FORWARD FEATURES CALENDAR

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Gridiron Capital has acquired a controlling interest in The Service Companies, a provider of managed services, food & beverage staffing, and specialty cleaning services for the hospitality and gaming industries. The Service Companies’ management team will remain significant investors in the company as part of the transaction and will continue in their current leadership positions. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.   Comprised of Heart of House Services, Acrobat Outsourcing, and JRS International, The Service Companies is a leading provider of outsourced service solutions for the hospitality industry, offering a full scope of services, including turn-key housekeeping, public and
Kenzie Academy, an apprenticeship program that develops modern tech workers, has closed a USD4.2 million seed stage investment, led by ReThink Education, which will enable the company to accelerate its ambitious plans to grow tech education and employment opportunities in Middle America. The announcement was made by Chok Leang Ooi, co-founder and CEO, Kenzie Academy Inc.   ReThink Education’s follow-on investment is supplemented by a follow-on investment from Learn Start, a fund affiliated with Learn Capital, as well as new investments from Gratitude Railroad, Kelly Services, and Butler University. In addition, Matt Greenfield, Managing Partner at ReThink Education, will join
SunSource Holdings, a distributor of fluid power and fluid process components and systems in the US and Canada, is to acquire The United Distribution Group (UDG), a distributor of fluid conveyance and related products and services primarily serving maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) needs across energy, mining and other industrial end markets. Terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.   UDG is one of the largest distributors of industrial components and assemblies in North America. With a national footprint often located near high-growth energy markets, UDG combines a comprehensive product offering of over 140,000 SKUs with a suite of
Belinda Thomas, Partner and Investor Relations at Triple Point, comments on the Government consultation on strengthening the USD2.2 trillion pension fund industry’s ability to consider impact investments… We welcome the Government’s commitment to promote further impact investment, which helps to address a broad range of the UK’s social and environmental issues, while also securing a market return for investors. The raft of changes and reviews being considered are extensive and should make a real difference to the amount of money channelled into the sector.   They include the Government’s review of changes to the law to strengthen pension schemes’ ability to
Ropes & Gray has advised US middle market private equity firm Genstar Capital on the acquisition of CRF Health, a provider of eCOA solutions for the life sciences industry.  The acquisition, by Bracket, a leading clinical-trial provider owned by Genstar Capital, was announced yesterday and is subject to customary closing and regulatory approvals.   The newly combined organisation will drive accelerated value for pharmaceutical companies and CRO customers, providing patient-centric solutions, combined with deep and broad therapeutic area expertise, across a strong and efficient global footprint. The deal follows Genstar Capital’s acquisition of Bracket, a leading scientifically-driven clinical trial technology
UK Fintech firm PayBreak has secured an additional GBP15 million of funding with specialist banking group Paragon as part of its growth plans. PayBreak, based in Altrincham, specialises in innovative digital point of sale finance through online retailers, allowing customers to spread the cost of payments on purchases through its afforditNOW online lending platform.   To expand its lending capacity, PayBreak has worked closely with the Structured Lending team at Paragon, which provides senior secured funding to help other UK-based, non-bank lenders grow their activities.   Using extensive experience in banking, payments, and e-commerce, PayBreak has seen extensive growth in
The Wierzbowski Eversheds Sutherland Private Equity team in Warsaw has acted on the sell side on Abris Capital Partners’ acquisition of shares in the leading fillers and cosmeceutical manufacturer ITP, well-known on the local market for soft tissues fillers for its Neauvia brand. ITP, based in Warsaw, has five subsidiaries in Italy, Germany, Poland and Switzerland. Apart from manufacturing fillers and cosmeceutical products in Italy and Switzerland, ITP also distributes medical devices to health and beauty clinics and wellness equipment to fitness centres.   The signed deal marks the significant buyout from third Abris CEE Mid Market Fund, which was
NAVEX Global, a provider of governance, risk management and compliance software, has agreed a majority recapitalisation by investment firm BC Partners. Existing investor Vista Equity Partners (Vista) initially acquired NAVEX Global in October of 2014 and will retain a minority stake in the company.   NAVEX Global was formed in 2012 from the joining of four industry leading firms, with histories tracing back to 1981, and is headquartered in Portland, Oregon, United States. Today, the company works with over 13,000 businesses globally and provides the world’s most comprehensive ethics and compliance software platform, allowing clients to address issues and respond
Having announced a first closing at EUR100 million for its fintech Fund last year, BlackFin Capital Partners’ BlackFin Tech 1 has now reached EUR180 million in capital commitments at its final closing. The intitial target for the fund was EUR150 million.   Top-tier institutional investors have joined the existing pool. Joining Bpifrance, Vaudoise Assurances Group, Groupama, Sogecap (Société Générale Insurance), Natixis Assurances and Swiss Life are further well-established European brands notably   German public bank KfW, Belgian insurer Securex, the MACIF, BNP Paribas, and a number of large large family-offices along with regional entities of banking groups Crédit Agricole, Banque
FRVR, a Malta-based HTML5 games publisher for both chat and post-app store platforms such as Facebook Messenger, has secured USD3 million in a seed investment led by Accel. Makers Fund and angel investors, including games industry luminaries Paul Heydon and David Helgason, also participated in the round.   The way consumers engage with gaming and entertainment media is rapidly changing, with users’ time at an all-time premium.   As a result, there has been a rapid rise in the post-app store games market, comprising a multitude of new game distribution channels. The likes of Facebook Messenger, WeChat and Telegram have

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