Allocations
By Scott Turley (pictured), Broadridge Financial Solutions – Private debt is expected to be one of the few asset-class winners of the Covid-19 crisis. As institutional investors struggle to obtain decent returns due to low interest rates and irrationally priced equity markets, many are turning to private debt managers to improve performance.
By A Paris – Competition has been ramping up in the private debt arena as more managers chase fewer transactions globally. This is paving the way for consolidation in the space as some of the more aggressive players may stumble, having taken on too much risk, and the larger lenders look for solid acquisition targets among the more cautious groups.
Private debt is expected to be one of the fastest growing asset classes over the next five years. According to The Future of Alternatives 2025, a report by Preqin, assets under management (AuM) in private debt will increase at a compound annual
YFM Equity Partners’ has sold its shareholding in rail project business Collaborative Project Management Services Limited (CPMS) to French construction engineering company Egis, generating a return of 2x for its investors.
European private debt manager Pemberton, which is backed by Legal & General Group, has supported the recapitalisation of Bridgepoint Development Capital’s portfolio company MVF, a UK online customer acquisition company.
Together with HSBC, Pemberton has provided a cost-effective and flexible financing solution to help the company accelerate its growth through strategic acquisitions.
Founded in 2009, MVF has grown into one of the UK’s fastest growing technology companies, and a market leader in online customer acquisition and lead generation. Using proprietary technology, data-driven analytics and in-house digital marketing expertise, the company provides cutting-edge services to a global client base of
Panoramic Ventures has launched following a partnership between entrepreneur and investor Paul Judge and venture capital firm BIP Capital, which has more than USD550 million in assets under management.
Judge and BIP Capital Co-founder Mark Buffington are managing partners of Panoramic Ventures, which has also launched a new fund with a target of USD300 million.
Panoramic’s core mission is to fund companies in the Southeast, Midwest, and other regions across the USA where high-potential firms are often overlooked.
“Our intent at Panoramic is to take a wider-view approach to investing in order to give more entrepreneurs access to both capital
Janus Continental Group (JCG), a conglomerate with businesses in the Energy, Hospitality and Real Estate sectors across three continents, has invested USD13 million in Highview Enterprises Limited, the developer of liquid air long-duration energy storage systems, called the CRYOBattery.
JCG’s subsidiary, Great Lakes Africa Energy Ltd (GLAE), will license Highview Power’s cryogenic energy storage technology to co-develop large-scale renewable energy generation and storage projects. The investment will tackle the renewable energy storage gap that currently exists across Africa, where nearly 600 million people live without access to electricity.
The investment is hoped to increase regional uptake of renewable energy
HERO Protein, the first domestic plant-based ‘meat’ company in China to use cutting-edge “high moisture extrusion” technology, has completed a USD850k pre-seed funding round to launch its products into the market.
The funding round saw participation from Cremer, a leading global commodities and co-manufacturing company; Lever China Fund, the most active alternative protein investor in China; and senior executives from leading restaurant brands.
HERO Protein’s initial product range, which includes a variety of plant-based beef and chicken products, was formulated specifically for the Chinese market by a team of former senior R&D executives at Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, Gardein, Lightlife
Notonthehighstreet, a UK online marketplace for lifestyle products and ‘thoughtful gifts’, has been acquired by growth equity firm Great Hill Partners.
Great Hill Partners will become the majority shareholder in the business, with existing investors Burda Principal Investments and Industry Ventures also remaining as shareholders.
The news comes following a year of unprecedented growth for notonthehighstreet, in which revenues rose more than 50 per cent. During this time, the company, which supports thousands of the UK’s best independent artisans, designers and boutiques, grew its customer base by almost 1 million and added four times as many hand-picked small business
European veterinary care provider IVC Evidensia (IVC), one of Europe’s largest veterinary care providers, has announced an expanded partnership among its shareholders to support the group in driving its next phase of accelerating growth.
The aggregated new investment from the expanded partnership transaction totals EUR3.5 billion and values IVC at an enterprise value of approximately EUR12.3 billion.
Headquartered in Bristol, UK, IVC is a leading veterinary services provider with a network of more than 1,500 clinics and hospitals and approximately 22,000 employees across Europe. Founded in 2011, IVC operates a decentralised model promoting innovation and clinical freedom balanced with
Foundation Partners Group acquired eight funeral service businesses with 25 locations during the past year, growing its footprint in three states with existing locations and expanding to two new markets – Kentucky and New Mexico.
Owned by Access Holdings, a Baltimore-based mid-market investment firm specialising in a buy-and-build investment approach, the company now operates nearly 160 locations in 20 states and will serve more than 75,000 families this year.
“It’s been nearly one year since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the funeral profession like a tidal wave, and the result has been a fundamental shift in the way many families think
Events
12 November, 2026 – 8:00 am
12 November, 2026 – 5:00 pm
