Managers
Oxx, a growth capital firm focussed on B2B software companies, has led a USD8 million growth equity investment in Stockholm-based Funnel, a software company delivering automated data collection and transformation software to advertising and marketing business users.
Existing investors, including Balderton, Industrifonden and Zobito also participated in the round. The investment will help Funnel to continue its rapid growth and continue to expand internationally, including in the United States, where the company opened an office in 2016 and has since seen strong demand. The company’s strong traction with enterprises, including some of the world’s largest brands, and excellent metrics, evidence
SK Capital Partners, a private investment firm focussed on the speciality materials, chemicals and pharmaceuticals sectors, has closed SK Capital Partners Fund V with total committed capital of approximately USD2.1 billion.
Fund V includes a separate overage fund that will enable the firm to provide greater speed and certainty to sellers when it pursues larger transactions.
SK Capital Partners Fund V is the firm’s largest fund to date, eclipsing its USD500 million fund raised in 2011 and its USD1 billion predecessor fund raised in 2014. SK Capital currently has over USD4 billion of assets under management.
SK received
New research from eFront, a financial software and solutions provider dedicated to Alternative Investments, has shown that Chinese venture capital funds are outperforming those in the US and Europe in terms of return on capital.
A detailed analysis of venture capital funds globally shows that Chinese funds of vintage years 1997 to 2018 have delivered a returns of 1.79x (total value to paid-in), comparing favourably with US funds on 1.70x and Western European vehicles on 1.75x.
In addition, the research shows that Chinese funds take longer to reach maturity and have demonstrated longer hold periods for investments. In terms
Apax VIII, a fund advised by Apax Partners, is to sell its entire stake in AssuredPartners, a leading US insurance brokerage, to an investor group led by GTCR, a Chicago-based private equity firm.
GTCR previously owned AssuredPartners from its inception in 2011 until its sale to Apax VIII in 2015. The terms of today’s transaction, which is expected to close in the second quarter of 2019, have not been disclosed.
Apax IX, a separate fund advised by Apax Partners, will co-invest in the transaction alongside GTCR taking a significant minority stake in AssuredPartners. AssuredPartners’ management team retains its significant
FLOWERBX, an online, wholesale, flower-delivery service, has closed a GBP4.2 million (USD5.5m US) fundraising round. The new funding will pave the way for the company’s US launch, scheduled for May 2019.
This follows a successful raise of GBP1.5 million of seed equity in 2017, which was used to invest in a highly-scalable technology infrastructure and expansion into a number of key European regions, including France, Belgium, Ireland, Germany and the Netherlands.
The new round of funding comes from a small group of family offices and angel investors, including original and new investors. These include some of Britain’s most successful
When the International Monetary Fund released its forecast at Davos last month it expected a 1.6 per cent growth in Europe and a 3.5 per cent growth globally. When things are going well it’s all about value creation but when things are going badly it is the global macro environment – which perhaps some managers use as a safety blanket.
With global macro risks on the rise, GPs are bracing themselves for what could potentially be a major economic correction in 2019 but not all PE managers are worried.
Speaking at the 2019 International Private Equity Market event in
Mid-market private equity investor LDC has completed the sale of ATG Access (ATG) to Hill & Smith Holdings (Hill & Smith) in a deal which values the business at GBP22.5 million.
Headquartered in Haydock, ATG designs, manufactures and supplies high security vehicle barrier systems used to secure buildings and venues from vehicular impact and terrorist attacks. Installations include airports, stadia, railway stations, office developments and shopping centres.
LDC first backed the management team at ATG in 2013, providing a significant minority investment to support its international growth strategy and the development of new innovative security products in its portfolio.
With LDC’s support, ATG
Cairngorm Capital Partners’ (Cairngorm Capital) second fund, Cairngorm Capital II, has acquired Sentry Doors Holdings Limited (Sentry Doors). This transaction marks Cairngorm Capital’s entry into the fire protection sector.
Established in 1989, Sentry Doors is a specialist manufacturer of timber fire and security door-sets for the social housing, public sector, commercial and residential markets. Operating nationally from a 32,000 square foot facility in Doncaster, Sentry Doors has established a strong reputation for manufacturing products that meet the most rigorous quality and fire certification standards. Its commitment to regulatory compliance and high manufacturing standards has resulted in independent third party accreditations
PNC Bank, National Association, has closed a USD140 million senior secured credit facility to support Maryland-based Ames Watson’s acquisition of Lids Sports Group (LSG). PNC Bank served as administrative agent.
Founded in 1992, Indianapolis-based LSG is the largest omni-channel licensed sports retailer in North America, selling fan and fashion-oriented licensed sports headwear and apparel across the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico through 1,159 retail locations.
Ames Watson is a privately held diversified operating company that purchases, transforms and partners with middle market companies to create long term value. It is a permanent capital vehicle with committed assets and the
Nine months after Active Assurances teamed up with Activa Capital and Bpifrance, the specialist digital insurance broker has announced a merger with AFI Assurances, a specialist health, accident and life insurance brokerage.
AFI Assurances is an independent French insurance broker based in Evry (Essonne), specialised in digital health, accident and life insurance for B2C customers. The company, founded in 1996, is led by its founder, Frédéric Bacmann.
AFI Assurances has long-standing relationships with major insurance companies such as Generali, Swiss Life, Malakoff Médéric, and Allianz.
With a growth in its business of 25 per cent per year, AFI
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12 November, 2026 – 8:00 am
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