WestBridge has completed its first deal of 2022, supporting the MBO of Thames Valley based, Smart Capital Technology (SCT). Funds managed by WestBridge have invested GBP17 million.   Established in 2002 and headquartered near Reading, SCT is an innovative IT services organisation, which is 100 per cent dedicated to the channel. SCT’s flagship Inventory-as-a-Service (IaaS) solution offers technology infrastructure support on a global basis through a comprehensive IT engineering capability and operational network.     The MBO was led by CEO, Andy Morgan with support from the wider management team. The deal facilitates a partial exit for the founding directors, who

Trifecta Collective has acquired the North American Trailer Dealers Association (NATDA), the only professional business association in North America that serves light and medium duty trailer dealers. NATDA is comprised of the largest national show in the trailer industry, a membership organisation, and a leading trade publication.  Trifecta Collective, is a new partnership between GreyLion, a leading private equity firm focused on investing in high-growth businesses in the lower middle market, and trade show industry professionals, Rick McConnell and Jennifer Hoff. McConnell has extensive experience building and leading industry events spanning numerous sectors and has previously held senior roles at

TPA Capital has completed its investment in Barwick Bathroom Distribution, a UK B2B distributor of premium bathroom products. Founded almost 40 years ago, TPA has acquired the business from the original founders, John and Michael Barwick.  The transaction comes on the back of significant growth in recent years, underpinned by a buoyant market for home improvements. TPA’s investment will support the business as it continues to grow through expansion into new geographies as well as increased penetration in existing markets, leveraging Barwick’s strong brand partnerships and product portfolio.

OXIO, the first telecom-as-a-service platform for brands and enterprises with a white-label, fully-customisable solution to help turn brands into telecom carriers, has raised USD40 million in Series B funding. The round was led by ParaFi Capital, with participation from Digital Currency Group, Ascend, and Leyden; as well as existing investors Multicoin Capital, Monashees, Atlantico Capital, FinTech Collective; seed investors Allan Green of Candel & Partners; and angel investors from LightShed Partners and Sea Group.  The Series B follows OXIO’s USD12 million Series A in November 2020, which together with earlier seed rounds brings total proceeds raised to USD65 million to

Nautilus Labs, an AI technology firm focused on ocean commerce with hubs in New York, Singapore, Paris, and London, has secured USD34 million in Series B funding round. Microsoft played a leading role, with M12, the company’s venture fund, and the Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund co-investing for the first time.  This round brings Nautilus’s total raised capital to over USD48 million. The company will use the investment to develop and deploy new product capabilities that support client goals to drive decarbonisation while maximising profits, attract fresh tech talent, and open and expand new offices in key shipping hubs worldwide. The

Limerston Capital portfolio company, Forensic Access Group, has completed the acquisition of bioanalysis and toxicology laboratory, Analytical Services International Limited (ASI). The acquisition strengthens the group’s breadth of expertise within the forensic and related analytical services sectors, allowing it to drive innovation and growth.   Oxfordshire-based Forensic Access Group sits as part of Limerston Capital’s AFA International platform. The group is established as a dominant player within forensic and related analytical services and specialises in the provision of cutting-edge services to the UK’s criminal justice system, covering criminal, family, and civil law.   ASI is headquartered in London and brings

KeyZell, a Spanish biotechnology company in the development phase of digital cancer treatments and tools, has opened a private financing round with a target of raising EUR5 million to boost its project. The funding will be used to finance a human clinical trial with one of its innovative cancer treatments, based on Dr Nabil Hajji’s research on cellular apoptosis induced by cell receptor blockage, as well as to improve its precision medicine Artificial Intelligence system that aims to be the future of cancer medicine, thanks to an algorithm that proposes the most appropriate personalised treatment for each patient depending on

Archeon, a specialist in CPR artificial intelligence, has completed a EUR5.5 million Series A financing round, led by three investment funds, Karot Capital, Majycc eSanté Invest and Daphni. The road was also supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF – European Social Fund for Franche-Comté and Massif du Jura), and by Bpifrance. The funding will speed up Archeon’s access to new markets including North America and allow it to expand its range of medical ventilation devices to new pre-hospital and hospital uses. In addition to the EOlife unit, the PulmonAIR device currently developed is destined to be the first

Alpha Blue Ocean’s (ABO) Global Tech Opportunities investment fund has entered into an additional financing agreement of CAD 65m with Halo Collective Inc (“Halo”) in the form of convertible debentures.

Cornerstone OnDemand, a leader in adaptive cloud-based HR software solutions and a portfolio company of Clearlake Capital, is to acquire EdCast, a learning experience platform (LXP) software provider. Terms of the transaction, which is expected to close in Q2 2022, have not been disclosed. This acquisition is the first planned transaction by Cornerstone since joining the Clearlake portfolio in late 2021.  Clearlake and Cornerstone plan to continue accelerating the company’s value through inorganic and organic growth, transformation and market consolidation.