Managers
The Midlands Private Equity Growth Barometer, which has been released today, highlights the region’s 50 fastest-growing private equity-backed businesses based on turnover growth in the past three years.The top 50 PE-backed businesses have made a considerable impact to the Midlands over the last three financial years, adding almost GBP1 billion to the regional economy, with combined revenues rising from GBP1.7 billion to GBP2.7 billion.
That’s according to the latest Midlands Private Equity Growth Barometer which also reveals that those businesses have contributed positively to employment in the Midlands, adding almost 6,000 jobs since 2016, taking the current numbers employed by
Oxx, a B2B software investor, has raised USD133 million to back Europe’s most promising SaaS companies from series A and beyond.Oxx invests broadly across software applications and infrastructure, with a particular interest in five key themes: data convergence & refinery, future of work, financial services infrastructure, user empowerment, and sustainable business.
Headquartered in London and Stockholm, the firm has already invested in the likes of Funnel, which automates marketing performance reporting and intelligence for businesses; Apica, a performance monitoring platform for large enterprises; and Codility, a comprehensive tech recruiting platform for hiring at scale.
Oxx wants to change the ‘growth at all costs’ mindset
Unmind, the workplace mental health platform, has raised USD10 million dolars in a Series A funding round.Led by Berlin-based Project A, with the continued support of Felix Capital, the funding – which is one of the largest series A rounds for a European mental health tech business – will support company growth, and its commitment to measurably improve the mental health of employees in workplaces around the world.
Since its launch in 2016, the company has seen fast-growth, growing revenue by more than 300 per cent in 2019. Today, it counts some of the UK’s most iconic businesses as
Keensight Capital has replaced Cathay Capital as majority shareholder of Datawords, alongside the founders’ team.The Datawords Group has a history of rapid expansion over the last five years, its turnover rose from EuR30 million to EUR70 million (at the end of 2019) and the number of employees doubled to reach 800 people.
The sustained organic growth has been particularly driven, since 2015, by the successful deployment strategy in North America (with the gain of numerous clients in the United States and the opening of new offices in Montreal and Mexico City) and the strengthening of the Group’s activity in Asia,
Gores Holdings III, a special purpose acquisition company sponsored by an affiliate of The Gores Group, has completed the acquisition of Platinum Equity portfolio company (PAE), a provider of outsourced solutions for enduring missions of the United States government and international partners for over 60 years. The transaction was unanimously approved by the Board of Directors of both Gores Holdings III and the ultimate parent company of PAE and was approved at a special meeting of Gores Holdings III’s stockholders on 7 February, 2020. There were 0.0005 per cent (virtually zero) redemptions in connection with the business combination. In connection with
Solid Solutions, a reseller of 3D design software, has secured a minority investment from mid-market private equity investor LDC to accelerate growth. As part of the deal, Solid Solutions’ existing backer, BGF, will exit its minority stake.Founded in 1998, Solid Solutions is the UK and Ireland’s leading reseller of SOLIDWORKS, the 3D computer aided design (CAD) package that is owned by Dassault Systems and used by more than five million people worldwide.
Solid Solutions provides software, support and training to thousands of engineers, designers and manufacturing companies across the UK and Ireland. This includes providing 3D CAD, computer-aided manufacturing
Independent infrastructure investment manager Whitehelm Capital (Whitehelm) has held the first close on its infrastructure debt fund, Whitehelm Capital Infrastructure Debt Partners I, and reaching its fundraising target of EU500 million across its infrastructure debt platform dedicated to high‐yielding investments. The firm expects to hold a final close on the Fund by the summer of 2020.
Whitehelm focuses on debt issued by defensive, non‐cyclical infrastructure borrowers in OECD countries, a strategy that has returned more than 9% (USD, hedged, pre‐fees) since inception in 2001, without a single default, impairment, restructuring or loss on its debt investments. The debt Fund targets
SIS Ventures is launching a second round of fundraising with the aim of attracting up to GBP3.7 million to scale up its support for Scotland’s high impact enterprises.The Impact First Fund successfully raised cGBP1.3 million from twenty-five UK-based private investors. More than 100 high-growth early-stage enterprises, focused on delivering profit with purpose, have applied for funding, with 8 having secured or in active discussion about investment. These include:
• Talking Medicines is a Glasgow headquartered data-tech company that believes that the patient should be at the centre of healthcare. Talking Medicines’ data-products allow Pharmaceutical Companies to make patient centric marketing
Medical cannabis and wellness brand Sanity Group closes a USD22 million Series A round led by Calyx, a European cannabis-focused investment fund and HV Holtzbrinck Ventures, one of Germany’s largest venture funds.
Karan Wadhera, managing partner at Casa Verde, Scooter Braun’s investment fund TQ Ventures and Berlin-based Cherry Ventures also participated in the round. The round, which is the largest cannabis financing round in Europe to date, is also TQ Ventures’ first investment into cannabis.
Los Angeles-based Casa Verde Capital is the investment firm launched by Calvin Broadus (Snoop Dogg). Existing Sanity Group investors Atlantic Food Labs and several angel
Align Capital Partners’ (ACP) environmental services platform Alliance Source Testing (AST) has acquired METCO Environmental (METCO) from TestAmerica, a subsidiary of Eurofins Scientific (ERFSF). METCO provides source emissions (or stack) testing services to customers primarily across the Texas and Gulf Coast regions with offices in Dallas, Houston, and Baton Rouge.
METCO is a leader in the region, building a strong reputation for quality over the past 40 years, providing source testing and air emissions services to chemical, oil & gas production and refining, demilitarisation, power generation, and other customers.
“Acquiring METCO adds experienced talent, resources, and expertise to AST, further cementing
Events
12 November, 2026 – 8:00 am
12 November, 2026 – 5:00 pm
