Allocations
Q3 2018 saw 3,894 venture capital-backed deals announced worth a total of USD69 billion, according to data released by Preqin. This brings total year-to-date deal making to USD195 billion, meaning that the first three quarters of 2018 have already surpassed 2017’s full-year record of USD189 billion in venture capital deals.
Private equity deals meanwhile saw something of a slow-down with 1,205 private equity-backed buyout deals announced in Q3, worth a combined USD93 billion. Preqin expects these figures to rise by up to 5 per cent as more information becomes available, but nonetheless the quarter seems unlikely to match the USD129
Spanish ice cube manufacturer Procubitos Europe, which is owned by GED and Grupo Hervaz, has acquired a 60 per cent stake in Italian company Polo Nord. 


Located in the province of Verona, between Milan and Venice, Polo Nord will meet the demand of the group both in Italy and its neighbouring countries, such as Switzerland or Austria, with the ice produced in its factory. The company is currently capable of producing 25 tons/day of Vogt ice and has the most advanced technology in the ice manufacturing market. As part of an ambitious development strategy, the group also has important investment
Blackstone has agreed to acquire Clarus, a global life sciences investment firm that has raised USD2.6 billion since its founding.
Clarus, with offices in the life sciences hubs of Boston and San Francisco, is focused on funding growth-stage investments, often in partnership with major biopharmaceutical companies through R&D collaborations. These investments bring to market promising new medicines that improve patients’ lives.
Clarus is led by a team of seasoned experts who have invested in more than 50 companies in the biopharmaceutical, medical device and diagnostic sectors – as well as across multiple disease areas, primarily in the oncology space.
Greencoat UK Wind (UKW) is to acquire Belltown Power’s 75 per cent stake in Tom nan Clach wind farm for a headline consideration of GBP126 million, including a share of project finance debt.
Tom nan Clach is located in Nairnshire, Scotland, and is currently in the final stages of construction. The transaction is scheduled to complete in July 2019, 30 days after the commencement of commercial operations.
Tom nan Clach was originally developed by Infinergy and is being constructed by Belltown Power. The project will benefit from a 15 year Contract for Difference (CFD) of GBP91.14 (2018 real, CPI
MidOcean Partners, a premier middle market private equity firm focused on the business services and consumer sectors, has held the final close of its latest fund, MidOcean Partners V.
Fund V was oversubscribed and closed at its hard cap with USD1.2 billion of limited partner commitments, exceeding its USD1.0 billion target.
Consistent with MidOcean’s prior funds, Fund V is targeting investments in attractive middle market companies in the consumer and business services sectors. A core tenet of MidOcean’s investment strategy has been to leverage the talent and operating expertise of its Executive Board, which is comprised of senior executives
Corin, backed by the Permira Funds, is to acquire Global Orthopaedic Technology (GOT) an Australian-based orthopaedic implant designer and manufacturer.
The acquisition will strengthen Corin’s position as a global leader in the hip and knee joint replacement market, and is a testament to Corin’s accelerated global expansion and focus on innovation. Corin’s R&D Hub in Australia is a key pillar of its global innovation capabilities and differentiated product offering. The combination with GOT provides significant scale to Corin’s operations in Australia – one of the world’s most attractive orthopaedics markets, as well as additional R&D expertise.
Global Orthopaedics Technology,
Souter Investments has sold OnniBus.com, a Finnish intercity bus operator, to Koiviston Auto.
OnniBus.com was founded by Finnish entrepreneurs Lauri Helke, Petteri Rantala and Pekka Motto in 2012 and quickly became a disruptive influence on the Finnish intercity transport market.
Following growth capital investment from Souter Investments in 2014, OnniBus.com re-launched, offering a fast and reliable Finnish intercity coach network. The company pioneered the use of dynamic, yield managed pricing and built an online distribution and sales model via its website www.onnibus.com. Today OnniBus.com serves more than 300,000 passengers every month, and operates a national network connecting customers in
Locum’s Nest, an app that connects doctors to locum work in hospitals, has raised GBP3 million in further funding from Albion Capital Group, an independent investment manager, and IDO Investments.
Locum’s Nest, an app that connects doctors to locum work in hospitals, has raised GBP3 million in further funding from IDO Investments and Albion Capital Group, an independent investment manager.
The new funding takes the total investment in Locum’s Nest to GBP4.2 million.
Locum’s Nest is the mobile-first platform connecting doctors to temporary work in healthcare organisations, whilst helping hospital staff managers cut out the inefficient and expensive
Electra Private Equity is to seek shareholder approval for a possible sale of its UK restaurant chain TGI Fridays. The move is part of a wider strategic review of the private equity firm’s business which could see its whole portfolio liquidated.
Electra has already disposed of its non-controlling stakes in PhotoBox and Knight Square and is now recommending shareholders back sales of both TGI Fridays and footwear chain Hotter Shoes.
Neil Johnson, Chairman of Electra Private Equity PLC, says: “The Board is pleased to announce agreement for the successful realisation of its larger non-controlled assets.
“Having carefully considered
City law firm Wedlake Bell has advised Global Risk Partners Group (GRP) on its acquisition of U-Sure Insurance Services Ltd (U-Sure), a firm specialising in property insurance.
The acquisition further strengthens GRP’s expanding Underwriting division. The deal has received regulatory approval and the deal value is undisclosed.
GRP is a specialist group with a focus on investing in brokers, managing general agents (MGAs) and teams trading in the UK retail and global, specialty insurance and reinsurance markets. The company’s Gross Written Premium (GWP) currently stands in excess of GBP700 million. This transaction marks GRP’s 34th acquisition since the Group’s
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