Managers
Rural businesses, which are so vital for transforming our food systems, will get a much-needed boost from an ambitious new financing programme launched today by the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), as part of its broader efforts to address rising hunger and poverty levels in the world’s poorest countries.
The Private Sector Financing Programme (PSFP) aims to spearhead an increase in much-needed private investment in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), farmers’ organisations and financial intermediaries servicing small-scale farmers, which are too often neglected by investors. It will provide loans, risk management instruments (such as guarantees), and equity investments.
Dopavision, a company pioneering the development of digital therapeutics, has closed a EUR12 million Series A financing round. Seventure Partners led the round and was joined by Novartis Pharmaceuticals and the Company’s existing shareholders such as Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund and Ababax Health, significantly broadening the Company’s shareholder base of leading international life science investors.
Myopia is recognised as a public health concern and is the leading cause of correctable visual impairment, expected to reach a global prevalence of 50 per cent by 2050. The condition manifests as blurring of distant objects due to image focusing in front of the
A business that is aiming to transform the food allergy diagnostics market has secured GBP2.9 million investment in a funding round led by Praetura Ventures with follow-on equity investment from the Development Bank of Wales.
Reacta Biotech (Reacta), which is based in Deeside, North Wales, produces clinical diagnostics kits for food allergy testing. The business improves the efficiency, accuracy and safety of food allergy testing by producing pharmaceutical grade Oral Food Challenges (OFCs), the gold standard test for diagnosing food allergies.
In the latest funding round, GBP1.5 million came from Manchester-based Praetura Ventures, the venture capital fund manager that
Mediaocean, a platform for omnichannel advertising, is to acquire Flashtalking, an independent ad management platform.
The combined entity will infuse Flashtalking’s solutions for primary ad serving, creative personalisation, identity management, and verification with Mediaocean’s modern system of record used by the some of the world’s leading brands and agencies.
The announcement comes at a critical inflection point for the advertising industry as marketers seek trusted, independent solutions to manage the rise of big tech. Mediaocean and Flashtalking customers will benefit from comprehensive and future-forward solutions for global strategic planning, omnichannel media management, closed ecosystems optimisation, and financial reconciliation across
KPS Capital Partners (KPS) has completed the acquisition of Metra Holding and Metra, (collectively Metra), a global manufacturer of extruded aluminium.
KPS has also completed its acquisition of Profile Custom Extrusions, (Profile), a US manufacturer of extruded aluminium, from Highlander Partners. Metra and Profile will be combined to form a global extruded aluminium profile platform with a strong presence across both Europe and North America.
Metra is a global, vertically integrated manufacturer of extruded aluminium profiles and related value-added services, including painting, oxidation, machining, welding and assembly. Metra offers a full range of extruded aluminium profiles, which are used
Specialist business advisory firm FRP has joined Eight International, a global advisory organisation, in a move aimed at strengthening its international presence.
Founded in 2016, Eight International was set up to meet a growing demand for dedicated financial and operational support for businesses with an international footprint. It was founded by a group of senior advisors, all of whom had experience working for a Big Four firm, and has since grown to become a network of more than 3,000 consultants that operate across five continents and 30 jurisdictions worldwide.
Today, through its member organisations, Eight International helps corporate clients,
CenterOak Partners (CenterOak), a Dallas-based private equity firm, has completed a majority recapitalisation of HK Solutions Group (HK Solutions), a leading regional provider of infrastructure maintenance services for municipal and industrial customers primarily in the Midwest.
Chief Executive Officer Wade Anderson and the existing management team will continue to lead the Company following CenterOak’s investment. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
HK Solutions, headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, provides water and wastewater infrastructure inspection, cleaning, and repair services, as well as industrial services and wastewater treatment, to customers predominantly in Midwestern states. HK Solutions’ diverse set of service offerings
BV Investment Partners (BV), a middle-market private equity firm focused on the tech-enabled business services, software and IT services sectors, has sold Apps Associates, an enterprise application services provider, to Quad-C Management Inc (Quad-C).
Founded in 2002, apps Associates is an enterprise applications services provider focused on helping organisations strategise, execute and integrate digital transformation initiatives across the enterprise. The Company has long-standing partnerships with several leading technology companies, such as Oracle, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Salesforce and Snowflake. By leveraging its global delivery platform with over 950 employees spanning the US, Germany and India, Apps Associates delivers on its
Scotland-based HV Systems (HVS) has secured a GBP5 million capital injection from Beehive Equity Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of EG Group (EG).
HVS will now take its innovative hydrogen vehicle designs through prototyping and demonstration, allowing manufacturing to commence.
There has been much said about impending bans on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles around the world, but despite the significant home-grown talent in the automotive sector, there are very few UK-based businesses focussed on decarbonising commercial vehicles. Having secured the investment from EG, HVS aims to take a vital step towards a net-zero future for all, creating
Valtech, a specialist in digital services and business transformation, has secured new investment by funds advised by BC Partners, in a transaction which values Valtech at USD1.4 billion and is subject to receipt of customary regulatory approvals.
Former reference shareholder investment group Verlinvest and new Valtech management will also reinvest into the company.
Valtech designs, builds and delivers transformative digital solutions for the world’s leading brands. Recognising that industries and sectors globally are facing significant economic shifts, Valtech helps its clients innovate digitally at pace to address this, meet changing customer needs and ultimately position their companies to gain
Events
12 November, 2026 – 8:00 am
12 November, 2026 – 5:00 pm
