Allocations
By George Ralph, RFA – Last year was all about the compliance; with MiFID II and GDPR, about understanding your data, knowing where it is, protecting it and how to extract what you need to report to the right authorities, within the nominated timescales.
This year may be a tough year for the alternative investment sector and for hedge funds, with Agecroft Partners, in its annual predictions post, suggested that as many as 90 per cent of all hedge funds do not justify their fees, don’t deliver good returns and could be in danger of closure in this overcrowded market.
Private equity firm Mid Europa Partners has completed the acquisition of Hortex, a consumer goods player in Poland, operating in juice and frozen food sectors.
Hortex is the largest manufacturer of branded frozen food and second largest juice producer in Poland. The Company has one of the most iconic and recognisable FMCG brands in Poland and CEE, state-of-the-art production facilities, and nationwide distribution capabilities. Mid Europa will support Hortex in executing strategic initiatives, including new product development, expansion into adjacent categories and selective add- on acquisitions.
The transaction was executed by Berke Biricik, Marek Rodak, Bartosz Malecki, and Elzbieta
Capital A Partners (CAP A), a USA and Nordic-based venture capitalist firm specialising in B2B technology, is launching a USD60 million fund focused on early stage companies hailing primarily from the Nordic Region.
The areas of focus will be sectors including Internet of Things (IoT), mobility, and human-computer interaction (“HCI”), as well as the nanotechnology, advanced materials, and security layer technologies that enable them. CAP A, already strategic partners with Ericsson Garage, the Nordic Innovation House-New York, and other parties, has recently received early commitments from California-based Universal Electronics Inc (UEI), a leader in control device and IoT technologies, and other
UK multi-site crêperie brand Crêpeaffaire has secured investment from BGF to accelerate its new site rollout. The firm, which operates 10 company owned sites and has a growing franchise in the Middle East, will use the funding to expand across the UK and internationally.
BGF, which has become a long-term, minority investor in the business, has provided over GBP2 million to support the expansion.
Set up in 2008 by chief executive Daniel Spinath, Crêpeaffaire provides an all-day offering, serving sweet and savoury crêpes, waffles, coffees and smoothies for food-to-go and sit in customers.
Starting from a single London
Aliter Capital 1, a the specialist investor focused on small to mid-size UK support services businesses, has completed an investment in Boston Networks, through the formation of a topco.
Boston Networks is an integrated technologies specialist, working across IT network infrastructure, with a focus on fire, security and smart building systems. The value of the transaction was not disclosed.
This investment establishes a third platform and is the sixth transaction that Aliter has made since launching its specialist fund dedicated to investing in the support services sector just twelve months ago, including two other platform investments and three bolt-on
Capzanine has made its first investment in Spain providing MBA, a Spanish orthopaedic prostheses and trauma products distributor, with a EUR25 million unitranche facility.
Founded in 1988 in Asturias, Spain, MBA differentiates itself from competitors through its offering of a wide range of products, a qualified and specialised sales team, and a surgeon-focused strategy.
Capzanine’s main investment fundamentals in MBA are the company’s well-established leadership position and its confidence in Alantra (majority shareholder) and in the management team of the company, led by Carlos Marina. This EUR25m unitranche facility will allow MBA to reorganise its capital structure and to
Motive Partners, an investment firm focused on technology enabled companies that power the financial services industry, has launched Motive Labs, a membership-only innovation and investment organisation that will support the firm’s mission to back and build the next generation of financial technology.
Motive Partners also announced the founding strategic partners for Motive Labs, including Allied Irish Bank, Bradesco, Emirates NBD, Mastercard & Royal Bank of Scotland. These global banking and payments leaders are joining Motive Labs to identify new innovation and investment opportunities; to solve common areas of challenge; to collaborate with financial technology start-ups on new products and services;
Middle market private equity firm MidOcean Partners (MidOcean) has made a significant investment in The Planet Group (Planet), a provider of outsourced human capital and consulting services.
MidOcean’s investment will be used to accelerate the Company’s strategic initiatives and drive continued growth. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Founded in 2009, Planet is a leading provider of specialised outsourced human capital and niche consulting primarily to the life sciences and diversified energy & engineering markets. In recent years, the Company has expanded into the healthcare and digital marketing industries. Planet focuses on providing outsourced human capital for
Europe’s digital technology sector is currently offering a number of compelling opportunities for venture capitalists, with cities such as Berlin and London fast becoming hot beds of entrepreneurial activity.
One private equity group paying close attention to this is Paris-based Idinvest Partners, which manages more than EUR8 billion and specialises in investing in European SMEs at various stages of growth. Benoist Grossmann, Managing Partner, oversees Idinvest’s Venture and Growth Capital business, which currently manages EUR2.1 billion.
Idinvest, who will be featuring on a European VC panel at the forthcoming IPEM event (https://www.ipem-market.com) in Cannes, 24th to 26th January,
Lombard Odier and the Global Fund have formed a strategic partnership to rethink traditional approaches to investment and philanthropy and make it easier for more people to contribute to the fight against some of the world’s most pressing health challenges.
Together they say they will create innovative solutions that allow investors to meet both their goals of doing well financially and doing good socially.
“Investors face two significant and simultaneous challenges: they need their capital to work hard to meet their financial goals, but they also have a part to play in shaping the kind of future we all
Events
12 November, 2026 – 8:00 am
12 November, 2026 – 5:00 pm
