News
UK - Matrix realises 3.3x from full BBI exit
Matrix Private Equity Partners has realised over 3.3x its original investment of £2.3m through the sale of its shareholding in AIM-listed BBI Holdings Plc. Matrix originally invested in BBI, a healthcare business that focuses on diagnostics and diabetes,...
SPAIN - Record high for Spanish private equity in 2007
The volume and value of private equity deals in Spain reached record highs of 776 and EUR 4.2bn respectively in 2007.
FRANCE – Platina Finance exits Société Française d’Eoliennes
Platina Finance exited its 25% share in Société Française d’Eoliennes with the sale of the company to Sogernia. Lazard was appointed by Platina and other investors to organise the auction process which saw around 20 offers being placed for Société...
GERMANY - SHS appoints new senior manager
Tübingen-based SHS Gesellschaft für Beteiligungsmanagement has appointed Stephan Rapp as a new senior manager. The financial analyst with a doctorate in biochemistry has previously managed the field of business development as managing director of the...
UK - Barclays invests £5m as cornerstone investor in Catalyst
Barclays has announced its intention to invest £5m into a new social investment fund managed by Catalyst Fund Management and Research, which is targeting a final close later in 2008 in excess of £25m.
GERMANY/NETHERLANDS - Triangle Venture Capital Group leads EUR 4.1m funding for iOpener
Triangle Venture Capital Group has led a EUR 4.1m investment in iOpener. iOpener has developed a technology to map real-world competitions such as Formula 1 to an artificial world, allowing gamers to participate in the race virtually and in real time....
FRANCE – Astorg Partners exits Pizza Pino
Astorg Partners has sold its 76% share of restaurant chain Pizza Pino, valued at around EUR 32m, back to founder André Sfez and businessman Lucien Urano. The deal saw André Sfez use his veto to block an exclusive deal which had been set up between Astorg...
GERMANY/UK - Wellington closes EUR 265m fund and opens London office
Venture capital firm Wellington Partners has made two announcements that show a shift towards pan-European venture. The VC has closed a EUR 265m fund, Wellington Partners IV Technology, surpassing its target of EUR 250m in just over six months. The fund...
GERMANY - Heidelberg Innovation leads 4.6m series-c round for IonGate
Lead investor Heidelberg Innovation and KfW (Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau) have closed the third funding round for biotechnology company IonGate Biosciences GmbH which has raised a total of EUR 4.6m. Previous investments included a seed financing in...
UK - Catapult supports £500,000 FDTEK funding
Catapult Venture Managers has invested £330,000 as part of a £500,000 financing round for information technology company FDTEK Holdings Ltd.
FRANCE – Barclays Private Equity to sell Converteam
Barclays Private Equity is rumoured to have asked Lehman Brothers and Hawkpoint to find a suitor for power conversion engineers Converteam, a former subiseiry of Alstom. The deal could value Converteam at over EUR 1.5bn.
UK - The Capital Fund backs £450,000 2sms financing
The Capital Fund has invested £250,000 as part of a £450,000 financing round for mobile phone messaging services provider 2sms. The balance of the equity has been supplied by Richard Goldstein, an experienced SME investor, who has joined the 2sms board.
UK - Exponent closes second fund on £805m
Exponent Private Equity has reached the final close of its second fund, Exponent Private Equity Partners II, LP, with commitments of £805m. This fund doubles the amount raised in the first fund in 2004. Exponent will continue to focus on investing in...
SWEDEN - Sunstone leads SEK 40m round in CMC Contrast
Sunstone Capital has invested SEK 40m in CMC Contrast, a medical imaging company, together with existing investors øresund Healthcare Capital and Malmöhus Invest.
RUSSIA - Bessemer invests in Enforta
Bessemer Venture Partners has invested in Enforta, a Russian WIMAX network operator, in a $40m funding round.
DENMARK - Global Life Science Ventures et al. invest EUR 15m in Action Pharma
Action Pharma A/S, a Danish biotech company, has raised in total EUR 15m from new and existing investors.
UK - Accel Partners leads $15.5m OpenAds funding
Accel Partners has led a $15.5m series-B funding round for online advertising platform OpenAds, alongside exisiting investors Index Ventures, First Round Capital, Mangrove Capital Partners and O'Reilly AlphaTech Ventures.
AUSTRIA - The Entrepreneurs Fund invests EUR 1.35m in ProtAffin Biotechnologie
The Entrepreneurs Fund BV has invested EUR 1.35m in the second closing of a series-A funding round for biotechnology company ProtAffin Biotechnologie AG. Previously, Aescap Venture Management BV and Z-Cube Srl invested EUR 2.65m in the first series-A...
GERMANY - KfW joins other VCs in backing Protagen AG
Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) has joined existing lead investors MIG AG and Co KG Beteiligungsfonds 3 and S-Venture Capital Dortmund GmbH in raising EUR 1m in interim financing for protein research company Protagen AG. This is the third round...
UK - Barclays Ventures appoints new regional director
Barclays Ventures has continued the expansion of its Birmingham office with the appointment of Rupert Lyle as the new regional director.
SWEDEN - Venture-backed MySQL sold to Sun Microsystems for $1bn
Benchmark Capital along with Index Ventures, Scope Capital, SAP Ventures, Institutional Venture Partners, Intel Capital, Red Hat and Presidio STX are to realise their investments in MySQL AB through a $1bn sale of the company to Sun Microsystems.
NETHERLANDS - CapVest backs buyout of Drie Mollen from Gilde and AAC
CapVest Equity Patners II LP has acquired a majority stake in Drie Mollen International BV, a Dutch-based coffee company, from Gilde and AAC. Gilde and AAC, together with the management, acquired Drie Mollen in November 2002 in a management buyout.
GERMANY - EQUITA exits AKT Altmärker Kunststofftechnik
Equita Management GmbH’s Equita Fonds 2 has sold its minority stake in plastic components manufacturer AKT Altmärker Kunststofftechnik GmbH back to the founding management, which is the majority shareholder of the company. The company is headquartered...
FRANCE – Index Ventures leads EUR 7m B-round funding for Criteo
Index Ventures led existing investors AGF Private Equity and Elaia Parenters in a EUR 7m B-round of funding for Criteo, bringing the total financing the company has received to EUR 10m.