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Deals

LoHi Merchant Bank, a middle market investment bank, has completed the acquisition of Andrews Securities, a FINRA registered broker dealer with over 20 licensed representatives in 10 states. The acquisition now brings together the two synergistic firms under the management of LoHi Merchant Bank co-founders Bobbi Babitz and Brett Story. The business, to be renamed LoHi Securities, offers tailored compliance services for independent investment bankers, banking teams and alternative investment funds.   The acquisition will further fuel LoHi Securities’ growth across the country and allow it to attract larger investment banking teams as well as top-tier placement agents working with
NewAlpha Asset Management, via its dedicated fintech venture capital fund, has acted as the lead investor in the Wiztopic’s USD4.4 million fund raising round – its first investment in a Franco-American company. Created in Paris in 2014 by Jérôme Lascombe and Raphaël Labbé, Wiztopic is the publisher of an SaaS solution dedicated to corporate and financial communication executives. Wiztopic’s platform helps them to streamline content management, SEO, social and multichannel distribution, stakeholder relationships and performance assessment, in full compliance with their sectors’ constraints.   Alongside NewAlpha Asset Management, business angels from the financial sector also participated, namely Pierre-Antoine Dusoulier (Saxo
MMC Ventures’ MMC London Fund has secured more than GBP100 million of investment into a portfolio of 19 fast growing London businesses in the five years since its launch. The MMC London Fund focuses on early-stage London-based businesses that can generate significant levels of economic growth and create jobs in the capital. The GBP14 million technology co-investment fund – of which GBP9 million was provided by the Mayor of London – was designed to be matched by private investors ensuring at least GBP28 million would be channelled into high-growth SMEs in London.    To date the Fund has directly invested GBP12.5
One Equity Partners’ portfolio company Lutech, a Italian IT system integration and solutions provider, has completed its acquisition of Milan-based system integration and IT infrastructure provider Sinergy. Headquartered in Segrate, Milan, Sinergy focuses on data centres and providing complete solutions for the design, development and management of business-critical ICT infrastructure. Founded in 1994, the company has more than 20 years of experience and is among the leading system integration players in the Italian market. With its unique positioning concentrated entirely around data cetres, Sinergy offers vast expertise to help its customers prepare for the challenges facing modern IT systems.  
United PF Partners (United PF), the largest Planet Fitness (NYSE: PLNT) franchisee, has completed two add-on acquisitions of Planet Fitness franchisees in the Phoenix and New Orleans markets, increasing its operating club count by 11 clubs to 78 across 10 states.  In November 2016, JLM Financial Partners (JLM) and Eagle Merchant Partners (Eagle) created United PF with 59 operating clubs.   Founded in 1992 in Dover, NH, Planet Fitness, home of the Judgement Free Zone, is one of the largest and fastest growing franchisors and operators of fitness clubs with more than 1,400 clubs and over 10 million members.  Planet
Keensight Capital is to reinvest in Menix, a French leader in hip prosthesis and a major player in dental implants solutions; alongside the Company’s management team, led by Patrick Rondot, Jean-Luc Aurelle and Christophe Marrone, Five Arrows Principal Investments and Turenne Capital. Based in Lyon, Menix is a specialist in dual mobility hip prosthesis, in France and internationally. The concept of dual mobility cup, which was invented and developed by the company, reduces significantly the dislocation risk linked to hip replacement surgery. Menix has also developed a reputation as a leader in dental implants and Cranio-Maxillo-Facial surgery in France.  
Global Infrastructure Partners’ (GIP) Global Infrastructure Partners III fund – in conjunction with the Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP Investments) and a group of its other Limited Partner Co-Investors – is to acquire 100 per cent of the equity interests in the wind and solar renewable energy portfolio of Equis Funds Group (Equis Energy) for USD3.7 billion. Equis Energy is one of the largest renewable energy independent power producers in the Asia-Pacific region (APAC). The company is headquartered in Singapore and operates in several of the largest and fastest-growing renewable markets in APAC, including Japan, Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines,
Skybox Security, a specialist in cybersecurity management, has secured a USD150 million growth equity investment led by CVC Capital Partners’ Growth Fund (CVC Growth) (USD100 million), with participation from Pantheon (USD50 million). Based in Silicon Valley, Skybox has a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 46 per cent and positive cash flow (2014 ­– 2016). This round of funding will enable an accelerated investment in sales and marketing, customer care and R&D. It will also be used for potential M&A activity, to capitalise on the approximately USD10 billion market opportunity in cybersecurity management.   Skybox builds best–in–class cybersecurity management software
Homelyfe, a new type of insurance company using technology to make buying and managing insurance easier for consumers, has raised GBP2.4 million in a super seed round led by Talis Capital and Peterson Ventures. The investment follows Homelyfe’s launch earlier in October, offering the first policy – Home Buyer’s Insurance, in response to the fact that one-in-10 people looking to buy a home in the next two years will get gazumped.   Homelyfe will add multiple general insurance lines over the coming year, starting with Home Insurance in early 2018, and will ultimately allow consumers to manage all of their insurance requirements within
Middle market private equity firm Stellex Capital Management has partnered with Bruce Swift, a senior executive in the automotive industry, to create a niche manufacturing platform. With over 30 years of senior management experience within the automotive industry, Swift was most recently Chief Executive Officer of Diversified Machine, Inc., a leading vertically-integrated supplier of fully engineered chassis and powertrain components and modules for the automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers. During his tenure at Diversified Machine, the company realised six-fold growth, enabling a local Detroit company to become a global player within their industry, through organic growth and strategic global

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