IK Partners’ (IK) IK IX Fund has entered into exclusive negotiations with LGT Capital Partners (LGT) to acquire a majority stake in Batisanté, alongside management who will be reinvesting. Financial terms of the transaction have not been disclosed. Founded in 1987 and based in Neuilly-Plaisance, France, Batisanté is a leading compliance and safety services provider, primarily servicing residential buildings and professional customers. The next phase of the Company’s development will see IK working alongside management to pursue organic growth in core verticals, cement its leadership position in the Paris area and expand into other regions.

ICV Partners, an investment firm focused on lower middle market companies in business services, consumer goods & services, food & beverage, and healthcare, has made a significant investment in Beacon Global Strategies (Beacon or BGS), in partnership with its founders Michael Allen, Jeremy Bash, and Andrew Shapiro and members of the Beacon leadership team. Beacon Global Strategies is a Washington DC-based strategic advisory firm specialising in government policy, government procurement, geopolitical and risk analysis, technology policy, supply chain risks, cyber risks, and strategic communications.  Founded in 2013, Beacon serves as a trusted advisor to market leading companies across technology, government

Nexa Equity, a private equity firm focused on scaling lower middle market software and fintech businesses, has acquired Choice Inc, a global payments platform. Additionally, Choice has acquired Direct Payment Consultants, a payments provider that partners directly with merchants. Following the acquisition, Choice’s platform will process more than $3 billion in annual payments volume across 7,000+ customers in the United States and Canada. The founding teams of both Choice and Direct Payment Consultants each continue to hold a meaningful stake in the combined business.   Financial terms of the transactions have not been disclosed.

Fintech app zenda has raised $9.4 million in a seed funding round backed by Middle Eastern venture capital companies, STV, COTU, VentureSouq and US-based Global Founders Capital, according to a report by VCCircle. The capital will be used for product development and market expansion in India. Currently, Zenda operates out of Benglauru, Kochi, Delhi and Dubai. 

Unigestion, an independent, specialist asset manager, has led a significant minority investment in FreightWise, a US logistics technology business, alongside the founders, Elyan Partners and Riverside Acceleration Capital. Stillwater Capital acted as sell-side adviser to the transaction. Founded in 2015, FreightWise is a logistics technology company that delivers faster shipping times and lower shipping costs to customers around the US and Canada.  FreightWise has more than 170 customers spanning manufacturing, technology, distribution and retail industries and a growing team of 130 employees. It aims to more than triple its customer base and staff over the next five years.

Monspire, a London-based fintech helping small businesses predict cashflow needs in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, has raised a £600,000 funding round led by Fuel Ventures. The cash boost will enable Monspire, founded by serial tech entrepreneurs Simon Draper and Ben Gillen, launch to market and rapidly onboard new businesses. The entrepreneurs are aiming to make Monspire the global cashflow management platform for small businesses, empowering small business owners to grow their businesses with confidence.

Funds managed by private equity investor CapVest Partners (CapVest), have closed the acquisition of Second Nature Brands, a Michigan-based creator of premium, nutritional and better for you snacks and treats, including Kar’s Nuts, Second Nature Snacks, and Sanders Chocolates, from a private equity fund affiliated with Palladium Equity Partners, LLC. CapVest has been investing in food businesses around the world for more over 20 years and has a deep understanding of the consumer food sector. Recent successes include the transformation of Valeo Foods from an Irish-only business with less than €200 million in sales, to a leading global ambient food

Arrowpoint Advisory’s Consumer team has advised the shareholders of Plumbworld Limited, one of the UK’s leading e-commerce specialists for bathroom, kitchen, plumbing and heating products on its sale to HIG Capital’s Highbourne Group.

An investment programme that has raised more than £220 milliion for North East SMEs, creating over 1500 jobs, is looking for more businesses to apply for investment. In its first four years of operations, the North East Fund has helped 350 businesses to raise more than £200 million of funding. The £80 million provided by the North East Fund helped those companies to secure a further £140 million from other investors and funders. The North East Fund plans to invest a further £40 million in at least 150 more companies over the next two years and is calling for businesses

Employee benefits platform Juno has raised $4 million in a fun ding round led by Hoxton Ventures and joined by angels including Juno early adopters Tony Jamous, CEO of OysterHR and Christian Owens, CEO of Paddle. Other angel investors include the CEOs of Learnerbly, Captify, Jungle Creations, SuperAwesome and Heights. Founded by British-Iraqi entrepreneur Ally Fekaiki, Juno’s modern benefits marketplace empowers workers to choose experiences and services they actually want, using credits allocated by their employer.   This new injection of capital will enable Juno to fine tune the product and add additional services such as physical debit cards for