Investment banking boutique Zeus Capital has acted as nominated adviser (NOMAD), joint broker and joint bookrunner to student accommodation construction specialist Watkin Jones Plc on its GBP255 million AIM IPO, including a GBP131 million fundraise.  The directors of Watkin Jones intend to pay an annual dividend equating to a yield of 6 per cent, calculated on the placing price.   This follows a buoyant 12 months for the firm, which has advised on a number of high profile transactions including the GBP1.2 billion reverse takeover and IPO of BCA Marketplace, the GBP200 million reverse takeover of Matthew Clark Limited by

Barclays has formed a partnership with the UK Business Angels Association (UKBAA), to support its Birmingham Eagle Labs Incubator.  The partnership will see the bank and UKBAA- the trade body for angel and early stage investing- pioneer new Angel Hubs, by including local angel investors in Barclays’ new network of entrepreneurial spaces. The intention is that through the collaboration, entrepreneurs will have access to a range of experts for mentorship and guidance around topics such as funding, as well as access to physical space in which to develop their business ideas and to grow.   Richard Heggie, Head of High

William Blair, a global investment banking and asset management firm, has formed a strategic alliance with Allier Capital, an Australia-based independent financial advisory firm. As part of the strategic cooperation, William Blair and Allier Capital will offer clients in Australia access to a range of investment banking services in global markets, including public offerings in the U.S. securities markets, mergers and acquisitions, advisory services, and private placements, among others.   “After working with Allier for the last couple of years, we are delighted to formalise our relationship,” says Brent Gledhill, global head of Investment Banking at William Blair. “This partnership

QLess, an specialist in customer experience and queue management software, has secured USD2.5 million in True Growth Capital from Wellington Financial, a privately-held specialty finance firm. QLess helps companies optimise their customer experience process by providing an interactive platform for employees to manage customer service flow, equipping management with real-time reporting and analytics to boost operational efficiencies. Its cloud-based patented application eliminates physical lines by allowing customers to instead join a virtual queue by mobile phone, website, or via an on-site kiosk.  With its learning algorithms, QLess delivers more accurate wait times via text or phone message and notifies customers

Inflexion Private Equity has completed the management buyout of Global Reach Partners Ltd, a leading UK foreign exchange specialist providing payments and hedging services to businesses and private individuals. Global Reach Partners helps clients manage their foreign exchange exposure through a range of hedging strategies, which are tied to fundamental business needs. The hedging strategies are delivered through many products including spot payments, forward contracts and options in over 150 currencies.   Global Reach Partners transacts £3bn of foreign currency each year, through its team of over 85 expert traders and support staff based in London.   Inflexion will be

Future Finance Loan Corporation (Future Finance), which makes tailored loans to undergraduates and postgraduates at universities across the UK, has raised GBP119 million in growth and lending capital from leading FinTech investors QED Investors, Blackstone Strategic Opportunity Fund, Colchis Capital, Invus Opportunities, KCK, DW Partners, Fenway Summer Ventures, Ridge Road Partners, 1/0 Capital and others. £100 million of the recent funds raised is for lending capital, supplementing the company’s existing credit facility with Goldman Sachs. This new investment will enable Future Finance to make even more loans, ensuring that many more students have access to higher education in the UK,

Westbridge Capital portfolio company Energist Medical Group has bought part of Chromogenex Technologies Limited, the Llanelli-headquartered business that recently went into administration. Swansea-based Energist has acquired global rights outside the USA to the Chromogenex name and a range of well-recognised i-Lipo brands and products established by Chromogenex over the past decade.   Energist is a specialist in the medical aesthetic equipment industry, manufacturing a range of plasma, laser and light-based products used for the removal of hair and the reduction of fine lines, wrinkles, acne and veins.    Max Humber, Group CEO at Energist Medical Group, says: “Strategically, this deal

21 Concordia I, the Warsaw-based private equity fund of 21 Partners, has invested in Polish laundry services provider Hollywood SA. Founded in 1995 by Andrzej Konieczkowski, Hollywood is the largest B2B laundry chain in Poland. Operating across six laundry facilities located in Northern and Central Poland, the company provides bed linen and work-wear laundry as well as rental services to hospitals, hotels and manufacturing companies. Hollywood makes use of the most modern and environmentally friendly equipment.   Hollywood boasts a proven track record of successful acquisitions, leading the consolidation of a highly fragmented Polish laundry market and developing a nationwide

Lonsdale Capital Partners has supported a management buyout of the Global Yachting Group (GYG), which includes the two established trading brands Pinmar and Rolling Stock and is one of the world's leading providers of services to superyachts. GYG's management team is led by former yacht captains, Remy Millott (Executive Chairman), Rupert Savage (CEO), and Peter Brown (COO), who will each make a significant investment in the business alongside majority stakeholder Lonsdale.   Headquartered in Palma, Mallorca, GYG specialises in painting and maintaining superyachts, and operates across Europe and the United States. It has provided services to many of the world’s