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Equita Capital SGR – the alternative asset management company of the Equita Group – and Cordusio SIM – the wealth management boutique of the UniCredit Group – have held the first closing of Equita Smart Capital – ELTIF, a private equity and alternative PIR fund which will invest in Italian small and medium enterprises.
After just a few months of marketing, Equita Smart Capital – ELTIF has reached EUR50 million of commitments, well above the EUR30 million threshold necessary to first close the fund and including a commitment from a primary institutional investor.
The focus on Italian private equity
Growth Catalyst Partners (GCP), a middle market private equity firm that focuses on investments in rapidly growing information, marketing and tech-enabled services businesses, has made three additions to its team.
James Barbour and Rachel Choi join as Senior Associates and Marissa Nazario as CFO & Chief Compliance Officer.
“Our firm’s success relies on exceptionally talented investment professionals who work together flawlessly as a team. We have established ten platform companies comprised of 50 acquisitions. Our team has demonstrated they can successfully originate proprietary opportunities, attract world class executive talent, execute complex integrations and help successfully lead our companies through
Financial services company Beckett Investment Management Group (Beckett) has made a strategic bolt-on acquisition in the East of England, as it continues to expand amid continuing strong demand for its trusted services.
Six months after an investment from the GBP100 million Foresight East of England Fund, Beckett, which is headquartered in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, has grown its assets under management from GBP775 million to GBP850 million and expanded its team by more than 10 per cent to 85.
Managing Director, Ian White, says: “2021 is proving to be a milestone year for our business, which has continued to build
Livingbridge has partnered with Veramed, a leading specialist biometrics Contract Research Organisation (CRO) serving pharmaceutical and biotech clients across the UK, Europe and US.
The Company’s founders Matthew and Emma Jones will retain a significant shareholding and along with the existing management team continue to manage the business on a day-to-day basis. Livingbridge’s investment will support the Company’s strategy to expand geographically, broaden its offering and continually improve its employee and client experience.
Founded in 2012 by Matthew and Emma Jones and headquartered in London, Veramed provides statistical consulting, programming and study reporting, and market launch and commercialisation services
BGF has expanded its Central Scotland team following the appointments of investors, John Devine and Chris Nixon.
The pair will join a team of five experienced investors working across both BGF’s Edinburgh and Belfast offices, as the firm continues to look for opportunities to invest in growing businesses with the ambition and potential to scale.
BGF typically backs companies with revenues from GBP1 million right up to GBP100 million-plus, and across all sectors. This year alone in Scotland, the company has already invested over GBP40 million across 12 growth businesses, including a cornerstone investment which marked BGF’s second investment in
Victory Capital Holdings has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 100 per cent of WestEnd Advisors (WestEnd) for an upfront payment of USD480 million.
WestEnd will become Victory Capital’s 12th Investment Franchise and represents a new dimension of growth and diversification. Founded in 2004, and headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, WestEnd provides financial advisers with turnkey, core model allocation strategies serving as holistic solutions and complementary sources of alpha. With approximately USD18 billion in assets, the firm offers four primary ETF strategies and one large cap core strategy, all in tax efficient Separately Managed Account (SMA) structures.
“The acquisition
O’Melveny has represented DigiLens Inc, an specialist in head-worn holographic display and waveguide technology, in its Series D funding round led by Samsung Electronics, a transaction valuing DigiLens at over USD500 million.
The transaction was announced on 2 November.
Additional industry leaders joining the funding round include Samsung Electro-Mechanics, Diamond Edge Ventures, the strategic investment arm of Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation, Alsop Louie Partners, 37 Interactive Entertainment, UDC Ventures, the corporate venture arm of Universal Display Corporation, Dolby Family Ventures, and others.
A second close is scheduled to be completed near the end of 2021.
Headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA, DigiLens
Hg, a software and services investor and supporter of the expansion of legal technology solutions specialist Litera since 2019, is leading a further investment in the business.
The terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.
Based in Chicago, New York and London, Litera software empowers users across the legal industry to generate, review and distribute high-quality content quickly and securely, from any device. Litera supports thousands of document-intensive organisations across the globe, helping them to satisfy the complex demands of clients and regulators, using innovative technologies such as AI and machine learning.
Litera has seen significant growth
GeoWealth, a modern turnkey asset management program (TAMP) built for advisers, has raised USD19 million in a Series B funding round led by Kayne Partners Fund, the growth private equity group of Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors, with a follow-on investment from JP Morgan Asset Management, a strategic investor in GeoWealth since 2018.
“GeoWealth’s rapid growth is a reflection of its exceptional ability to solve the challenges facing financial advisors today,” says Robert Shilton, Managing Director, Growth Equity at Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors. “Whether it’s flexible investment solutions, a modern back office, or an elevated client experience, GeoWealth stands apart from
Avantax, a specialist in tax-focused financial planning, has acquired Pennsylvania-based Warner Finance, with approximately USD258 million in total client assets as of 11 October, 2021.
The transaction expands the presence of Avantax’s employee-based RIA (registered investment advisor) while enabling the Warner team to focus on new growth opportunities as they leverage the significant staff, technology and resources of Avantax.
“After successfully growing my business for many years, I was interested in a path that would monetise my business but also let me focus more on serving my clients and less on the day-to-day dealings of running an office. I
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