News
UK - Deloitte Corporate Finance appoints new manager to Southampton team
Shaun Gomm has joined Deloitte’s Corporate Finance Advisory team in Southampton as manager. Gomm has been providing corporate finance advice on transactions for Deloitte’s London office since 2001. He is a specialist in the leisure sector and has...
SPAIN - Magnum eyes construction business
Newly-established private equity house Magnum Industrial Partners is said to be nearing the final stages of the acquisition of civil construction business Eptisa. News reports suggest that the firm, currently fundraising for its EUR 800m fund, has the...
UK - Hellman and Friedman to float Gartmore for £1.5bn
It is reported that Hellman and Friedman is to float fund management company Gartmore. The US private equity group acquired Gartmore in a £550m buyout in June 2006 from Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. According to sources, it is now seeking an IPO...
UK - Close Ventures leads £4.36m funding into Oxsensis
Close Ventures has led a £4.36m round of funding for Oxsensis, an industrial technology firm. Foursome Investments and existing investors also committed to the funding round. Oxsensis develops fibre-optic instrumentation for precision controls in harsh...
UK - LDC backs MBO of Kimberly Access
LDC has funded the management buyout of Kimberly Access Ltd, a business which rents powered access equipment. The deal represents an exit for the founder of the company. Royal Bank of Scotland provided debt to support the deal.
UK - ETF leads £13m investment in Metalysis
Environmental Technologies Fund (ETF) has led a £13m funding round for Metalysis, a technology business for the specialty metals industry. 3i, QinetiQ, Seven Spires, Chord Capital and Cambridge Capital Group also participated in the round. The investment...
UK - Bridgepoint floats Norcros valuing it at £116m
Bridgepoint has floated portfolio company Norcros on the main market of the London Stock Exchange. The 78p per share listing price represents a market capitalisation of £116m. Bridgepoint has seen returns of 2x its original investment and retains a 6%...
UK - NVM acquires Astbury Marsden in £17.5m deal
NVM Private Equity Ltd (NVM) has acquired Astbury Marsden, a specialist provider of recruitment services to the banking sector in the City of London, in a £17.5m deal. NVM invested £5.6m to facilitate the management buyout alongside debt provided by...
SPAIN - Ibersuizas receives attractive offer for Alcasa
Private equity firm Ibersuizas is said to have received an attractive offer for its stake in Aluminio Catalán SA (Alcasa) from industrial player Abengoa. Rumour has it that the auction process, led by corporate finance boutique Atlas Capital, also involves...
FRANCE - Aurel Nextstage invests in Colorado
CRM and call centre specialist Colorado Conseil & Formation has received EUR 2.5m from French venture and growth capital firm Aurel Nextstage.
UK - Montagu acquires ghd brand from LDC
Montagu Private Equity has backed the £160m management buyout of the Jemella Group, the owner of the ghd hair straightening brand. The deal represents an exit for previous backers LDC who acquired the business in July 2006 for an undisclosed sum. Montagu...
SWEDEN - Proventus invests SEK 70m to save J.Lindeberg
Proventus has agreed to invest SEK 70m in fashion company J.Lindeberg. The deal gives Proventus a 35% stake in the business which has recently experienced difficulties between founder Johan Lindeberg and the current owners. Following the new investment,...
SWITZERLAND - GlycoVaxyn receives CHF 11.5m
Sofinnova Partners and Index Ventures have provided Swiss biotech company GlycoVaxyn with CHF 11.5m of series-A funding. GlycoVaxyn is developing the next generation of conjugated vaccines (antigenic sugar/protein complexes) which target bacterial infections.
AUSTRIA - GCP appoints Christian Lutz as new venture partner
Christian Lutz has joined gamma capital partners as a venture partner. Lutz has more than 15 years of experience in the internet, media and telecommunication sectors. Prior to joining GCP, he was the general manager Europe for software company Qpass,...
FINLAND - Navicore is acquired by Wayfinder
Navicore, the provider of interactive on-board navigation products for smart phones and Nokia Internet tablets, has been sold to Wayfinder.
UK - Fox-Pitt, Kelton establishes private equity arm
Investment bank Fox-Pitt, Kelton has launched FPK Capital, its new private equity arm.
UK - Terra Firma extends deadline for EMI shareholder acceptance
Terra Firma has extended the deadline for acceptance of its £2.4bn bid for record company EMI for the second time. Shareholders now have until 19 July to approve the recommended bid. It is anticipated that Warner Music, the rival music company, may step...
UK - Providence re-enters the fray for Virgin Media
Providence Equity has expressed its interest in Virgin Media ten months on from its last play for the business. Providence was reported to be interested in bidding for the US-listed company in 2006 when it was known as NTL before its merger with Virgin...
UK - LondonTechnology Fund backs vaccines for viruses technology
London Technology Fund (LTF) has completed an investment in Immune Targeting Systems (ITS) Ltd, a company which is developing vaccines for mutating viruses. LTF is participating in a £3.5m series-A funding round for ITS alongside Novartis Venture Fund...
FRANCE - Crédit Agricole Private Equity leads EUR 10.5m investment in Valorem
Via its fund Capenergie, Crédit Agricole Private Equity (CAPE) has led a first round of funding in wind farm developer Valorem, alongside Avenir Entreprises and Grand Sud Ouest Capital (GSO).
CEE - Mid Europa Partners buys Medycyna Rodzinna from Enterprise
Mid Europa Partners has agreed to acquire up to 100% of Medycyna Rodzinna S.A. from Polish Enterprise Fund LP, the fund managed by Enterprise Investors, and several individual investors. The deal, expected to close in the second half of 2007, will be...
UK - Enterprise Ventures backs radio frequency identification business
Enterprise Ventures has completed an investment in Merseyside-based CoreRFID Ltd, a radio frequency identification business. The investment was made on behalf of the Coalfields Enterprise Fund, managed by Enterprise Ventures on behalf of the Department...
ITALY - 360° Capital Partners hires new partner
Venture firm 360° Capital Partners has hired Paolo Gesess as partner.
FRANCE - European Capital buys CEO's stake in Soflog
Market sources suggest European Capital has acquired a majority stake in industrial logistics business Soflog, currently backed by 3i, from its CEO Nicolas Nonon.