News
Brockhaus Private Equity annouces Q1 hat trick
Brockhaus Private Equity has announced the completion of three successful transactions between December 2005 and January 2006. The financial investor has exited its stake in ebs-Holding GmbH, following the flotation of getmobile in August 2005. On the...
Vienna-based Nabriva receives EUR 42m in early-stage funding
A syndicate of investors led by Nomura, including Global Life Science Ventures, HBM Bioventures, Novartis Bioventures and Wellcome has provided EUR 42m in financing to antibiotic research concern Nabriva GmbH. GLSV committed EUR 6m in the series A financing...
Mega-deals boost technology M&A, says PwC report
The battle for top line growth and new customers drove the global value of technology mergers and acquisitions (M&A) up by almost 90% in 2005, with the top three deals accounting for over EUR 25bn alone. Despite an increase in deal numbers of just 2%...
Matrix backs buyout of Vectair Systems
Vectair Systems Ltd, a leading provider of air care and sanitary washroom products, has been sold by private investors, including its co-founder to its management team in a £3.5m management buyout. Matrix Private Equity Partners invested £1.1m with...
Pi Capital tips healthcare, media and leisure for 2006
Pi Capital, the independent private equity house, expects a significant upturn in UK private equity activity in 2006, with healthcare, media and leisure tipped as the hottest sectors. This is the view of Pi’s around 250 members, representing the UK’s...
Bank of Ireland hires two for acquisition finance team
Bank of Ireland Corporate Banking has appointed two bankers to join its expanding UK acquisition finance team as it predicts an increase in activity within the UK leveraged finance sector this year.
3i invests in fashion retailer Défimode
3i has announced that it is investing approximately EUR 20m in the French retail chain Défimode. The directors Bernard Montel, Dominique Montel and Bernard Vaissade are retaining the majority of the capital. Boosted by these increased financial resources,...
Tile maker IPO for Permira
Marazzi, the Italian tile maker, is expected to IPO in February with a market value of up to EUR 1.25bn. The company is owned by the Marazzi family and Permira, which holds a 33% interest in the firm. The family is expected to hold around 50% of the company’s...
Red-M secures £5.4m further funding
Close Venture Management (CVM) has invested £750,000 in Red-M Group, a leading provider of services and products for managed wireless infrastructures. The investment was part of a £5.4m funding round, led by Pi Capital and including in addition to Close,...
CVM supports RFI with £2m funding round
Close Venture Management has invested £2m in RFI Global Services Ltd. Close is the sole investor in RFI, which provides third party testing of sophisticated electronic and wireless devices and sub systems. The investment was made across a number of Close’s...
Baird heads for A&O
Derek Baird has resigned from Lovells to join Allen & Overy. He originally joined Lovells from Dickson Minto in 2002.
Digital Healthcare appoints non-executive director
Digital Healthcare (DH), a leading supplier of software for diabetic retinal screening programmes and ophthalmology, has appointed Mike O’Leary as a non executive director with immediate effect.
Access to top PE funds a major issue, says Mercer
Tempted by private equity’s strong recent performance, many institutional investors are enthusiastically committing new money to alternative investments in 2006. However, with substantial new inflows of institutional money chasing the limited capacity...
LPs agree to tell all at London conference…
Institutional investors and GPs from across Europe have signed up for the second annual London LP Congress organised by Incisive Media and Unquote”, which takes place this Thursday and Friday.
EQT sells Findus to Capvest portfolio firm
EQT II has signed an agreement with FoodVest, a holding company controlled by private equity firm CapVest Equity Partners, to sell Findus AB. EQT acquired Findus from Nestlé SA in January 2000 and since then has substantially restructured and reshaped...
European tech M&A soars, says research
The number of acquisitions during 2005 within the European technology sector has outstripped the previous high of 2004 and recorded a staggering 103% increase in deal value, according to the latest findings from Regent Associates' 'European Technology...
Capital Fund invests in TXT4
A company that provides automated mobile response systems for advertising and recruitment campaigns has raised £250,000 from The Capital Fund, a £50m venture capital fund that invests in fast-growth companies in Greater London. TXT4 was advised by GP...
Terra Firma in $2.5bn aircraft leasing buyout
Terra Firma, the private equity group, has announced the acquisition of AWAS Aviation Holdings LLC (AWAS) for $2.5bn from Morgan Stanley. The acquisition is being funded by a mixture of equity and debt underwritten by JP Morgan, which also acted as financial...
STAR Capital in German double
STAR Capital Partners, the European investment fund focused on investing in capital intensive businesses, has announced the completion on 30th December 2005 of two new deals in Germany: Abellio GmbH and GSES GmbH. The combined equity investment (including...
Initiative & Finance and Carvest acquire M&A Santé Beauté
Initiative & Finance has recently released details of the buyout of M&A Santé Beauté alongside the firm's management led by Bernard and Philippe Chevilliat. The investor provided a total of EUR 2.2m; Carvest also made an undisclosed equity investment.
HMV shares up on possible buyout rumours
According to a report in The Sunday Times, music and book retailer HMV is being lined up for an approach from a private equity firm. The speculation centres on plans by Permira to acquire the company for around £800m.
3i sells Witwood Food stake to management
3i has sold its minority shareholding in Witwood Food Products, a manufacturer of specialist food coatings for the frozen and chilled food industry.
Kennet invests $8m in Adviva Media
Kennet Venture Partners has invested $8m in Adviva Media, the UK-based online advertising network for brand advertisers.
Granville Baird leads Paddock MBO
Granville Baird Capital Partners, the international mid-market private equity firm, has today invested £8.9m in Paddock Holdings Ltd, the UK market leader in the design and manufacture of high quality, multi point door locks. The funding from Granville...