Investcorp, in partnership with existing management, has acquired GL Education Group (GLE), formerly Granada Learning Group, the UK provider of non-regulated pupil and school assessment solutions for primary and secondary schools, from private equity firm Veronis Suhler Stevenson.  Terms of the transaction have not been disclosed. Based in London and founded in 1981, GLE provides assessment products and services used by teachers to measure students’ core abilities and to take decisions about their learning paths. The company comprises two business units, GL Assessment and GL Performance, which, together, deliver to more than 15,000 schools the tools to help raise standards

Mid-market private equity investor Equistone Partners Europe Limited has invested in Audley Travel (Audley), the bespoke travel specialist, for an undisclosed sum. The Oxfordshire-based company, founded as Asian Journeys in 1996, is the UK’s leading tailor-made travel business, offering tours and safaris for the discerning traveller. Audley’s holidays are tailor-made to the customer’s individual requirements by experienced consultants who have detailed first-hand experience of the countries in which they specialise. Whether it is organising a cultural tour of Japan, trekking in Peru or a safari in Botswana, Audley aims to meet and exceed clients’ expectations. The firm is committed to

Morgenthaler Private Equity (MPE), the Cleveland and Boston-based private equity team focused on lower middle market buyouts, has completed the sale of Avtron Loadbank, a designer and manufacturer of power integrity test and measurement devices, to Emerson. The Company’s load bank technologies test and validate the quality and integrity of power sources, such as primary and standby generators and uninterruptible power supplies, in critical applications such as data centres, hospitals, airports, telecommunications, commercial and industrial buildings, and water and wastewater utilities. Terms of the transaction have not been disclosed. Jeff Gwinnell, President and Chief Executive Officer of Avtron Loadbank, says:

Marubeni Corporation and Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ), a government-sponsored private equity corporation, have agreed to acquire Seajacks International from funds controlled by Riverstone Holdings.  The terms of the transaction have not been disclosed. The sale is expected to close at the end of April 2012.  Marubeni intends to integrate the Seajacks business into its Power Projects & Infrastructure division. Seajacks International is an offshore services company that operates primarily in the European offshore wind market but also serves the European offshore oil and gas markets. Seajacks owns and manages self-propelled jack-up vessels equipped for the harsh conditions of

Appirio, a technology-enabled services provider that helps enterprises power their business with the cloud, has closed USD60 million in Series D funding led by global growth investor General Atlantic, with participation from existing investors Sequoia Capital and GGV Capital. Appirio plans to use the funds for investment and M&A to support global expansion of its consulting practice areas, as well as to build out the company’s enabling cloud technology and acceleration of its successful crowdsourcing development platform – CloudSpokes. The financing follows a banner year of growth for Appirio. In 2011 alone, Appirio increased year-over-year revenue by over 80 percent,

DX Group Limited, the UK and Ireland independent mail, courier and logistics network operator, has today completed the acquisition of Nightfreight. The acquisition has been funded from DX cash resources and terms have not been disclosed. Nightfreight is a leading logistics business, with a particular niche in the irregular dimension and weight sector (IDW) for both the business-to-business and business-to-consumer markets.  Its services are complementary to those of DX. The acquisition will create the UK and Ireland’s largest independent mail, courier and network distribution service, providing the broadest range of capabilities to business Customers.   Customers will have access to a full

Beanstalk Management, the boutique corporate finance advisor, has helped secured a follow-on funding round and sourced new investors for nanoelectronics company Surrey Nanosystems, which will allow it to continue to develop its innovative technology. The funding round of GBP4.5 million is one of the largest amounts for any UK semiconductor-focused company in the last year. A spinout from the University of Surrey’s Advanced Technology Institute, Surrey Nanosystems has developed a platform and technology portfolio for partners to deliver nano-materials and technologies to the global semiconductor, renewable energy and clean technology industries. The funding will help the company to continue to

Capital Dynamics, a global private asset manager, has acquired three portfolios of solar energy projects in California and New Jersey, representing investment projects in various stages of development of over USD300 million. The first portfolio features approximately 80 megawatts (MW) of utility-scale solar power generation projects. The portfolio was developed by one of North America’s leading solar energy developers and is comprised exclusively of California-sited solar photovoltaic (PV) installations. The projects are all under long-term Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) with California utilities. Construction work is to begin immediately, with as much as 30MW on schedule to be operational by year-end.