News
UK - Zeus reaches final close of maiden fund on £100m+
Zeus Private Equity (ZPE) has reached the final close of its maiden fund on more than ТЃ100m. Manchester-based ZPE was launched in December 2006 and held a second close in June 2007 on ТЃ65m. Most recent investors in the fund include Access Capital Partners,...
DENMARK - NorthCap injects $2.3m in Zmags
NorthCap Partners has injected $2.3m in Zmags, a Copenhagen-based online publications specialist.
UK - Apax to sell Somerfield for up to £1.8bn
It is understood that Apax is considering a ТЃ1.8bn sale of supermarket portfolio company Somerfield after receiving several direct approaches for the business. Bristol-based Somerfield operates approximately 900 stores, primarily in town centres, which...
UK - Landsbanki continues growth of leverage finance team
European corporate and investment bank Landsbanki has continued the expansion of its leverage finance team with the dual appointments of Dave Amber and John Perry as directors.
UK - Octopus backs £15m buyout of broadcast media agency
Octopus Investments has supported the ТЃ15m buyout of Bruce Dunlop & Associates (BDA). Octopus has invested ТЃ5m from its equity and mezzanine funds to take a minority stake in broadcast media agency BDA. The deal was introduced to Octopus by Baker Tilly....
SWEDEN - Segulah completes SEK 2bn recapitalisation of Dacke
Segulah has completed a SEK 2bn recapitalisation of Dacke OMC, a provider of hydraulic equipment and engineering solutions.
SWITZERLAND – HBM BioVentures to apply for a listing on the SWX
Venture capital company HBM BioVentures Ltd plans to expand its shareholder base through an IPO. The company intends to issue a limited number of new shares and list all shares on the SWX Swiss Exchange shortly. HBM BioVentures invests globally in emerging...
GERMANY – b-to-v leads investment in Carsablanca
b-to-v has led a funding round for old-timer internet platform carsablanca.de, raising an undisclosed sum for Hamburg-based Carsablanca GmbH, the company which runs the website. The company plans to boost the platform’s capacity and increase functions...
FRANCE - Colony Capital becomes majority shareholder in football club
US-Colony Capital has become the majority shareholder in football club Paris-Saint Germain (PSG) with a 61.6% stake.
SWEDEN - Provider Venture portfolio company files for bankrupcy
Provider Venture Partners-backed Musicbrigade, a Swedish digital music company, has filed for bankruptcy.
SWITZERLAND – Consortium of investors raise CHF 17m for Vivendy
BioMedInvest AG I, LSP Life Sciences Partners and TVM Capital closed a CHF 17m series-A round for Vivendy Therapeutics Ltd., a bio-pharmaceutical company located in Basel, Switzerland. Vivendy is a pharmaceutical start-up company that is developing an...
UK - ISIS recoups 2.5x from sale of Hawksmere
ISIS Equity Partners has sold Hawksmere Ltd to Kaplan Financial for an undisclosed sum. The exit will yield a money multiple of 2.5x to ISIS clients. London-based Hawksmere is a provider of legal, professional, senior management and compliance training...
ITALY – New fund Toscana Innovazione launches with EUR 50m
Sviluppo Imprese Centro Italia (SICI) has launched Toscana Innovazione, a new EUR 50m closed fund.
SPAIN - 3i to invest EUR 30m in Spanish television company
3i is set to complete a deal with Spanish television company Boomerang TV which will see it investing approximately EUR 30m in the business.
UK - Survey of SMEs finds CEOs optimistic about private equity
A survey has revealed that CEOs and MDs of companies with turnovers between ТЃ10-100m are feeling optimistic about their relationship with private equity and their expectations for growth. 71% of those questioned felt that private equity backers set realistic...
UK - McDermott, Will and Emery appoints new European corporate head
McDermott, Will and Emery has announced the appointment of Hugh Nineham as partner and head of European and London corporate.
UK - DIC consider new Liverpool FC approach
Dubai International Capital (DIC) is contemplating a new approach for Liverpool FC after it lost out to Tom Hicks and George Gillet in the bidding for the club last year.
FRANCE – CDC Innovation leads EUR 5m financing round in Aldebaran Robotics
CDC Innovation has led a EUR 5m series–A round of financing for Aldebaran Robotics’ NAO robot. I-Source Gestion also participated in the deal. The Parisiam start-up company develops 60cm tall humanoid home robot companions.
UK - Wellcome Trust invests £3.5m in Novacta Biosystems
The Wellcome Trust has provided Novacta Biosystems, an anti-infective therapeutics company, with a ТЃ3.5m award and investment. The deal sees medical research charity Wellcome take a minority stake in the business which previously received ТЃ900,000 of...
UK - Bryan Garnier makes two new hires
Investment bank Bryan Garnier has strengthened its UK corporate finance operations with two new appointments.
SPAIN - Nazca Capital backs logistics players
Nazca Capital has invested in logistics company Transportes García Villalobos (GyV) and Plataforma Frigorífica.
UK - Babcock & Brown sets sights on Forth Ports
Babcock & Brown (B&B), the Australian infrastructure fund, has bought a 20% stake in listed-ports operator Forth Ports. The Scottish-based business operates ports in Edinburgh, Dundee and London. According to some reports B&B's acquisition could be followed...
GERMANY - L-EA and SEED fund Trivid with EUR 2-5m
L-EigenkapitalAgentur and SEED have invested a total of EUR 2-5m in Trivid GmbH, a provider of online video and content solutions in a Series A round. L-EigenkapitalAgentur has acquired the bigger stake in the company, with the total of equity held by...