Cross Atlantic Capital Partners led the Series A financing round for Sagence Group, a management consulting firm focused on providing data strategy, management and analytics services to companies in Financial Services, Insurance, Healthcare, Consumer Services and Consumer Products industries. Terms of the deal were have not been disclosed. In addition to providing working capital, the investment will enable the company to expand sales and marketing and hire additional professional services staff. “We believe that Sagence Group is unique in its ability to help its clients use their information assets in a strategic manner, due in large part to the management’s

Aureos Capital Limited (Aureos) has reached a final close of the Africa Health Fund, exceeding its target by raising USD105.4 million from a range of private sector and development finance institutional investors. The Africa Health Fund is managed by Aureos, a private equity fund management company specialising in small and medium sized businesses in emerging markets. The Africa Health Fund was established by Aureos in June 2009 with the International Finance Corporation, the African Development Bank, DEG, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as cornerstone investors. Subsequent investors include private sector investors such including a major Dutch bank, Elma

Mid Europa Partners has acquired Dr n med Teresa Fryda Laboratorium Medyczne through a jointly controlled entity, Polska Grupa Laboratoriów Medycznych. This transaction marks a further step towards the consolidation of the Polish laboratory market, which was initiated in January 2011 through the acquisition of a strategic stake in Diagnostyka (Diagnostyka), the Polish market leader. Fryda is one of the leading players in the Polish laboratory diagnostics market, offering services to hospitals, private clinics and individuals. In 2010, the Company performed circa 10 million tests in more than 30 laboratories across Poland. Paweł Padusiński, Director at Mid Europa Partners, says:

BNP Paribas Clean Energy Partners Ltd has completed the purchase of the Sleaford Straw-fired Renewable Energy Plant from ECO2 Ltd for its Clean Energy Fund. The completion of the deal marks the inclusion of the first biomass generation in the Fund and a significant step towards the completion of the diversified European portfolio. The Fund has now completed 10 deals in wind power, solar photovoltaics and now biomass and has assets in Italy, France, UK and Ireland.    Joost Bergsma (pictured), CEO of BNP Paribas Clean Energy Partners, says: “This is a hugely significant deal, not only for the Clean Energy

The European Investment Fund (EIF) has invested in Bridges Ventures Fund III, a UK-focussed sustainable growth investor, which held its first closing at GBP72m. This is EIF’s first commitment into the impact investing segment and illustrates its willingness to support European social entrepreneurship. Bridges Ventures will target ambitious businesses across four key impact themes: Underserved Areas (meaning economically deprived areas); Environment; Education & Skills and Health & Wellbeing, where underlying social or environmental problems create an imperative for change and attractive growth opportunities for entrepreneurial businesses.  Through the success of its two predecessor funds (Bridges I and II, with similar

SEI has been selected by EIG Global Energy Partners to provide an operational outsourcing solution for the firm’s alternative investment business. Given its recent spin-out from Trust Company of the West and its aggressive growth projections, EIG required a partner with a global presence as well as greater processing depth and power to accommodate the increasing number of investors and expanding quantity of data. This is the latest in a series of private equity wins for SEI as more firms adopt operational outsourcing to focus resources on core business functions.   Under the agreement, SEI will provide a full range

Blue Coat Systems, a provider of Web security and WAN optimisation solutions, has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by an investor group led by San Francisco-based private equity investment firm Thoma Bravo, LLC, in a transaction valued at approximately USD1.3 billion. The Blue Coat Board of Directors has approved the agreement and resolved to recommend that the shareholders of Blue Coat adopt this agreement. Blue Coat will continue to operate with its focus on Web security and WAN optimisation. The investor group is led by Thoma Bravo and includes the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (Teachers’) through its

Lyceum Capital has closed its 14th deal this year with the acquisition of Kent-based commercial drainage specialist Drain Control by its portfolio company UKDN. The deal is the second major transaction in as many months for UKDN which has so far invested over GBP15 million in its market consolidation strategy. Already the UK’s biggest independent provider of specialist drain maintenance and repair services, the deal further strengthens UKDN’s existing foothold in the commercial market and re-enforces its presence in the South East.   Established 20 years ago, Drain Control provides a full portfolio of drainage and plumbing services to a

DiGiCo Europe Limited (“DiGiCo”) has announced a GBP50 million management buyout funded by ISIS Equity Partners (ISIS). The deal allows Matrix Private Equity Partners (Matrix) to substantially realise its investment in DiGiCo in which it invested in 2007. Since that transaction, the business invested heavily in R&D, creating the highly acclaimed SD series of consoles, and Turnover has grown from GBP8 million in 2007 to GBP22 million in 2011.   The sale to ISIS returns over £20m to Matrix in cash and loan stock in addition to a continuing equity holding of 11%. This return equates to a 4.4x multiple of