Managers
HIG Capital, LLC (HIG), a global alternative investment firm with over USD45 billion of equity capital under management, has announced that one of its affiliates has completed the acquisition of Cesar di Barbarossa Enio e Flli Srl (Cesar), Gruppo SDA Srl Servizi Distribuzione Associati (SDA) and VDM Vaccaro Distribuzione Merci Srl (VDM) (Companies).
The Companies operate under the Acqua & Sapone brand, Italy’s leading non-food discount retailer selling a wide range of household and personal care products at value prices through a network of over 700 retail locations. HIG has acquired a controlling stake in the business, with the Barbarossa
FTX Trading Ltd. (FTX or the Company), owner and operator of FTX.COM, a leading global cryptocurrency exchange, has closed a USD420,690,000 Series B-1 fundraise, increasing the valuation of the Company to USD25 billion.
The round saw the participation of 69 investors, including Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board, via its Teachers’ Innovation Platform, Temasek, Sequoia Capital, Sea Capital, IVP, ICONIQ Growth, Tiger Global, Ribbit Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners and funds and accounts managed by BlackRock.
The Company also disclosed that in addition to the B-1 fundraise, Temasek had participated in the previously announced Series B, and updated the total amount of
CORE Industrial Partners LLC (CORE), a Chicago-based private equity firm, has acquired Advanced Laser Machining (AL or the Company), a full-service provider of metals-focused contract manufacturing solutions, by CORE portfolio company CGI Automated Manufacturing (CGI).
Founded in 1996, AL combines broad metal fabrication capabilities with complex assembly and complementary value-added services to provide a single-source solution for a variety of end markets, including supercomputing, aerospace & defense, medical, transportation and industrials. From robotic welding, to hydroforming, fiber optic laser cutting, punching, machining, electro-mechanical assembly and powder coating, AL can assist customers from early-stage prototyping and small batch runs through high-volume
CM Group, a portfolio of martech companies focused on multichannel digital marketing, has merged with Cheetah Digital under the CM Group name.
The merger expands and enhances both CM Group’s and Cheetah Digital’s ability to deliver innovative email, omnichannel, personalisation, and loyalty solutions. The combined company will own a broad array of technologies referenced in the 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Multichannel Marketing Hubs, which orchestrate marketer communications with client segments across multiple channels.
Following the merger, the company plans significant investments across the portfolio to bring new products to its base of 70,000+ active customers. As marketers increasingly
Schroders Capital’s Multi Private Credit Fund (MPCF) has reached a second close of GBP85 million amid growing demand from UK pensions for a diversified portfolio of private credit exposure.
The fund, which had its first close in summer 2021, enables small and medium-sized pension schemes to access the spectrum of private credit asset classes, encompassing corporate direct lending, real estate debt, infrastructure debt and specialist credit.
MPCF has already begun to make investments with commitments to two direct lending funds, and a further three commitments anticipated before the end of the year to other direct lending managers and infrastructure debt.
The Blue Ocean strategy managed by alternative investment firm EnTrust Global (EnTrust) has completed the acquisition of Maas Capital Shipping from ABN AMRO.
Since its inception in the late 1990s, the Maas Capital platform has deployed close to USD1.0 billion in equity maritime investments and is currently one of the world’s leading institutional shipping equity investors.
The acquired portfolio includes a diversified portfolio of 15 equity joint venture investments, consisting of a fleet of 76 high-quality vessels within the product/chemical tanker, dry bulk, LPG, container, and offshore services segments.
In addition, the portfolio includes an equity stake in a growing
Bites, a specialist in the employee communications and training industry, has raised USD5 million a seed funding round.
With Bites, anyone within an organisation can create and distribute professional, social-media-styled videos and content without having to download special software or new applications to their phones. While remaining remote, managers receive feedback through discussion boards and have access to robust analytics data showing engagement and completion rates.
The funding round was led by Vertex Ventures Israel, an Israeli venture capital firm. Surround Ventures, a US-Israeli VC specialising in early-stage media and eCommerce startups, Oryzn Capital, an Israeli venture focused on early-stage
Risilience, a climate change business platform, has secured a Series A investment of GBP6 million from international investors led by IQ Capital.
Leucid Bio (Leucid), a biotech company pioneering next-generation cell therapies for hard-to-treat cancers, has successfully raised GBP11.5 million in a Series A financing round.
The investment was led by Epidarex and new investor Vulpes Investment Management, with participation from new investors 2Invest and Future Fund of the British Business Bank, and existing investor Sofinnova Partners. Proceeds from the financing will be used to initiate a Phase 1 trial of its lead candidate, LEU-011, for the treatment of platinum resistant ovarian cancer.
CAR T-cell therapy is a revolutionary technology in which the patient’s own immune cells are reprogrammed so they
Procuritas’ portfolio company Werksta, a car damage repair chain in the Nordics, has completed three add-on acquisitions, adding Alppilan Autohuolto Oy in Finland, Skadeverkstad Uppsala Östra AB in Sweden and Follo Bilskade AS in Norway into the group.
Werksta was formed in 2015 through Procuritas’ investment in two individual body shops with a combined revenue of EUR12 million, which has grown into a Nordic EUR150 million revenue business with over 900 employees.
Catherine Sahlgren, CEO of Werksta, says: “We are delighted to expand our operations with these latest acquisitions that strengthen our position as the leading independent Nordic car
Events
12 November, 2026 – 8:00 am
12 November, 2026 – 5:00 pm
