Allocations
Funds advised by Magenta Partners, the entrepreneurial growth investor, have sold their stake in iprism Underwriting Agency Limited to Bowmark Capital.
iprism is an insurance intermediary that sells policies to brokers and direct customers on behalf of groups such as AXA, Aviva and LV. Its online platform generates quotes and policy documentation in real time, maximising the speed and efficiency of price testing and purchase.
Magenta acquired a minority stake in iprism in November 2010.
Chase Emson, partner of Magenta Partners, says: “iprism is a great example of a business that has shown consistently strong growth despite challenging
Naylor, a portfolio company of RLJ Equity Partners, has acquired Boxwood Technology, a provider of online career centres and career-related services to more than 1,000 major associations throughout the US.
Founded in 1998 by current chairman and CEO John Bell, Boxwood's technology platform includes career centres, career development, online learning, online and in-person career fairs, mentoring, resume writing, and a newly introduced executive recruitment concierge.
To date, Boxwood has helped associations generate over USD400 million in non-dues revenue and is the only career centre solutions provider to earn an endorsement by the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), consecutively since 2002.
Therapeutic companion software specialist Voluntis has closed a Series D financing co-led by Bpifrance and Innovation Capital, plus Vesalius Biocapital, Qualcomm and existing investors.
With a total of EUR20.75 million (USD29 million), this fund raising is one of the largest rounds of investment in the m-health sector this year.
Voluntis existing Series C investors, CapDecisif Management, CM-CIC Capital Innovation and Sham, also participated in the round.
Voluntis embeds connectivity in therapeutics and medical intelligence in software. Dedicated to managing chronic conditions, Voluntis' digital solutions aim to enable treatment personalisation, support care coordination, and improve real-life outcomes.
Voluntis
Private equity firm Arle Capital is to acquire the Innovia Group from the Candover 2001 Fund, which Arle has managed since 2009, for an enterprise value of EUR498 million.
Innovia, headquartered in Wigton, Cumbria, is an international manufacturer of speciality films for its key markets of labels, overwrap, packaging and polymer banknote substrate. In early 2014, Innovia Security procured the Bank of England contract to supply substrate for the new polymer GBP5 and GBP10 notes.
Arle has raised fresh capital to fund the transaction from a syndicate of global investors. For the Candover 2001 Fund investors, it represents a
GITP Ventures, an international private equity firm led by serial entrepreneur and investor Michael Puscar, has invested in MYTIC SAS.
MYTIC's software product, Finaxion, reduces the barrier to obtaining a loan by connecting consumers with multiple lenders quickly and easily.
"The existing paradigm fails the consumer," says Adrien Battistolo, co-founder of MYTIC. "Our technology connects those consumers directly with banks to facilitate more loans for both."
In Colombia, where MYTIC is headquartered, inflation has remained near historic lows while interest rates for loans remain extraordinarily high. The official Colombian inflation rate in February 2014 was 2.32 per cent,
PAI Partners, a European private equity firm headquartered in Paris, has made a binding offer to purchase Euro Media Group (EMG), a provider of audiovisual facilities and services.
EMG’s founders and original shareholders, including Sofinim (Ackermans & van Haaren group) and Banijay Holding, will reinvest alongside PAI Partners in the proposed transaction, together with the senior management team.
Created in 1983 as Euro Television by Chantal Barry, Jean-Pierre Barry and Luc Geoffroy, EMG offers a large range of services to broadcasters and producers for the production and delivery of audiovisual content: studios; outside broadcasting trucks; media centres; and specialised
Actis, the pan-emerging markets investor, has established Credit Services Holdings (CSH), a buy-and-build credit services business.
CSH’s first investment will be acquiring 100 per cent of Compuscan, the largest independent credit bureau in Africa.
Actis will be investing in CSH alongside the Compuscan management team, who will continue to manage the Compuscan business. Actis plans to invest USD100m into the platform.
To assist in the build-out of the platform, Michael Jordaan, formerly CEO of South Africa’s First National Bank and a leading figure in the African financial services industry, has been appointed as chairman of CSH.
Founded
Akasakatei, a China-based teppanyaki, BBQ and Japanese-cuisine restaurant, has completed a round of financing, raising USD10 million led by ClearVue Partners, a private equity fund targeting fast growing consumer companies in the Greater China region.
With growing traction in Shanghai and Beijing, Akasakatei — known for its best-in-class beef — is the go-to teppanyaki, BBQ and Japanese-cuisine restaurant for China’s upwardly mobile consumers.
Akasakatei will use the financing round to accelerate the company's growth in Shanghai, Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Beijing.
Akasakatei expects to add 15 to 20 locations in 2014, with the overall aim of opening a total of
Private investment company Ardian’s latest cycle of fundraising has attracted USD10 billion from investors worldwide.
The USD10 billion is composed of USD9 billion from Ardian’s sixth generation secondary platform active in buyout and expansion, with co-investment rights, and a further USD1 billion of primary commitments.
Since the start of 2014 Ardian has committed over USD2 billion through three secondary transactions.
Among these, Ardian has acquired buyout and growth portfolios from a financial institution for USD600 million, and has been chosen by Temasek to provide independent valuation and manage their new co-investment platform holding 36 private equity funds.
These
Harris Williams & Co has advised Upstream Telecommunications and Software Systems on a significant investment by Actis Capital.
The investment, which was completed on 17 April 2014, was led by technology, media & telecom (TMT) group bankers Thierry Monjauze, Zach Mueller and Sylvain Noblet from Harris Williams & Co.’s London office along with Mike Wilkins from the firm’s San Francisco office.
“Upstream has delivered tremendous growth over recent years, which is testament to the strength of the management team and of the demand fulfillment marketing platform it has developed since its inception in 2001,” says Monjauze.
“Following the
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