News
UK - MMC backs PharmAssess with £500,000
MMC Ventures has invested £500,000 in PharmAssess, an independent auditor which provides audit reports to the pharmaceutical industry.
UK - August strengthens investment team
August Equity has appointed David Lonsdale to its investment team. Lonsdale joins August Equity from British Sky Broadcasting Plc, where he worked in the corporate finance division. During his time at BSkyB, he was responsible for UK transactions across...
FRANCE – Avenir Enterprises accompanies MBI of Pageard Maronneau
Avenir Enterprises completed an MBI of Pageard Maronneau with two exterior managers. The deal saw the founders’ son who privately held Pageards Maronneau exit his stake in the company while Avenir took 36% and the external managers took 64% of the shares.
UK - SPARK Ventures leads seed round for mydeco.com
SPARK Ventures has led the financing of mydeco.com in what is reported to be one of the largest internet seed rounds in Europe. SPARK is the lead and largest investor in mydeco.com, an interior design website developed by the team behind lastminute.com,...
UK - LGV sells Classic Hospitals Group to Cinven-backed Spire for £145m
LGV Capital has agreed to sell Classic Hospitals Group, the UK’s sixth largest private acute hospital operator, to Spire Healthcare (formerly BUPA Hospitals), which is controlled by funds managed by Cinven, for £145m. Classic Hospitals owns and operates...
UK - BOSIF acquires Verna Group from LGV
Bank of Scotland Integrated Finance (BOSIF) has backed the secondary management buyout of healthcare manufacturing business Verna Group Holdings Ltd from LGV. The value of the deal is undisclosed. BOSIF takes a minority stake in the newco. Bolton-based...
FRANCE – Platina Finance exits two windfarm companies
Platina Finance Limited has announced the exit of its Mistral Windfarm I fund from Mistral en Beauce and Ferme Eolienne La Remise des Bruyeres. The two companies which own windfarms and generate 36mw between them were acquired by Poweo and Dutch Infrastructure...
GERMANY – Ventizz invests EUR 48m in Ersol Thin Film GmbH
Ventizz has acquired a minority stake in German solar cell maker Ersol's thin film unit for EUR 48m. Ventizz Capital Fund III LP has bought a stake of nearly 50% in Ersol Thin Film GmbH through a cash capital increase. In addition to this, Ventizz will...
GERMANY - H.I.G Europe hires Jens Alsleben as managing director
H.I.G Europe, the European arm of H.I.G Capital, has hired Jens Alsleben as managing director of H.I.G European Capital Partners GmbH, based in Hamburg. This brings the German H.I.G. team to 9 investment professionals covering the whole spectrum of investments,...
ITALY - Morgan Stanley acquires 16% stake in Agorà Investimenti
Morgan Stanley Infrastructure and Finanziaria Internazionale have signed an agreement to acquire a 16.4% stake in Agorà Investimenti.
FRANCE - Turenne Capital leads EUR 6.2m LBO of Dedienne Santé
Turenne Capital has led the EUR 6.2m LBO of Dedienne Santé via funds under its management and Turenne Investssement, the latter investing EUR 2.95m. The deal saw Turenne purchase a majority share of the medical equipment company ahead of Banques Populaire...
GERMANY – Virgin Green Fund leads EUR 61m series-B in Odersun
Virgin Group-baked Virgin Green Fund has led a series-B financing round for Odersun AG, a company which designs and manufactures flexible solar products using a proprietary thin-film technology. Further investors included Doughty Hanson Technology Ventures,...
FRANCE - Tiempo completes EUR 1.1m first round financing
In a first round of financing Emertec Gestion and Schneder Electric Ventures have invested EUR 1.1m in Tiempo.
FRANCE – Astorg Partners appoints director
Frédéric Sebbag, a graduate of both Ecole National des Pontes et Chaussées and the Sorbonne, has been appointed director in the Astorg team.
FRANCE – Barclays Private Equity back EUR 60m buyout of Martek Power
Barclays Private Equity (BPE) has backed the management buyout of Martek Power. The deal sees BPE invest alongside the founder and management to take a 60% stake in the business. Non-executive family members exit their shares in the company at this time,...
SPAIN - N+1 closes third fund on EUR 500m
N+1 has closed its third vehicle with subscriptions worth EUR 500m after only a four month fundraising period.
NORWAY - Energy Ventures closes new fund on NOK 1.3bn
Energy Ventures has closed its third fund, Energy Ventures III, on NOK 1.34bn. ($243m). The new vehicle will invest in petroleum-related technology companies.
FINLAND - Inventure holds first close on EUR 35m for new early-stage fund
Inventure Fund KY, a venture fund focusing on early-stage technology deals, investing in the Nordic countries and primarily in Finland, has held a first close on EUR 35m.
DENMARK - Polaris acquires Tøjeksperten for DKK 900m
Polaris Private Equity has acquired Tøjeksperten, a Danish mens clothing retailer for DKK 900m.
FINLAND - Pohjola Private Equity holds second close on EUR 119m
Finnish Pohjola Private Equity has held a second close on its first fund-of-funds on EUR 119m, exceeding its target of EUR 100m.
FINLAND - EQT sells Finn-Power Oy to Prima Industries S.p.a
EQT III has sold Finn-Power Oy, a Finnish supplier of flexible and automated sheet metal working machines and manufacturing systems, for an enterprise value of EUR 170m to Prima Industries S.p.a in Italy.
BELGIUM - KBC and Defiac acquire Dark
KBC Private Equity and Defiac have acquired Dark, a Belgian lighting manufacturer.
GERMANY – Investcorp renews interest in former portfolio company Utimaco
Investcorp Technology Partners has become former portfolio company Utimaco’s anchor investor with an approximately 25% shareholding in the business. The company’s current market capitalisation of Utimaco values Investcorp Technology Partners’ stake...
SWEDEN - EQT's Securitas Direct bid approved by competition authorities
ESML Intressenter AB, jointly owned by EQT (c64%), Säkl (c8%), Melker Schörling AB (MSAB) and Investment AB Latour (c17%), has received approval from the relevant competition authorities regarding the SEK 9.6bn ($1.5bn) offer to the shareholders of...