News
UK - Foresight invests £3.75m to support Diagnos BIMBO
Foresight has supported the BIMBO of software company Diagnos Ltd with an equity investment of close to £4m.
GLOBAL - Lehman sells venture capital arm
Lehman Brothers has fully divested its US-based venture capital arm Lehman Brothers Venture Partners through a sale to the current management team, backed by HarbourVest Partners.
UK - AFM supports Greenberg acquisition
Alliance Fund Managers (AFM) has, through its MSIF Mezzanine Fund, provided a £250,000 mezzanine loan to support glass supplier GG Glass & Glazing in the acquisition of the assets of Greenberg Glass, in a deal worth £400,000.
SWEDEN - Hannes Snellman appoints dispute resolution expert
Law firm Hannes Snellman has recruited Magnus Eriksson as specialist partner in its conflict management practice in Stockholm.
SWEDEN - Uminova Invest backs Avtre
Swedish venture capital firm Uminova Invest has invested an undisclosed sum into software business Avtre AB.
GERMANY - Leonardo Venture increases stake in two portfolio companies
Leonardo Venture has increased its stakes in portfolio companies ISIS sentronics GmbH and MedicalCommunications Soft- und Hardware GmbH, for a combined value of nearly EUR 2m.
Uk - Hotbed appoints new head of business development
Investor syndicate Hotbed has appointed Steve Howard as head of business development.
FRANCE - Qualcomm provides further EUR 4m for Inside Contactless
Qualcomm Ventures has invested a further EUR 4m into semiconductor company Inside Contactless, bringing the third round of investment to a total of nearly EUR 32m.
UK - Clarus et al invest £21m into Heptares
Clarus Ventures, MVM Life Science Partners and Novartis Option Fund have invested £21m in a first round of funding for drug discovery company Heptares Therapeutics Ltd.
FRANCE - ICSO PE backs Leyio with EUR 1.5m
ICSO Private Equity and IRDI have provided Leyio with EUR 1.5m in a first round of financing.
GLOBAL - GIC and Future Fund acquire 7.7% of Apax
Apax Partners has sold nearly 8% of it its management company and future carried interest to GIC Special Investments and Future Funds, two Asian-Pacific investors.
UK - BVCA launches cleantech group
The BVCA has launched a new body called Energy, Environment and Technology Group, which will provide guidance and advice to government, investors and companies active in the cleantech and renewable energy sectors.
SPAIN - N+1 downsizes fund
It is understood that Spanish asset manager and private equity house has downsized the size of its EQMC fund by 30%.
SPAIN – N+1 Dinamia joins LPEQ
Spanish listed vehicle Dinamia, which is managed by N+1, has become the 14th member of Listed Private Equity (LPEQ), an initiative launched to increase awareness and understanding of the asset class.
GERMANY – BVK and PE firms launch company database
The German Private Equity Association (Bundesverband Deutscher Kapitalbeteiligungsgesellschaften, BVK) has together with a group of international private equity firms launched a company database providing information for scientific research on private...
SPAIN - Doughty Hanson in talks over Yoigo deal
According to reports, UK buyout house Doughty Hanson is in talks regarding an investment into Spanish mobile business Yoigo with majority owner Swedish-Finnish telephone operator TeliaSonera.
GERMANY – Kennet leads EUR 10m sprd.net investment
Kennet Partners has led a EUR 10m funding round for customisation apparel company sprd.net AG, alongside existing investor Accel Partners.
FRANCE - Pragma leads Leyton & Associés SBO
Pragma Capital has acquired a majority stake in consultancy Leyton & Associés as part of a EUR 130m secondary management buyout of the firm from iXEN Partners and Capzanine, with listed Belgian investor Gimv co-investing and taking a minority interest.
UK - Mid-market feeling the squeeze
Figures published today in the unquote" UK mid-market barometer, produced in association with LDC, reveal that investment levels in the UK mid-market saw broad declines across the board in 2008, though there were some areas that showed a degree of resilience.
UK - Graphite embarks on timber buy-and-build
Graphite Capital has acquired a majority stake in timber windows producer Performance Window Group (PWG) for an undisclosed sum.
UK - Barclays strengthens natural resource business
Barclays Capital has hired Meb Somani to join its national resource principal investment business.
EUROPE – 3i Group acquires 3i Quoted
3i Quoted Private Equity today agreed to be acquired by 3i Group in a deal that values 3i QPEP at £355.2m. The acquisition will be effected through a solvent liquidation of QPEP, allowing 3i to acquire the 55% stake in 3i QPEP it did not already own.