STRAT7, a strategic customer insight business backed by Horizon Capital, has made its third investment in two years with the acquisition of Jigsaw Research, a strategic insight agency. STRAT7 acquired insight consultancy, Incite, in September 2021 and cultural trend specialists, Crowd DNA, in November 2020. Founded in 1998, Jigsaw delivers integrated quantitative and qualitative research services across a range of sectors, including Financial Services, Technology, Media and Telecoms, Life Sciences, Professional Services, Public Sector and Retail. It boasts a global blue-chip client list including American Express, M&S, Lloyds, BBC, ITV, Sage, Vodafone, PwC, Deloitte and Ofcom. Through its proprietary online

Sound Point Capital Management (Sound Point), a credit-focused investment manager with more than $30 billion in assets, has appointed Andrea Sayago as its new chief compliance officer and associate general counsel.

iCapital, a global fintech platform focused on access and efficiency in alternative investing for the asset and wealth management industries, is to acquire UBS Fund Advisor, UBS’s legacy proprietary US alternative investment manager and the feeder fund platform it manages.

Sango Capital (Sango), an Africa-focused investment firm, is to acquire a controlling stake in SOTIPAPIER, a paper packaging manufacturer in Tunisia from entities controlled by SPE Capital. In addition to acquiring a majority stake, Sango intends to proceed with a tender offer process in accordance with the regulations of Tunisia’s Financial Market Council. Completion of the transaction remains subject to certain conditions precedent in relation to requisite clearances and approvals from the relevant Tunisian authorities. Sango’s investment will support Sotipapier’s experienced management team in the execution of its long-term strategic plans that will further enhance the company’s capacity and product

The Riverside Company, a global private equity investor focused on the smaller end of the middle market, has acquired the backflow and gauge divisions of Heffernan Enterprises, Inc (Water Metrics) as the ninth add-on to its fire and life safety platform, Performance Systems Integration (PSI). Based in Portland, Oregon, PSI is a single source provider of fire and life safety services in the Pacific Northwest, Mountain West and Northern California regions. The company provides customers with fire and life safety services including system inspection, service and monitoring, equipment and first-aid sales and cylinder repairs as well as installations for new

Zitara, a physics and machine-learning powered battery management software company, has closed a $12 million Series A round led by Energy Impact Partners (EIP). Existing investors NextView Ventures, Collaborative Fund, and Trucks VC also participated in the round. Based in San Francisco, Zitara builds cloud and embedded software for optimising the safety, reliability, and lifetime of battery-powered assets. Zitara integrates seamlessly across a broad range of battery applications including stationary storage, micromobility, electric vehicles, consumer electronics, and satellites – for both manufacturers and operators of assets.

Blackford Capital (Blackford), a lower middle market private equity firm, has exited its investment in Quality Aluminum Products (QAP) through a sale to Gibraltar Industries, Inc. (Gibraltar), a publicly-traded manufacturer and provider of products and services for the renewable energy, residential, agtech and infrastructure markets. Acquired by Blackford Capital in January 2016, QAP manufactures aluminium and steel products including soffit, fascia, trim coil, rain carrying products and aluminium siding, and serves wholesale markets in the Midwest, Northeast and South.

Audax Private Equity (Audax) has completed the sale of WellSpring Consumer Healthcare (WellSpring) to Avista Capital Partners. Established in 1999 and headquartered in Sarasota, Florida, WellSpring is a marketer of over-the-counter brands primarily in the skin care and gastrointestinal care categories. WellSpring’s product portfolio includes long-standing brands such as Bactine, Bonine, Emetrol, Glaxal Base, FDS, Micatin, Gelusil, Barriere, and K-Lyte. The Company sells to retailers and consumers through a network of distribution partners and direct salespeople. Since being acquired by Audax in 2017, WellSpring has undergone a period of transformation and growth, including expansion of the company’s product offerings in

Alpine Investors (Alpine) has completed sale of its portfolio company, Mindful (formerly known as VHT), a specialist in callback automation, to Medallia, a customer and employee experience business. Terms of the sale have not been disclosed. Mindful is a provider of callback technology for nearly 400 of the world’s leading brands. Alpine acquired the business, then know as Virtual Hold Technology, in 2018 and appointed Matt DiMaria as president and CEO. Adopting Alpine’s People-First playbook, the Mindful team transformed the company, generated over 100% revenue growth for three consecutive years from its new SaaS offering and more than doubling overall

SPORT BUFF – a specialist in gamification and on-screen engagement – has attracted a further $2.5million of global investment in its seed round of funding, following successful pre-seed funding in February 2021. Among the fresh investors in SPORT BUFF are Sport Republic (UK), Longboard Capital (US), Calvert Drive (NZ) and Intrepid Ventures (CY), alongside personal investment from a number of individuals including Matthew Benham, owner of English Premier League club, Brentford FC. SPORT BUFF graphics fit around the original coverage and broadcaster’s layout to give viewers extra information, engagement and interaction – through posts, polls and quizzes – that enhance