Grant Thornton UK LLP’s Thames Valley Corporate Finance team has completed on three transactions to US private equity-backed companies within the first quarter of 2022, as activity levels continue to remain strong after a record 2021. The first of the three deals is the sale of international development consultancy IMC Worldwide, as it joins the DT Global family, a US leader in the international development market.  The second deal saw global technology marketing agency bChannels sold to another private equity backed US-buyer The Channel Company, while deal number three saw Grant Thornton advise on the sale of the Vaccine Manufacturing

Eurazeo has completed a minority investment in Gisou, a high-growth premium haircare brand offering an authentic bee-based approach to beauty.

Afterparty, an NFT platform empowering creators with the tools and community to directly monetise and manage their fan relationships, has closed a $4 million funding round to bring total capital raised to $7 million. The strategic community round accelerates platform growth as Afterparty introduces the world’s first NFT ticketing platform for artists, providing for transparent, verifiable and artist-first ticketing. Over 25 entrepreneurs, creators, and VCs participated in the round, including Paris Hilton, Spencer Rascoff (Zillow), Jason Calacanis (The Syndicate), David Friedberg (The Production Board), Nicole Farb (Headline), Andre Iguodala (NBA player, Catalyst Fund), Rudy Cline-Thomas (Mastry, Inc), Reade Seiff (Sunset

Italian private equity firm Progressio SGR has exited its stakeholding in Save The Duck, a 100% animal-free down jacket brand and the first fashion company in Italy to obtain B-Corp certification. Two entrepreneur-managers, Reinold Geiger and André Hoffmann, respectively Chairman and CEO of the multinational corporation L’Occitane International SA, who already owned a minority interest in Save The Duck alongside Progressio and other minority shareholders, have acquired a majority interest in the business from Progressio SGR and the other minority shareholders.  Both Geiger and Hoffmann are investing in their personal capacity through certain investment vehicles controlled by them, namely Société

European private equity investor Nordic Capital is to acquire Ascot Lloyd, a UK-based, independently-owned independent financial advice (IFA) firms. The transaction will see Nordic Capital acquire Ascot Lloyd from funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management (Oaktree), alongside the interests of Ares Management Corporation (Ares), subject to regulatory approval.   Nordic Capital will partner with Ascot Lloyd’s management to support the Company’s client offering including through further developing its digital proposition, accelerating organic and inorganic growth and further increasing its focus on sustainable savings.   Oaktree has invested in the business since 2013 and acquired Ascot Lloyd in 2017.

Prometheus Group, a global provider of asset management operations and optimisation software and a portfolio company of Genstar Capital, has acquired LUCY Industrial Management Solutions (IMS), a provider of software solutions designed to optimise the execution of capital-intensive projects by ensuring safety, technical integrity, and timely certification and handover. With an office in the Netherlands, LUCY IMS’s digital platform streamlines and controls construction, mechanical completion, and commissioning processes with an easy-to-use front end accessed by commissioning managers, project managers, inspectors, and contractors in any industry.   The acquisition of LUCY IMS represents the ninth made by Prometheus Group since being

A year on from the platform’s official launch, sustainability startup Greener has successfully closed its bridge round with £113,000 of venture capital funding fro SFC Capital. Founded with the goal of making sustainability affordable and accessible for all small businesses, the B2B matchmaking platform enables SMEs in the food & drink industry to easily build tailored supply chains by connecting those seeking and providing sustainable solutions.  As the team works to put sustainability at the core of every supply chain decision in the food and drink industry, the injection will be used to fuel the growth of their platform and

Demostack, a demo experience platform built to help SaaS sales teams, has raised $34 million in its Series B financing round led by Tiger Global Management. Bessemer Venture Partners, Amiti Ventures, GTMfund, Operator Collective, and StepStone also participated in the round. Investors from prior rounds, as well as angel and entrepreneur investors who also invested in the Series B iround nclude: Leyla Seka, COO of Ironclad; Dan Adika, co-founder and CEO, WalkMe; Eilon Reshef, co-founder and CPO, Gong; Tomer London, co-founder and CPO, Gusto; Rich Liu, CRO, Everlaw; Ronni Zehavi, co-founder and CEO, Hibob; Clark Valberg, CEO, InVision; Des Traynor,

Ambienta, a European asset managers entirely focused on environmental sustainability, has acquired Bit4 Group (Bit4ID), a specialised technology provider for digital identity and digital trust headquartered in Naples (Italy). Bit4ID also has a presence in the Spanish market through the Barcelona-based Uanataca. Bit4ID joins the Namirial platform, a specialist in digital trust software and services.