News
GERMANY - DEWB portfolio firm closes alliance with Pfizer
NOXXON Pharma AG has announced the closing of a strategic alliance with Pfizer Inc. NOXXON will, through the exploitation of their proprietary Spiegelmer® Technology, develop product candidates against disease associated Targets identified by Pfizer....
GERMANY - Commerzbank takes MLA role on Norma buyout
Commerzbank Corporates and Markets (CBCM) has announced today that it is acting as sole mandated lead arranger and underwriter of the senior and mezzanine debt facilities supporting the buyout of Norma Group by 3i. The financing documentation was signed...
FINLAND - Nexit sells Hybrid Graphics to Nvidia
Nexit Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on mobile technologies and services, has agreed to sell its share of Finland-based graphics technology provider Hybrid Graphics to US-based 3D technology company Nvidia Corporation.
AUSTRIA - Permira sells remaining AMS shares
Permira has sold its remaining shares in Austria Microsystems to Morgan Stanley for approximately EUR 180m for placement with international institutional investors. Permira had a remaining shareholding of around 34% in Austria Microsystems, an Austrian...
GERMANY - Industri Kapital acquires Sport Group from ECM
Industri Kapital has signed an agreement with funds advised by ECM to acquire Sport Group, a leading European provider of outdoor sport and recreational surface systems.
UK - Granville Baird rebrands in UK
Granville Baird Capital Partners (GBCP) has announced that it is rebranding itself Baird Capital Partners Europe in the UK.
DENMARK - Napatech receives $5m of expansion capital
Napatech has secured $5m in a round of funding led by Ferd Venture and including Northzone Ventures and DTU Innovation.
UK - Chancellor reduces VCT tax relief
In revealing his 2006 Budget earlier today, Gordon Brown announced that tax relief for VCTs would be cut from 40% to 30% in the next financial year.
FRANCE - AXA PE staff shuffle in UK and US offices
AXA Private Equity’s London office is modifying its structure to become a limited company, AXA Private Equity UK, which is set to relocate to its new premises by 1 June 2006. James Pitt, head of the UK office, is leaving the company, as well as David...
UK - Bridgepoint sells Hydrex for £106m
Hydrex Group, the specialist supplier of mobile operated equipment and associated support services for the UK rail and materials handling sector, has been sold by Bridgepoint to Quilvest and Shoaibi Group in a transaction totalling £106m.
FRANCE – Af2i promotes institutional interest in pe
Jean-Philppe Richaud of Macif and Jean-Yves Mary of Caisse Nationale des Caisses d’Epargne have co-piloted an incentive to promote institutional awareness towards private equity within the Af2i (association française des investisseurs institutionnels)....
UK - Apax and Goldman Sachs court ITV
Press reports suggest that ITV has received, and rebuffed, an approach from Apax Partners and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners to acquire a controlling stake in the business.
UK - Barclays Ventures exits Media Audits Group Ltd
Barclays Ventures has realised its investment in Media Audits Group Limited, a market leader in measuring returns on advertising investment.
SWEDEN - Nordic Capital invests in Tradimus
Tradimus has strengthened its owner base with Nordic Capital as co-owner to create a platform for international growth and further development in the European service outsourcing market.
DENMARK - KT Venture Group joins $6m investment in asetek
asetek has announced that US-based KT Venture Group, Northzone Ventures, Vaekstfonden and a group of existing investors have participated in the $6m funding round in the company.
FRANCE - Eurazeo reports EUR 700m profit after tax
Eurazeo has announced consolidated net profit after tax amounted to EUR 700.6m group share compared with EUR 24.6m in 2004 under IFRS.
GERMANY - 3i Europe takes over major automotive supplier
3i Europe has acquired a controlling stake in German industrial supplier Rasmussen GmbH / Norma Group via a management buyout. The transaction includes all shares held by the company managers.
UK - SJ Berwin private equity partner takes TDR COO role
Private equity house TDR Capital has hired SJ Berwin corporate finance partner Blair Thompson as the group’s chief operating officer (COO).
NETHERLANDS - Rabo Participaties invests in mushroom assimilator
Rabo Participaties has announced that it has taken a minority stake in mushroom assimilation company Van Soest Champi'mer (VSC).
BULGARIA - Mezzanine Management backs bottled water firm
Mezzanine Management, the independent mezzanine and private equity provider, has announced that its Central European fund, Accession Mezzanine Capital (AMC), has backed the institutional buyout of the Devin Group, the largest bottled water company in...
UK - Permira abandons HMV bid
Shares in HMV Group have fallen following the decision by Permira to pullout of talks to buy the firm. Last week HMV rejected the private equity house's 210p a share bid for the company, which valued it at £842.7m and followed an earlier bid of 190p....
SWEDEN - IK makes 3x money on Myresjöhus recap
Industri Kapital has recapped Myresjöhus, a Swedish prefabricated house builder, it bought 12 months ago giving a return of 3x its original investment.
UK - Imperial Innovations takes stake in ParOS Plc
Imperial Innovations Ltd, the technology commercialisation company of Imperial College London, has announced that Oak Prospects Plc, an investment company formerly trading on OFEX, has completed its acquisition of Imperial’s spin-out company Parametric...
UK - CVC gets green light for F1 deal
The European Commission has approved the acquisition of the Formula One Group by funds managed or advised by CVC Capital Partners Group.