BaltCap, a private equity and venture capital investor in the Baltic States, has acquired 100 per cent of Air Maintenance Estonia, an aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul company, from Scandinavian Airlines. Air Maintenance Estonia started its operations in 1995, providing maintenance services to Estonian Air aircrafts. Since 2002 the company

An overall bad year for the US venture capital industry ended on a high note as deal activity increased in the fourth quarter of 2009. Venture investors put USD6.3bn to work in 743 deals in the most recent quarter, up slightly from the USD6.1bn invested in 619 deals during the

Sofinnova Partners, a European venture capital firm, has invested EUR2.2m in Celsius X VI II, a French-Swiss firm developing mobile phones based on complex mechanics. Sofinnova’s investment is joined by AGF Private Equity’s EUR500,000 and a further EUR600,000 from business angels bringing the total funding to EUR3.3m. Jean Schmitt, managing

SSL International, the Manchester-based healthcare business, has agreed a GBP410m financing package backed by Yorkshire Bank. The new finance package will replace SSL’s existing facility and provide funds to allow it to pursue further acquisitions. Yorkshire Bank is joint arranger with Abbey National, Barclays Capital, HSBC, Lloyds TSB and The

BaltCap, a private equity and venture capital firm focused on the Baltic States, has signed an agreement with European Investment Fund for the establishment of a EUR30m venture capital fund. BaltCap Latvia is the first venture capital fund manager to successfully complete private fundraising under EIF managed Jeremie initiatives in

Carlyle Group was among the top private equity groups last year, according to a study by PitchBook, a Seattle-based research firm that focuses on the private equity industry. The Washington DC-based firm’s USD13.7bn Carlyle Partners Fund was ranked the second biggest, behind the USD14.7bn Apollo Investment Fund VII. Carlyle, with

Tanfield Foods, a manufacturer of allergen free ready meals, soups and sauces, has obtained a GBP4m investment from Inventages Venture Capital. The new money will be used to build capacity in the Consett factory unit and provide extra marketing support, particularly for Tanfield Food’s key brand “Look What We Found!”.

European Fund Administration has signed a partnership agreement with Italy’s Asset Management Services, a company specialised in fund administration services. As part of the agreement, AMS acquires 100 per cent of Servizi, in which EFA previously held a 34 per cent stake, while EFA obtains ten per cent of AMS’s

Celtic Pharmaceutical, a private equity investment firm focused on the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, has formed a partnership between Ipsen and Inspiration Biopharmaceuticals to create a haemophilia franchise. Prior to this partnership, Celtic Pharma held a direct interest in Inspiration’s lead compound, IB1001 (rFIX), a new version of recombinant Factor