - Capital-E backs EUR 1.11m CMOSIS funding
Capital-E portfolio company CMOSIS has raised just over EUR 1m in a series-B financing round subscribed to by existing shareholders and management.