OMERS Private Equity – the private equity arm of OMERS, one of Canada’s largest pension funds – has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Lifeways from August Equity for an undisclosed sum, backing Paul Marriner, CEO in a secondary Management buy-out. Lifeways is the UK’s market leading provider of supported living services for adults with learning disabilities. Via its national network of 33 offices, Lifeways enables service users to live more independently and take control of how their care and support is planned and delivered, giving them greater empowerment over decisions affecting their lives. Lifeways supports more than 3,400 people,

ProTip SA, a Strasbourg (France)based emerging medical device company, announces today a USD4.7million (EUR3.8m) Series C financing round. The round was led by new VC investor Seventure, along with existing investors including Fonds Lorrain des Matériaux (FLM), the Berchet familyoffice, Alsace Amorçage and other private investors. ProTip will use the funding to complete the company’s first human clinical trial of its ENTegral device, the world’s first permanent implant to replace the larynx in patients who have undergone a total laryngectomy. It will also launch wider trials with the aim of bringing the implant to market. Since inception, ProTip has raised

Silicon Valley Bank, financial partner to the technology, life science, cleantech, private equity and venture capital industries, has opened a full service commercial banking branch in London to serve both local and international businesses. The first US  bank to open a commercial banking branch in the UK in several years, Silicon Valley Bank is offering a full suite of products and services to innovation businesses in the UK, including current and deposit accounts, loans, cash management services, trade finance and foreign exchange.   Greg Becker, CEO and President of Silicon Valley Bank, says: “The opening of a Silicon Valley Bank

A new bank, Cambridge & Counties Bank, targeting established small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs), has launched in the UK.  The bank will provide SMEs with loans secured against commercial property as well as a highly competitive deposit account. In addition to this, it will also offer secured pension scheme lending, and has plans to launch professional firm financing, as well as other competitive savings accounts into both the retail and non-retail sectors. The bank has a unique structure being jointly owned by Cambridgeshire Local Government Pension Fund and Trinity Hall, a College of the University of Cambridge. They each own 50%

Funds advised by Apax Partners (Apax) and JMI Equity are to acquire Paradigm Ltd (‘Paradigm’), the largest independent software vendor focused on the growing oil and gas exploration & production (E&P) space, for approximately USD1 billion in an all-cash transaction. Paradigm is a multi-national company with a significant presence across Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, Africa, China and Australasia.
 Paradigm’s mission critical software enables engineers to optimise drilling and production decisions through the analysis of vast quantities of seismic and well-log data, spanning the entire spectrum of the E&P lifecycle from basin evaluation through to development & production.  Paradigm

The management team behind Find Invest Grow (FIG), a venture capital firm targeting the student and recent graduate market, has launched the asset management company New Model Venture Capital (NMVC).  NMVC’s first fund, the FIG Concept Seed Fund (the Fund), will provide access to FIG’s current portfolio of start-up investments as well as future deal flow.     NMVC received FSA authorisation in April 2012. It is well-advanced with capital raising for the Fund which, once closed, will provide additional funding to the start-ups supported by FIG.   Both FIG and the Fund invest in businesses founded or managed by UK

Montagu Private Equity (Montagu) has sold medical supplies manufacturer BSN medical (BSN) to EQT VI (EQT) for an enterprise value of around EUR1.8 billion. The transaction is subject to statutory regulatory clearances.   BSN, with close to EUR700 million in sales and approximately 4,000 employees, is one of the world’s leading suppliers of wound care, compression therapy, and orthopaedic products to hospitals, pharmacies and sanitary shops.   In Wound Care, the company’s diverse product portfolio includes both acute and advanced wound care products. The Compression Therapy business focuses predominantly on ready-to-wear and custom-made compression garments. In Orthopaedics, BSN offers a

A holding company owned by the Permira funds is to acquire Intelligrated (www.intelligrated.com), a North American-based provider of automated material handling solutions, services and products, in a transaction at a valuation in excess of USD500 million. Intelligrated’s management, led by founders Chris Cole and Jim McCarthy, will maintain a significant stake in the company as part of the transaction and will continue to lead the company. Intelligrated designs, manufactures and installs complete material handling automation solutions for the warehousing, distribution, consumer product manufacturing, postal and parcel markets. Solutions include conveyor systems, sortation systems, palletisers and robotics, order fulfilment systems, warehouse

Maven Capital Partners has sold its investment in Transys Projects Limited (Transys) to the German engineering concern Vossloh Kiepe, the rail transportation division of MDAX listed Vossloh AG. 

Transys is engaged in the provision of turnkey and engineering consulting solutions relating to the maintenance and enhancement of rail rolling stock. Maven client funds supported the original management buyout of the company in April 2002, since when it has significantly increased both its range of products and the depth of its engineering expertise. Over the same period the company has invested in the development of key relationships with the owners and