Managers
Clearwater International has advised private equity investor LDC on its investment in Ashtons Hospital Pharmacy Services (Ashtons), which will enable the existing management team to drive organic growth, further develop its software services, and expand its pharmaceutical warehousing and distribution infrastructure.In association with the transaction, the Clearwater International Debt Advisory team advised LDC in raising acquisition finance from Silicon Valley Bank (SVB).
Headquartered in Brighton, Ashtons provides medicine management solutions to the UK independent healthcare sector and its services include clinical pharmacy support and the supply of medication.
Through its nationwide network of specialist clinical pharmacists and bespoke software technology,
Bowmark Capital has acquired a significant minority stake in Focus Group, a UK provider of communications and IT solutions.
On-demand staffing platform, Rota, has closed a GBP3 million funding round, which was led by Puffin Point, a Family Office, with significant experience in staffing and marketplace apps. This was followed by current shareholders who continue to support Rota’s high growth technology and solutions-based staffing marketplace business.
“The funding round will enable us to continue our high growth, increase our revenue and client expansions, marketing and further enhance our market leading technology. Rota will also move into additional flexible staffing verticals in 2020,” says Stephen Segel, CEO of Rota. “We remain as ambitious as always to build our business to exceed
Envases Soplados (ENSO), a Spanish producer of PET bottles that is backed by private equity firm GED Capital, has acquired Portuguese company Espaçoplas Indústria e Comercializaçao de Plásticos, SA (EPLAS).Founded in 2002 and located in Marinha Grande (Portugal), EPLAS is a producer of PET bottles for the food, cosmetic, pharmaceuticals and chemicals markets. The company owns a state-of-the-art production facility built in 2018 and strategically located between Lisbon and Oporto.
EPLAS offers a wide range of formats and tailor-made solutions for its major customers in Portugal, but also in other European markets such as France, Netherlands and the UK.
Nautic Partners (Nautic) has completed the acquisition of Harrington Industrial Plastics (Harrington), in partnership with company management.Founded in 1959, Harrington is a leading distributor of corrosion-resistant fluid conveyance, control, and measurement products for industrial fluids and high purity applications (eg, valves, filters, pumps, and tanks). Harrington’s products are used in a variety of end markets, and the company focuses on corrosive applications that generally require higher end specialty products. The company is a vital supply chain partner to its vendors and serves a diverse set of customers including contractors, OEMs and other product end users across a number of markets
The Columbia Threadneedle European Sustainable Infrastructure Fund (ESIF) announces that it has completed the acquisition of Condor Ferries, an operator of lifeline freight and passenger ferry services between Guernsey, Jersey, the United Kingdom, and the Port of St Malo in France.The acquisition was made in consortium with Brittany Ferries, a leading French ferry operator, which has a minority stake. Condor Ferries has been acquired from Macquarie European Infrastructure Fund II, managed by Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets.
ESIF is a new open-ended fund that invests in European mid-market equity assets, managed by leading global asset management group Columbia Threadneedle Investments.
ClearCourse Partnership (ClearCourse), a group of technology companies providing digital services, work-flow solutions, and payments capabilities to the membership, events & bookings, sports & leisure and healthcare sectors, has acquired Felinesoft, a provider of digital and operational solutions for some of the UK’s most established businesses and charities.Since its foundation in 2001, Felinesoft has built its position as a well-respected industry provider of technology products and digital service solutions, including user experience design, Microsoft Dynamics 365, digital transformation and website and app development. As a Microsoft Gold Partner, its customers have access to in-house Microsoft certified developers offering the highest
The UK Creative Content EIS Fund has invested in Raindog Films, a UK-based production company co-founded by Oscar-winning actor Colin Firth and music industry veteran Ged Doherty, it has been announced by the Fund’s manager, Calculus Capital, and Stargrove Pictures. Writer and producer, Trish D Chetty joins the new look company to oversee the strategic expansion into high-end small screen content.
Firth and Doherty established Raindog Films in 2012 and subsequently produced an award-winning slate of premium filmed entertainment. Recent projects include Official Secrets directed by Gavin Hood, starring Keira Knightley and Matt Smith, which opened to critical acclaim; Loving, directed by Jeff Nichols
Pemberton, a diversified asset manager backed by one of Europe’s largest insurers, Legal & General Group, has worked with funds advised by BC Partners on a second lien PIK loan as part of a refinancing of their portfolio company The Aenova Group, a provider of contract pharmaceutical manufacturing and development services.The Aenova Group, headquartered near Munich, is among the largest contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO) in Europe and serves a blue-chip customer base of pharma and healthcare customers.
The pharmaceutical firm operates 15 production sites, primarily in Germany and other European locations. The firm is well placed to
Imperial College London (Imperial) has launched its first Innovation Fund to invest in early-stage, high-growth, knowledge-intensive companies spun out of the world top ten university. It offers alumni and investors the opportunity to support the commercial development of Imperial’s discoveries into tomorrow’s solutions in medicine, engineering, biochemistry, genetics, materials, quantum computing, data science, and beyond.
Imperial has a long history of producing ground-breaking scientific research and disruptive technologies, as well as a flourishing entrepreneurial ecosystem. Its strong recent performance has seen the number of startups more than double in the last five years, attracting approximately £800m of new investment. Notable spinout
Events
12 November, 2026 – 8:00 am
12 November, 2026 – 5:00 pm
