Equistone Partners Europe has made its third exit of the year with the sale of OneOcean, a supplier of voyage compliance, safety and environmental solutions, to Lloyd’s Register (LR), a global provider of maritime professional services. The deals follows the sale of FirstPort, a residential property services company, and Team ITG, a technology-led, multichannel marketing activation business. OneOcean solutions are currently used by more than 16,000 vessels to support and optimise compliance, safety and environment, increasing transparency and simplifying complex regulations and tasks to enable teams to work more transparently for efficiency and enhanced decision making.   OneOcean was created

ECI Partners, a growth-focused mid-market private equity firm, has invested in BCN Group, one of the largest and fastest-growing independent Managed Service Providers in the north of England.  The investment represents a full realisation for Beech Tree Private Equity who invested in BCN Group in 2018.    BCN Group is a Microsoft Direct Tier 1 CSP and Gold Partner with bases in Manchester, Leeds, Runcorn and Bradford. It supports over 1,000 clients to deliver and manage business-critical technology solutions to over 30,000 users, with a customer retention rate of 98% and an industry-leading client satisfaction score of 89%.   BCN

Financial news and information provider Euromoney Institutional investor has received a £1.6 billion buyout proposal from private equity firms Astorg and Epiris, according to a report by The Financial Times. The FTSE 250-listed financial publisher is said to be in talks about a “possible cash offer” of £14.61 per share – the PE duo’s fifth offer to take the company private. The previous four offers are reported to have ranged in value from £11.75 to £13.50 per share. Euromoney is reported to have said in a statement on Monday that “there can be no certainty that an offer will be

All Seas Capital Fund I (All Seas Capital), a pan-European private capital fund that provides flexible long-term financing solutions to mid-cap companies, has made a growth investment in SoMeD Santé (SoMeD), a private medical centre group in France. SoMeD provides a multidisciplinary service, including GP, radiography and dental services, from its nine sites across France. Expert clinicians benefit from best in class medical equipment and centralised administrative infrastructure.   The investment from All Seas Capital will enable SoMeD’s ambitious management team, led by Yehoram Houri and Benedicte Gautreau, to accelerate its expansion strategy. The Company plans to quadruple the number

Miss Group, an international web hosting business backed by private equity investor Perwyn, has completed its fourth acquisition this year to date – Swedish VPN provider PrivateVPN. Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Sweden, the company provides VPN services to over 75,000 customers globally. In the 12 months to March 2022, PrivateVPN reported revenues of SEK29m. PrivateVPN is the fastest growing private VPN product worldwide, enabling customers to easily connect to high security servers to provide encrypted and safe communication. It also protects its customers’ IP from third party companies.    PrivateVPN founder Martin Müller will leave the business post

Connected Energy has secured an additional £15 million in investment from five new major investors. Caterpillar Venture Capital Inc, the Hinduja Group, Mercuria, OurCrowd and Volvo Energy have joined existing investors Engie New Ventures, Macquarie, and the Low Carbon Innovation Fund 2, to back the energy storage specialist.  The investment will enable Connected Energy to scale up its operations and move into utility scale project development. Investor interest in Connected Energy is particularly high because it is one of only a handful of companies in the world to have proven that second life vehicle batteries can be used in commercial

Impact investor North Sky Capital (North Sky) has made the final investment from Clean Growth V, an impact secondaries fund. The investment was structured to provide attractive return potential with downside protection and centred on an LP interest in a 2018 fund managed by a highly experienced climatech general partner with whom North Sky has had a nearly two-decade long relationship. In the last 17 years, North Sky has invested out of two flagship private markets strategies: sustainable infrastructure (direct investments) and impact secondaries (private equity).   North Sky was also the first firm worldwide to offer an impact secondaries

SilverEdge Government Solutions (SilverEdge), a cybersecurity, software, and intelligence solutions platform serving the Defence and Intelligence communities backed by private equity investor SilverEdge, has appointed Emily Ringer as chief human capital officer. In her new role, Ringer will spearhead SilverEdge’s efforts to attain and sustain that goal as head of human resources, talent development, and communication for the platform. She will lead the company’s strategic planning and workforce development efforts to attract new talent, drive growth, and create a first-class work environment and culture where employees can thrive. Ringer has 25 years of experience working in the government contracting industry

Wheel Pros, a designer, manufacturer and distributor of proprietary branded aftermarket vehicle enhancements for light trucks, SUVs, passenger cars and ATVs/UTVs backed by Clearlake Capital Group, and in partnership with management, is to acquire Transamerican Auto Parts (“TAP” or “the Company”) from Polaris, a specialist in powersports. TAP is a vertically integrated manufacturer, distributor, retailer and installer of off-road Jeep and light truck parts and accessories. In 2021, TAP generated nearly $760 million in revenue.   The transaction is expected to close early in the third quarter, subject to customary closing conditions. Baird acted as financial advisor to Polaris in

Auxilius, a company that simplifies and streamlines clinical trial financial management for biotech companies, has raised $10 million in Series A funding. The round was led by Renegade Partners, with participation from previous investors Bain Capital Ventures and XYZ Venture Capital, as well as a number of prominent angel investors, including Andy Palmer (Koa Labs), Chase Gilbert (Built Technologies), and Sam Whitaker (Greenphire). Roseanne Wincek from Renegade Partners is joining the board.