Managers
Canadian private capital continued its climb in 2015: venture capital (VC) activity saw amounts invested and fundraising increase substantially, with exit values reaching historical highs. Private equity (PE) saw solid fundraising numbers and large increases in volume.
These are some of the main findings from the Canadian Venture Capital & Private Equity Association's (CVCA) private capital market activity reports for 2015.
VC investment continued its strong growth in 2015, with 536 deals capturing CAD2.3 billion, an increase of 24 per cent and 12 per cent respectively over 2014. Primarily driven by three large IPOs (Shopify, ProNAi, and Davids Tea),
Budget gym chain Xercise4Less is planning to roll-out further gyms across the UK after posting an 83 per cent increase in sales and securing a new round of funding from its equity partner, BGF (Business Growth Fund).
The Leeds-headquartered business grew total sales to GBP21.9 million in the 12 months to July 2015, up from GBP12 million in its previous financial year. As a result of its organic roll-out, Xercise4Less now operates 35 gyms and has an increasing national coverage with sites across the north of England, the Midlands, the South West, Scotland and Wales, and opened its first gym
Private equity (PE) in 2015 turned in a solid year against a backdrop of slowing global economy, increasing volatility in public equity markets and feverish competition that drove investment multiples to new highs, according to Bain & Company.
The firm’s seventh annual private equity report reveals that new PE deal-making ground on steadily in 2015, as it has every year since 2010 – the start of this remarkably durable PE cycle. Deal value for announced global buyouts totalled USD282 billion, a shade more than in 2014, and deal count dropped 14 per cent – a tad lower than last year. Yet,
The total capital raised by clients of impact investment intermediary ClearlySo has now surpassed GBP100 million with GBP60 million coming directly from ClearlySo’s network of institutional and high-net-worth individual investors.
ClearlySo has helped more than 75 businesses and funds, including Ethical Property Company to let office space to “social change” tenants, Green Rooms to provide affordable accommodation for artists and urban regeneration in North London, Impact Ventures UK to raise money for their Impact Investment Fund, Aduna to create demand for under-utilised natural products from small-scale producers in rural Africa, and Harry Specters to produce award-winning chocolate and provide
Observable Networks, an specialist in threat detection services, has closed USD1.625 million in convertible debt funding from investors arranged by DH Capital and SaaS sectors.
Observable Networks received additional backing from Vectis Healthcare and Life Sciences Fund II, a private investor, of which Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Inc. is a general partner. The new round of investment follows previously announced USD2.45 million in Series A1 funding from May of 2014.
The capital will be used to fund the growth of Observable Networks' sales and marketing team and increase IT security market awareness of the company's dynamic endpoint modeling technology
Investec Private Banking has been confirmed as strategic partner for one of the largest fundraising events in the private equity industry – The Norwood Private Equity Dinner – which will be held on 6 June.
The dinner is expected to raise over GBP150,000 for Norwood, a leading charity supporting vulnerable children and their families, children with special educational needs and people with learning disabilities.
Deborah Sayagh, Private Equity Banker at Investec Private Banking, says: "The partnership highlights our commitment to supporting Norwood in raising funds for vulnerable children and their families, children with special educational needs and people with
idverde has acquired the holding company of Quadron Services, the UK grounds maintenance provider.
Following quickly on from the acquisition of The Landscape Group (TLG) in 2015, idverde’s UK activities will grow to GBP90m annual turnover and 1,600 staff with enhanced geographical coverage across the UK and a significantly strengthened position in Greater London and Birmingham as a result of the transaction.
Nick Temple-Heald, Chief Executive of idverde UK, says: “Bringing together Quadron and TLG under the idverde UK banner is the perfect outcome of our growth strategy. The two businesses are both green specialists and passionate about the
AgFunder, the leading agriculture-focused online investment platform, has reported a record USD4.6 billion of investment into the agriculture technologies sector for 2015, almost double the USD2.36 billion invested in 2014, and outpacing growth in the broader venture capital market.
Over the past five years, global investment in the agtech sector has markedly accelerated from barely USD500 million in 2012 to approaching USD5 billion as entrepreneurs and investors look to tackle production and sustainability issues facing the farming sector.
“Mid-year we projected the agtech sector would end with USD4.1 billion; the extra half billion surpassed expectations,” says Rob Leclerc (pictured),
Private equity managers are finding that increased demands for transparency from their LPs are requiring them to change their mindset, especially when it comes to sharing information on how assets are valued.
LPs are doing more due diligence, asking PE managers to explain why they value a target company at, say, 8X EBITDA, and a comparable non-target company at 10X EBITDA. In effect, LPs want to get more involved in the valuation process. This is the new normal that all alternative fund managers are waking up to, and in part, it is being driven by the onset of regulation.
As PE managers become more open with LPs, this is helping
British Business Bank Investments, the commercial arm of the British Business Bank, has agreed to provide a GBP25 million facility to UK independent leasing company Haydock Finance.
The three-year funding commitment is structured as a block discounting facility and is part of the Bank’s Investment Programme, which has now committed a total of GBP110 million to asset finance companies. The programme forms a key part of the Bank’s efforts to increase the diversity and supply of finance for small businesses.
The facility will help Blackburn-based Haydock grow its asset finance division, providing hire-purchase, leasing and refinance for business assets
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12 November, 2026 – 8:00 am
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