Cytomos, an Edinburgh-based life science company that has developed a proprietary new approach to analysing cells, has secured £1.6m funding to progress the development and qualification of its novel cell analysis platform, Cytomos Dielectric Spectroscopy (CDS). The fundraising round by Cytomos was led by existing investor Archangels with participation from Scottish Enterprise and Old College Capital.   Cytomos has developed its technology platform to address the unmet needs of the biopharma industry, providing a low-cost, portable and scalable alternative.   Founded in 1992, Archangels is the world’s oldest continuously operating business angel syndicate investing in early-stage Scottish life sciences and

Ara Partners (Ara), a private equity firm that specialises in industrial decarbonisation investments, has acquired Petainer Ltd (Petainer), a UK-based, global producer of sustainability-focused beverage packaging solutions. Petainer was acquired by Ara in partnership with Petainer management and affiliates of Next Wave Partners LLP.    Petainer, which is led by CEO Hugh Ross, is a technical and innovation leader in the development and manufacture of sustainable, high-performance polyethylene terephthalate (PET) packaging solutions for blue chip customers in the soft drinks, beer, water and other CPG sectors. The Company has particular strengths in refPET (multiple-use, refillable bottles), rPET (recycled PET) and

Nobilis Care, a provider of personalised at-home care for the elderly and vulnerable, has secured a £3.5 million investment from independent asset manager BOOST&Co. The funding will be used to enhance the firm’s working capital and enable expansion into new territories.   The Southampton-based company, which currently employs more than 750 people, has a growing network of 13 branches around the UK. The investment from BOOST&Co will enable Nobilis to expand these branches, catering for increased demand and ensuring that people can access high quality care across the country. Nobilis also aims to add additional branches in new geographies in

Funds advised by BC Partners Credit, an international investment firm, has acquired a minority stake in GreenPark Infrastructure, LLC. GreenPark is a new infrastructure platform founded by two Tesla and SolarCity alumni, with an initial focus on renewable energy real estate acquisition and investment. BC has also committed additional financing to support GreenPark’s growth.  Terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.

London-based private equity firm BC Partners has acquired a majority stake in French natural healthcare group Havea from 3i Group in a deal worth €1.6 billion. BC Partners transacted the deal in partnership with PSP Investments and National Pensions Services Investment Management (NPS).  The deal represent around 50% uplift for 3i on its 31 March valuation.  Havea owns brands including Aragan, Biolane and Vitavea, employs over 800 people and is headquartered in Boufféré, France. The transaction which remains subject to regulatory and antitrust approvals, is expected to close by Q4 2022.

The Private Equity business within Goldman Sachs Asset Management (Goldman Sachs) has agreed to acquire a stake chartered insurance broker Clear Group following its four-year partnership with ECI Partners, subject to regulatory approval. Clear Group is a broker focused on offering peace of mind to its clients and is driven by its values of putting customers in the hands of an expert they can rely on, someone they can build a relationship with, who cares and will do the right thing.    Since ECI’s partnership, Clear Group has increased its headcount by 175%, and now employs over 600 people across

Rotageek, a smart workforce scheduling company, has closed a £3 million funding round led by Volution, Calculus Capital, and Gresham House Ventures. The investment will enable Rotageek to scale following several years of phenomenal growth, in which the company has signed large retail clients including Caffè Nero, McColl’s, White Stuff, and Charlotte Tilbury.   Rotageek has also made traction in the healthcare sector, replacing long established rostering solutions in Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Central North West London NHS Foundation Trust.

Omi, a French SaaS software provider for modelling and rendering 3D photo and video for brands, has raised €6 million in seed funding.  The round was led by Dawn Capital, Europe’s largest B2B technology investor, with participation from a range of angel investors including Founders Future’s Marc Ménasé who led the previous round, Zenly cofounder Alexis Bonillo, Deezer founder Daniel Marhely and Voodoo cofounder Laurent Ritter. There was also participation from Pareto Holdings, Financière Saint James (Veepee.com’s cofounder family office), Motier Ventures (Galeries Lafayette family office) and Famille C Venture (Clarins family office).

Private equity firm WestBridge has invested in cloud and video over IP specialist Techex. Techex is a UK-based broadcast design architect for live cloud and IP broadcast solutions.​ The company designs, commissions and supports live video transport, processing, redundancy and monitoring solutions leveraging own IP and deep relationships with the most innovative broadcast and media companies. ​Since 1971, the Company has hunted out disruptive technologies and helped its customers gain a competitive edge. Techex’s value is underpinned by trusted partner status and long-term continuous development engagements with its strategic Tier-1+ broadcast and media customers.   The deal backs managing director,

Cleveland Containers, UK supplier of shipping containers, has secured a minority investment from leading mid-market private equity firm LDC to support the next stage of its growth journey.