News
SWEDEN - SVCA reports 17% increase in Angel investments
In the Swedish Venture Capital Association (SVCA), Angel investments increased by 17% to SEK 101m in 2006. The SEK 101m were invested in 71 different businesses, with the average invested per business angel amounting to SEK 608,000. The number of angels...
SWEDEN - Industrifonden invests SEK 9m in satellite receiver Lyngbox
Industrifonden has invested SEK 9m in LyngBox Media AB, a company that develops a new type of digital boxes intended for satellite reception of TV programmes. The Lyngbox is automatically updated by the internet with data on all the world’s different...
GERMANY - Flex Group changes hands
AXA Private Equity has acquired German manufacturer of hand-held power tools from New York based investment advisor GSO Capital Partners. The management team led by Jörg Kempfing and Dr Josef Kring also invested and will holds a minority stake in the...
UK - La Tasca at centre of bidding war
Spanish eatery chain La Tasca is at the centre of a bidding war after Tragus upped its bid in response to a competing approach from a Robert Tchenguiz and Kaupthing. Tragus, backed by Blackstone and the operator of the Cafe Rouge and Bella Italia restaurant...
ITALY - BS Private Equity sells nursing home group
BS Private Equity has sold all its shares in nursing home group Segesta alongside the company's founder and CEO. The buyer is French mental healthcare provider Korian.
GERMANY - Siemens Venture Capital exits portfolio to Cipio Partners
Cipio Partners has acquired a portfolio of venture capital investments from Siemens Venture Capital. Terms of the transaction have not been disclosed. However the portfolio includes all assets of the Siemens Venture Capital Communications Fund, which...
UK - Livingstone Guarantee launches corporate finance boutique
Livingstone Guarantee has launched a lower mid-market corporate finance boutique to support smaller deals. The new business - Succession Corporate Finance - will be headed by Livingstone partner Gordon Blair.
CEE – Innova sells Polcard
Central and East European investor Innova Capital has sold its remaining stake in Polish banking card company Polcard in a EUR 243m sale to First Data International, an e-commerce provider. Innova held a 25.24% stake in the company, strategic co-investor...
SWEDEN - Environmental Technologies Fund appoints Per Ericsson
Per Ericsson has joined the team at Environmental Technologies Fund. Prior to ETF, Per was the regional head for General Electric in the Nordic countries and Baltic states for the past 20 years. He will be based in Stockholm and will work on new investments...
NL - Iris Capital and GIMV acquire majority share in Human Inference
Iris Capital and GIMV have acquired a majority stake in Human Inference, European market leader in the field of data quality solutions.
UK - NBGI realises 4.3x on exit to Duke Street portfolio company
Duke Street Capital portfolio company Food Partners, a supplier of pre-packed sandwiches has acquired Brambles Foods, another sandwich producer in a £22m buyout from NBGI. The deal has realised a return of 4.3x the original cost of NBGI's investment...
NL - ProFibrix closes $11m Series A financing round
ProFibrix BV, a Leiden-based biotech company focused on products to stop bleeding and initiate tissue repair, has closed a Series A financing round raising $11m. The round was led by Index Ventures and backed by some of the current share holders of ProFibrix....
UK - Sovereign makes 260% IRR on Claims Management exit
Sovereign Capital has reaped a 3.3x equivalent to an IRR of 260% on its exit from CMGL Group Ltd. The specialist provider of outsourced claims and insurance management services company has been acquired by The Capita Group Plc for £32m.
SPAIN/UK - Parques Reunidos buys parks in the UK
Candover-owned Parques Reunidos has wholly acquired the Lake District Coast Aquarium, The Blackpool Zoo and The Oceanarium Bournemouth for a total of EUR 15.3m (£ 10.4m).
BELGIUM - Candover to invest in excess of EUR 50m in Ontex
Ontex has agreed to a financial restructuring which will see its private equity backer Candover inject more than EUR 50m into the business. Candover's stake is understood to rise to more than 80% following the restructuring. Merrill Lynch has reportedly...
UK - New entrant to begin battle for Boots?
Market sources suggest that German firm Celesio, a continental rival to the Alliance Boots pharmaceutical chain, has approached other buyout groups about the possibility of teaming up to launch a competing takeover bid for the listed UK retailer. Boots...
GERMANY - Essmann Group changes hands
Quadriga Capital has acquired the Essmann Group for EUR 110m from Taros Capital. Quadriga Capital will take a majority stake in the company, with management that also invested holding the balance. Taros Capital had acquired Essmann in 2000.
UK - Investment in UK enterprise hits new high
Investment in UK deals of sub-£1m has hit a new high of £63m over the 12 months to December 2006 according to research published by Venture Index. The £63m was comprised of 398 deals of which 136 were completed in the last three months of 2006. In...
UK - Bank of Scotland Integrated Finance appoints Paul Brooks as non-executive director
Bank of Scotland has appointed Paul Brooks to the management board of its Integrated Finance division as a non-executive director. Brooks will be working alongside Bank of Scotland Integrated Finance's senior management team to provide independent strategic...
SPAIN - Nazca makes 53% IRR with sale of tapas chain
Nazca Capital has sold its entire stake in tapas restaurant business Lizarrán Tapas Selectas from Nazca Capital for EUR 22m. The sale has brought an IRR of 53% and a money multiple of 2.3x on the initial investment to the private equity firm. The buyer...
DENMARK - Vækstfonden invests $ 19.27m in series B round in Egalet
Vækstfonden has invested $19.27m in Egalet, a pharmaceutical company that specialises in oral controlled released products. The investment will be used to expand and optimise its proprietary product portfolio.
FRANCE - 360 Capital Partners invests EUR 3m in Iminent
Franco-Italian venture investor 360 Capital Partners has invested EUR 3m in the first round of funding for Iminent, a developer of tools and services for online instant messaging.
GERMANY - Pace raises EUR 3m
eCapital has led a EUR 3m financing round in high-end engineering software developer Pace GmbH. IBB Beteiligungsgesellschaft and Strategic European Technologies also participated in the round.
SPAIN - Insiders speak on Nmás1 exodus
An insider at Nmás1 has told unquote” the reasons behind sudden changes at the top of the Spanish buyout house, which has just seen six members of staff leave in the last couple of weeks – in the middle of the firm’s fundraising.