News
ITALY/FRANCE - 360° Capital closes fund on EUR 100m+
360° Capital Partners has announced the closing of its latest vehicle on over EUR 100m.
CEE - Arca Capital sells Czech Precision Forge
Slovak Arca Capital has sold its remaining share in Czech Precision Forge, a pilsner engineering company. In April 2003, the fund invested EUR 4.7m in the company.
SWEDEN - EQT's bid for Securitas Direct extended again
The acceptance period of ESML’s, jointly owned by EQT (c64%), Säkl (c8%), Melker Schörling AB (MSAB) and Investment AB Latour (c17%), bid for Securitas Direct has been extended until 14 March 2008 at 16:00 CET.
SPAIN – Mercapital names new Chairman
Spanish private equity player Mercapital has named Javier Loizaga Jimenez as its new chairman.
GERMANY – NORD Holding acquires Teupen
NORD Holding has acquired a majority stake in Teupen Maschinenbau GmbH, a provider of mobile height access technology. The investment will be used to fund further growth of the company, which is based in Gronau and was founded in 1977. The company expects...
CEE - Series of investments in Czech Republic
Arca Capital has invested in Kasa, a Czech online store. Warburg Pincus is currently in talks to buy Atlas, the third largest Czech search engine after acquiring a majority stake in its rival Centrum, last December.
RUSSIA - ASI injects $200,000 in LogneX
Ambient Sound Investments has invested $200,000 in LogneX, a Russian software development company, bringing its stake to 30%.
SWEDEN - Nomura Phase4, TVM and Scottish Widows invest $27m in AstraZeneca spin-out
Nomura Phase4 Ventures has led a $27m round in Albiero, a Swedish biotechnology company spun-out from AstraZeneca. TVM Capital and Scottish Widows have also invested in the business.
GERMANY - Waterland sells sds business services for EUR 46m
Waterland Private Equity Investments has sold sds business services GmbH to Affiliated Computer Services (ACS) Inc for EUR 46m, with ACS also assuming liabilities to purchase sds.
ITALY - Efibanca acquires design company MGM.it
Efibanca-managed Star Bridge Social Responsible Fund has acquired an 80% stake in design company MGM.it.
GERMANY - Ripplewood interested in stricken IKB
According to press reports, US private equity house Ripplewood Holdings is interested in acquiring part or all of IKB bank, which suffered heavily from the subprime crisis. The deadline for nonbinding offers for the bank has been postponed to enable potential...
GERMANY - Novo Nordisk Biotech Fund brings total raised in Affimed to EUR 30m
Novo Nordisk Biotech Fund has committed EUR 5m to a second closing of a series-B funding round for Affimed Therapeutics AG, bringing the total raised at this stage to EUR 30m.
SPAIN - Abraxa launches two renewable energy funds
Abraxa Integrated Financial Solutions has been granted authorisation by the Spanish stock exchange regulator CNMV to launch two funds - Abraxa Capital Privado II and Abraxa Capital Privado III.
TURKEY - Investors line up to buy Tekel Cigarette
Cinven is among four consortiums that have submitted final bids for Turkish state-owned cigarette group Tekel Cigarette. According to sources, the other bidders are two Turkish groups, Dogan Holding Lima and Insaat, and British American Tobacco. The auction...
UK - Close Brothers Corporate Finance opens Manchester office
Close Brothers Corporate Finance is opening an office in Manchester and has appointed a new managing director to head the office and its North West regional operations. Richard Pulford joins Close Brothers from PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he has been...
UK - BP Marsh-backed Principal Investment Holdings sold for £42m
Private equity firm BP Marsh & Partners has realised its interest in Principal Investment Holdings. Sevenoaks-based Principal, a portfolio manager, has been acquired by Sanlam, the second largest insurer in South Africa, for ТЃ42m.
DENMARK - Sunstone and Creandum back IPtronics with $10.25m series B-funding
Sunstone Capital and Creandum have invested $10.25m in IPtroincs, a supplier of silicon for parallel optical applications, in a series B-round. The investment will be used to accelerate global sales and product development.
UK - Electra Quoted spins out to form Acuity Capital
Newly formed Acuity Capital LLP has been formed by the team behind the management of Electra Kingsway VCT 1, 2 & 3 funds. Accuity has acquired Electra Quoted Management Ltd, the asset management company specialising in smaller companies. The Managing...
UK - Shackleton takes minority stake in CIO Connect
Shackleton Ventures Ltd has acquired a 49.9% stake in IT networking organisation CIO Connect.
UK - ECI acquires bathroom manufacturer
ECI Partners has acquired specialist bathroom manufacturer DLP Ltd. Worcestershire-based DLP supplies adapted bathroom products for the elderly and disabled through the brand AKW MediCare.
FRANCE – Sofinnova Partners leads EUR 2.5m financing of Neosens
Sofinnova Partners has led Capricorn Cleantech Fund and GALIA Gestion as well as former investors ICSO Private Equity and IRDI in a EUR 2.5m financing round for Neosens.
UK - Balmoral has acquired yacht building company Oyster Marine
Balmoral Capital has acquired yacht building company Oyster Marine, one of the UKтs leading yacht builders. The value of the business, which had sales of more than ТЃ50m in its last financial year, is undisclosed. CIT Capital Finance (UK) Ltd has underwritten...
ITALY - Investindustrial gears up for Ducati P2P
It is understood that Investindustrial is preparing to delist Ducati, of which it acquired 29% stake in late 2005.
UK - Liverpool Seed Fund leads £470,000 round for ProKyma
ProKyma, a spinout from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory has received ТЃ470,000 in funding led by Merseyside Special Investment Fundтs Liverpool Seed Fund. The National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA), Rainbow Seed...