Funds advised by global private equity firm Permira have agreed to acquire a majority stake in Gruppo Florence, an Italian integrated industrial platform serving the high-end luxury industry, from existing shareholders VAM Investments, Fondo Italiano d’Investimento, Italmobiliare, and Gruppo Florence’s entrepreneurs. The entrepreneurs, the management team and VAM Investments will reinvest a significant portion of their proceeds and will remain committed to the project.  Fondo Italiano d’Investimento will also retain a minority stake. Attila Kiss will continue to lead Gruppo Florence as CEO and Francesco Trapani will retain his role as Chairman. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Global private equity firm TA Associates is to make a significant growth investment in Alpha II, a provider of revenue cycle management technology solutions to healthcare providers across the US. 

Innova Capital, a private equity firm focused on investment in in Central and Eastern Europe, has acquired a majority stake in NETOPIA Group one of the longest-established payment service providers in Romania. 

GHO Capital Partners, a European specialist investor in global healthcare, and Partners Group, a global private markets firm, have made a new investment in GHO portfolio company Sterling Pharma Solutions, a global contract development and manufacturing organisation.

M/C Partners, a private equity firm focused on small and mid-size businesses in the digital infrastructure and technology services sectors, has made a significant growth investment in celito, a local communications and managed services provider based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Established in 1999, celito offers services to businesses using its fully owned fibre network.  The investment from M/C Partners will support celito’s expansion plans by providing resources and capital to grow its fibre network and service offerings in Raleigh and beyond.  Danny Bottoms, a telecommunications industry veteran, has joined celito as CEO to work alongside Sharat in scaling the business. 

Insider, a marketing platform for the delivery of individualised, cross-channel customer experiences, has secured an additional investment of up to $105 million from existing investors, Qatar Investment Authority and Esas Private Equity. 

FFL Partners, a private equity firm focused on growth investments in healthcare and tech-enabled services businesses, has exited its investment in ProService, a provider of bundled HR solutions. 

Freemarket, a fintech platform for regulated B2B cross-border payments and currency exchange, has secured a growth capital investment from Baird Capital’s Global Private Equity Fund. Financial details of the transaction have not been disclosed. The investment will be used to support Freemarket’s growth and international expansion, as well as providing a partial cash-out to existing shareholders.  Freemarket provides its customers with B2B cross-border payments through its proprietary technology platform. The company’s global banking network and technology platform enables customers to send payments and funds to over 100 countries in 140 currencies.   Baird Capital was advised by Squire Patton Boggs