Allocations
Lauxera Capital Partners, a newly created, international healthcare investment firm, announces that it has raised approximately EUR100 million for the first closing of Lauxera Growth I, its debut European HealthTech growth/buyout vehicle.
Despite Covid-19-related travel restrictions, the fund met this key fundraising milestone less than six months after launch. International institutional investors, strategics, and renowned family offices participated including Covea, Téthys, Compagnie Nationale à Portefeuille, Financière Dassault, Candriam (New York Life), and Bpifrance which invested off of its balance sheet and via its Growth Fund of Funds (on behalf of private insurers and the Caisse des Dépôts).
Lauxera Growth I
UK private equity deal activity bounced back in the second half of 2020, although a profound slump in transactions in Q2 as lockdown gripped the M&A market meant that total annual deal volumes hit their lowest levels in more than seven years.
KPMG’s latest study of UK transactions involving private equity investors indicates that a total of 889 deals completed over the course of 2020, with a combined value of GBP87.2 billion. This was the fewest number of private equity transactions seen in the UK since before 2014, and a fall of 26 per cent on the previous year, which
Ignite Growth (Ignite), a UK-based investor focused on supporting the growth of ambitious, fast growing companies, has acquired Newcastle Tool & Gauge Ltd (NTG), as the first stage in a buy and build growth strategy.
Financial terms of the transaction, which is Ignite’s second buy and build platform investment, have not been disclosed.
Founded in 1979, NTG is a precision engineering business based in Gateshead. It manufactures low volume, high value parts for use in Severe Duty Engineering Applications, where its products operate in high temperature, high pressure or high stress environments.
Prior to Ignite’s investment, NTG had three shareholders,
ELSA​, a mobile app that uses artificial intelligence and speech recognition technology to help language learners improve their English speaking skills and pronunciation, has cUSDosed Series B round of USD15 million in new capital.
This round was co-led by ​VI (Vietnam Investments) Group and ​SIG​. Previous investors ​Gradient Ventures​, Google’s AI-focused venture fund, ​SOSV​, and Monk’s Hill Ventures also participated in this round. New investors are Endeavor Catalyst and Globant Ventures​, which will assist ELSA’s expansion efforts in Latin America.
With over 13 million users worldwide, ​ELSA (English Language Speech Assistant) is the world’s best English speaking and pronunciation app.
Bazaar Group, a market-leading furniture manufacturer and ecommerce retailer based in Cramlington, Northumberland, has secured a multi-million pound investment from Comhar Capital as part of a GBP10 million deal to support its international growth plans.
Through the investment Comhar Capital has acquired a majority share in the business. The funding will support Bazaar Group’s future market development which is focused on international expansion, particularly new ecommerce platforms in the UK and Europe in order to address a growing online consumer audience.
Bazaar Group was established in 2005. The company has grown to become a soft seating category leader under the
An improved public health environment and the possibility of higher capital gains taxes will likely drive increased merger and acquisition activity in 2021, according to a Citizens survey of 700 leaders at US middle market companies and private equity firms.
Companies will rely on M&A for growth in 2021 and more sellers will be open to making deals, particularly in the second half, survey respondents said.
Typically, the economic outlook is the most significant factor in a company’s consideration of an M&A transaction. However, findings show that in 2021 Covid-19 and tax policies of the Biden administration are top
Clayton, Dubilier & Rice has completed the previously announced acquisition of Wolseley UK, a leading specialist distributor of plumbing, heating, climate control, pipe and infrastructure & utility products in the United Kingdom, from Ferguson plc.
The carve-out transaction, valued at GBP308 million, establishes Wolseley as an independent company, to be wholly-owned by management and CD&R funds.
The Wolseley brand dates back to the 19th century and is one of the most respected and well-known in the UK. In FY2020, Wolseley generated approximately GBP1.5 billion of revenue. In addition to plumbing and heating products and the associated pipes, valves, and fittings,
Private Equity Wire talks to Ted Persson, partner at EQT Ventures – which recently closed a USD18 million series-A round into Stockholm-based AI-focused online learning platform Sana Labs, about the fact that around 1.3 billion adults will face a ‘skills mismatch’ for the jobs needed in the future, how the online learning trend will pan out in the next few years, and the role of the private sector in driving this trend.Â
US banking app Dave has secured a USD100 million credit facility from global alternative investment firm Victory Park Capital (VPC). The funding will support the growth of Dave’s banking product and accelerate the company’s expansion into new products and features.
In 2020, Dave rolled out Dave Banking, a spending account and debit card with no monthly fees. Launched in 2017 as a way to help avoid overdraft fees, Dave has grown into the third most valuable challenger banking app in the United States and was named the 26th most disruptive private company in the world. VPC’s partnership with Dave began
SESAMm, a provider of analytics and artificial intelligence solutions for investment professionals and enterprises, has concluded a Series B funding round for over EUR7.5 million led by the Fintech VC fund of NewAlpha Asset Management and global investment firm The Carlyle Group.
The investment is intended to accelerate SESAMm’s global growth, allowing it to acquire talent and expand operations in Europe, Asia and North America. Plans for the funding also include developing AI-enabled research tools and dashboards for corporate customers, as well as continuing R&D investment in its Machine Learning and Natural Language Processing tools.
SESAMm will also extend its
Events
12 November, 2026 – 8:00 am
12 November, 2026 – 5:00 pm
