Grant Thornton UK’s Corporate Finance team has advised on the sale of education-technology (EdTech) company Sumdog to a Scandinavian buyer, eEducation Albert (Albert), with more activity in the sector expected amid significant investor demand. Headquartered in Edinburgh, Sumdog was founded in 1994 and has become a leading global B2B player in the EdTech market, with a strong presence in the United States as well as across Europe. Sumdog’s digital platform is currently used by approximately 15 per cent of all schools in the UK and 10 per cent of all schools in the US. It is a complete digital learning

New York-based private equity firm Goode Partners has made a USD30 million minority investment in JOCKO FUEL, a provider of premium sports and lifestyle nutritional products.

Fourshore Partners (Fourshore) has acquired Buske Logistics (Buske), a provider of critical contract logistics services with expertise in the packaging, food & beverage, and automotive industries. Buske Logistics prides itself in being committed to offering its customers the kind of personal attention that results in quick answers, superior value, cutting edge technology, and the most reliable performance in the industry. The transaction was led by Jose Costa, Pedro Freyre, Nate Barbera, and Milos Milosevic at Fourshore Partners. Akerman LLP served as legal counsel to Fourshore Partners. Holland & Knight LLP and Stephens Inc served as advisors to the seller.

Cheyne Capital has agreed a EUR63.3 million funding partnership with Bain Capital Credit, LP and Stoneweg Hospitality to support the acquisition and redevelopment of the Andalucia Plaza Hotel in Marbella.

Hybrid studio and digital fitness platform BLOK has secured GBP3.75 million in a funding pre-Series A funding round led by ACF Investors, with additional investment from Elcot Capital and The Santon Group. The funding round also included investment from the UK  government’s Future Fund, Crowdcube and angel investor Rob Wirszycz, who will be joining the business as Chairman.    The funding will be used to build upon BLOK’s new hybrid model, that combines in-studio, at home and at-office programmes, all linked through a single digital platform. To facilitate this  strategic move, Blok is making a number of key additions to

BaltCap Growth Fund, together with I Asset Management, a Lithuanian private equity firm, has invested in Dr VET, which operates five veterinary clinics in Vilnius. IAM Petcare Growth Fund acquired 65 per cent of the shares of Vet Ventures, a holding company of the clinics, BaltCap Growth Fund’s stake is 35 per cent. Vet Ventures employs 60 people and plans to acquire and open additional clinics later this year.

Audax Private Equity (Audax) has completed the sale of Stonewall Kitchen (Stonewall), a provider of branded specialty food and home good products, to TA Associates. Established in 1991 and headquartered in York, Maine, Stonewall Kitchen serves its specialty food and home goods products to more than 8,500 wholesale accounts nationwide and internationally. In addition, Stonewall operates eleven retail locations throughout New England and provides its products through catalogs and an industry-leading direct-to-consumer website. Harris Williams is serving as lead financial advisor and Robert W Baird is serving as a co-advisor. Kirkland & Ellis and Fredrikson & Byron PA are serving

Encompass Corporation, a provider of automated Know Your Customer (KYC) solutions, has raised approximately USD33 million (GBP25 million) in a funding round led by Australian investment management company Perennial Partners. Financial services focused principal investing firm Serendipity Capital, Seven Seat Capital, and FinTech investment firm Microequities Asset Management also participated in the round. There were also follow-on investments from several existing shareholders, including Alan McIntyre, former Global Head of Banking Services at Accenture, and Tim Frost, ex-Chairman of IHS Markit, as well as experienced technology investor Ray Scott. Encompass’ capital raise will be used to accelerate its growth globally, which

Sentinel Capital Partners, a private equity firm that invests in promising lower mid-market companies, has recapitalised TriMech, a provider of 3D engineering design and additive manufacturing software, services, and solutions.  Terms of the deal have not been disclosed. Headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, TriMech is a provider of computer-aided design and engineering software, additive and subtractive manufacturing solutions, and associated training, consulting, implementation, and staff augmentation services to customers across a variety of industries. TriMech partners with leading software and hardware providers, including Dassault Systèmes and Stratasys, throughout the central and eastern United States and Canada, and delivers expert technical support

AYOXXA Biosystems, a specialist in the development of multiplex protein analysis assays for drug discovery and translational research, has closed a funding round led by Prosnav Capital, who will provide AYOXXA access to the Asian market with a broad regional network.  Besides Prosnav, a group of existing shareholders participated in the financing. The funds will be used to drive the global commercialisation of AYOXXA’s LUNARIS platform. The platform is designed to generate high-quality proteomics data using smallest-volume samples. It enables fully scalable quantitative validation of disease-relevant biomarkers and allows for translational research from laboratory to clinic, from mouse model to