Allocations
Social and Sustainable Capital (SASC) has increased its financing commitment to HCT Group, a UK-based community transport operator, by investing a further GBP2.05 million to accelerate its growth. It follows a first investment of GBP500,000 made in 2015.
Founded in 1982, HCT Group has grown to become one of the leading social enterprises in the UK, with a turnover of GBP60m. It helps tackle social isolation by providing transport and training services for marginalised people and communities, which is paid for by the revenues of commercial bus contracts.
SASC is one of the largest investors in the junior tranches of
UK private equity house Maven Capital Partners (Maven) has completed a GBP1.6 million investment in BioAscent Discovery Limited (BioAscent), an integrated drug discovery services business.
The funding will enable BioAscent to significantly expand its service offering, adding complementary chemistry and biology services and capitalise on the growing trend towards the outsourcing of drug discovery activities. The funding will support the creation of 10 new jobs, including in highly skilled scientific positions, and fund additional laboratory space.
BioAscent has recently assembled a team of expert biologists and medicinal chemists that have a track record of taking drugs from concept to
Seedrs, the operator of secondary market for private equity investments has reported impressive demand for shares in its portfolio companies since launching 12 months ago. In that time, Seedrs has achieved 2,990 investor exits in what was previously an illiquid asset class.
Until Seedrs launched its secondary market, the long-term nature of early stage private equity meant that shares tend to be illiquid and investors would have to wait for an exit event such as an IPO or a sale of the business before seeing any returns on their investment.
The latest trading cycle in June saw 601 share
Victory Park Specialty Lending Investments plc (VSL), a company that invests in opportunities within the financial services market primarily through balance sheet or marketplace lending models, has reported a record NAV return of 1.03 per cent for May.
The company’s previous best was 0.95 per cent in April.
Gross revenue return was 1.08 per cent and total net revenue return was 0.94 per cent.
VSL, whose investment manager is Victory Park Capital Investment Advisors (VPC), says the positive capital return was largely driven by a significant valuation increase in a minority equity decision, which resulted from a Series
European private equity deal-makers have put the brakes on their frenetic exit pace, with the EUR100 billion-plus generated in each of the last four years from divestments now falling to just EUR39.9 billion for the first six months of 2018, according to provisional H1 data from the CMBOR at Imperial College Business School, sponsored by Equistone Partners Europe and Investec Specialist Bank.
The sum sees the overall value of exits in Europe drop by nearly a third (30 per cent) from EUR56.9 billion in H2 2017, though it was a half of two quarters, with EUR25.8 billion completed in
A Million Ads, a London-based start-up making digital audio advertising more relevant and context-aware, has raised GBP2.3 million in seed funding. 


A Million Ads, which was founded by CEO Steve Dunlop, is a platform for producers and creatives to quickly and easily build millions of versions of an advertisement. The platform leverages information known about consumers, the brand and a campaign to influence the creative of the ad, such as the music, voice-over or sound effects. The result is highly relevant ads, which are delivered real-time, reducing noise for consumers. The ads are more context-aware, creating a more pleasant listening
AMP Capital sees good long-term opportunities in the North American power and energy markets as it looks to build a portfolio of infrastructure assets as part of its global infrastructure equity strategy.
AMP Capital’s US infrastructure equity investments include Midwest fibre optics provider Everstream, the intermodal logistics company ITS ConGlobal, Chicago’s Millennium Garages, and Capistrano Wind Partners. Power and energy is one of four core sectors within the strategy and given that the US is the world’s largest energy market, AMP Capital is in no doubt that the risk/return potential for its investors is favourable.
This is evidenced by a 50/50
WillScot Corporation (Williams Scotsman), a provider of innovative modular space and portable storage solutions across North America, is to acquire Modular Space Holdings for an enterprise value of approximately USD1.1 billion.
Williams Scotsman will indirectly acquire MS Holdings for a purchase price comprising USD1,063,750,000 of cash consideration, 6,458,500 shares of WSC Class A common stock and warrants to purchase 10,000,000 shares of WSC Class A common stock at an exercise price of USD15.50 per share, subject to customary adjustments. The transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to close in the third quarter of 2018.
ModSpace,
Private equity firm OpenGate Capital has completed the sale of one of its legacy, pre-fund investments, NorPaper Group (NorPaper), to Gemayel Freres & Chaoui Industriel Group, a Lebanon-based business specialised in recycled corrugated cardboard and packaging products.
Terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.
OpenGate Capital acquired NorPaper from Canadian paper conglomerate, Cascades, in 2011. NorPaper is a leading producer of white top testliner paper that is sold to European packaging manufacturers. Realising an opportunity to increase capacity within NorPaper, OpenGate completed an accretive, add-on acquisition in February of 2015 of DS Smith Packaging Papeterie de Nantes SAS
AnaCap Financial Partners’ (AnaCap) AnaCap Credit Opportunities III has acquired a portfolio of UK 2nd lien performing and non-performing mortgage consumer loans from Welcome Financial Services (Welcome).
This transaction represents AnaCap’s third acquisition of assets from Welcome since August 2015, totalling over GBP250 million in aggregate. AnaCap’s reputation and long track record acquiring and managing both performing and non-performing debt portfolios, often working with repeat sellers, enabled a seamless completion of this transaction.
AnaCap’s best-in-class digital platform and deeply embedded expertise in consumer finance facilitated the granular analysis of over 19,000+ accounts included in this most recent portfolio
Events
12 November, 2026 – 8:00 am
12 November, 2026 – 5:00 pm
