Deals
UK mid-market private equity firm LDC has backed the management buyout of construction, contracting and housebuilding software specialist Eque2.
The multi-million-pound investment will be used to accelerate the firm’s growth strategy and buy-and-build programme, along with funding the simultaneous acquisition of the Miracle Dynamics Payroll and HR Solution.
Headquartered in Manchester, Eque2 supplies business management software to more than 1,400 customers in the construction, housebuilding and contracting industries. Its software enables builders, contractors, architects, engineers and estimators to integrate the commercial and financial aspects of their business, driving efficiencies and ultimately improving profitability.
The buyout was led by
Palatine Impact has completed a significant investment into e-days, a provider of employee absentee management software.
This is the second deal from Palatine Private Equity’s Impact Fund, a GBP100 million investment vehicle targeting growth companies that also deliver a positive social and/or environmental impact. It also marks the third successful deal completion in the Midlands, following the opening of Palatine’s Birmingham office in December 2015.
Formed in 2005, e-days is an employee absence management tool designed to help customer organisations improve operational efficiency and reduce absenteeism. Provided through a software as a service (SaaS) model, the tool accurately manages,
Natural Cycles, the first app to be certified as a contraceptive in the EU, has closed a USD30 million Series B round led by EQT Ventures fund (EQT Ventures), with participation from existing investors Sunstone, E-ventures and Bonnier Growth Media.
The investment will aid clinical research, product development, recruitment from the world of medicine and science, and international expansion.
Launched in 2014 and headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, Natural Cycles helps to prevent pregnancies by empowering women with a deeper insight into their body. The app was co-founded by husband and wife Dr Raoul Scherwitzl and Dr Elina Berglund, the top
IGF, the leading commercial finance provider for SMEs, has reported a 180 per cent increase in funds out year-on-year in the first half of 2017, with a total of GBP53 million invested in businesses across the UK.
The sales volume within IGF’s clients was 87 per cent higher in H1 2017 than in the same period last year, and the average funds in use per client has increased by 120 per cent.
The increases come from sales growth and acquisition of new clients. A total of 49 new businesses were funded with invoice finance and asset based lending over
Crux Informatics has closed a USD10 million Series A financing, led by Goldman Sachs Principal Strategic Investments (PSI) and other institutional investors.
Crux helps companies reduce the effort and money spent acquiring, exploring and processing large amounts of data. The company implements and operates the data processing pipelines they create for their customers’ unique requirements. Crux says its clients can find actionable insights faster and easier.
“The emergence of unstructured data as an important input into the investment process creates a great opportunity for financial institutions, but only if actionable insights can be extrapolated from it,” says Darren Cohen, global
Capzanine, an independent European company specialised in private investment, is selling its stake in Taliance, following the latter’s reorganisation of its capital and its reacquisition by management.
Taliance creates, develops and distributes the first software solution for modelling alternative investment portfolios, combining the flexibility and the security that these specific assets require. Taliance helps GPs, LPs, pension funds, investors or investment managers to optimise the performance of their international alternative investment portfolios in sixteen countries.
Based in Paris, London and New York, Taliance employs 30 staff and generates annual sales of around EUR6 million. Taliance works principally for Generali,
Alpha Private Equity Fund 7 has signed a sale and purchase agreement with Waterland and its co- shareholders for the acquisition of 100 per cent of the share capital of IPCOM.
Founded by Waterland in 2010 and headquartered in Belgium, IPCOM is the leading European insulation solutions provider with sales of circa EUR285 million. The Group serves a large and diverse loyal customer base of installers, international contractors, wholesalers and OEMs. IPCOM delivers its products and solutions through a network of 50 outlets across the Benelux, the DACH region, Ireland and Scandinavia.
The new shareholders will continue to support
Infracapital, the infrastructure equity investment arm of M&G Investments, has acquired WightFibre and will invest a further GBP35 million to fund the expansion of the company’s infrastructure with a full-fibre, ultrafast broadband network across the Isle of Wight.
This is the first investment by Digital Infrastructure Investment Partners, a platform launched by Infracapital and Cameron Barney to invest in full-fibre broadband infrastructure in the UK, supported by funds from HM Treasury. The investment is being made jointly with Infracapital’s Greenfield strategy.
WightFibre is the first company in the country to receive investment from the government’s Digital Infrastructure Investment Fund,
Last year, Ardian, the French independent private equity firm, joined forces with Seven Mile Capital Partners to launch a North American direct buyout business focusing primarily on US industrials. The business unit, overseen by Vincent Fandozzi, Head of Ardian North America Direct Buyouts, includes the whole Seven Mile Capital Partners team, retained in full, and adds to Ardian’s buyout arsenal by focusing specifically on investment opportunities in the lower middle market.
At a time when valuations are getting toppy and capital continues to flow into the private equity space – according to Pitchbook PE firms across North America & Europe attracted
Unigestion has made an investment in cyber insurance company Ascent Underwriting, the company’s third direct private equity investment this year – and the sixth in total – from Unigestion’s Direct Opportunities 2015 (UDO 2015) fund.
Ascent is a cyber insurance and specialty focused Managing General Agent in the Lloyds of London market. Unigestion made the investment alongside Preservation Capital Partners, the financial services focused private equity firm with a broad network and extensive experience in the insurance sector. The investment, which is subject to regulatory approval, will allow Ascent to further strengthen its presence in the fast growing cyber insurance
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