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EXCEL Esports (EXCEL), a leading British esports franchise competing in League of Legends, Fortnite and VALORANT, has secured EUR20 million (GBP17 million) in new equity capital.
This financing round was led by investment firm JRJ Group which first acquired a majority shareholding in 2018 alongside TOMS Capital LLC, the family office of Noam Gottesman. Amongst the new investors joining them are IPGL Ltd, the family office of Michael Spencer; the family office of Alan Howard; and the international private equity firm TNF Investments.
EXCEL has rapidly grown into a top name in competitive gaming, most notably as a founding partner
StepEx, the only FCA-regulated fintech startup that provides affordable student finance based on future earnings rather than debt, has raised GBP1.1 million in pre-seed funding.
This follows an earlier angel investment of GBP270,000. Backed by BBVA Anthemis Venture Partnership, Triple Point Ventures, and prominent angel investors — including renowned fintech investor Chris Adelsbach — the money will primarily fund further development of the company’s machine learning model and user platform, as well as expansion of the senior team.
Only two per cent of the population can afford to take on the cost of pursuing a top postgraduate qualification. StepEx aims to widen
Certain funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management are to acquire a majority stake in Reno De Medici SpA (RDM), a leading producer of recycled cartonboard in Europe.
Apollo Funds will acquire approximately 67 per cent equity ownership in RDM from the Company’s top two shareholders, Cascades Inc. (TSX: CAS) and Caisse de dépot et placement du Québec for EUR1.45 per share (with no adjustments, save as further detailed below), representing a 24 per cent premium to the 90-day volume weighted average share price. The closing of the transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions as further detailed
DWS has launched its new institutional ESG Infrastructure Debt Fund (EIDF), which will focus on European sustainability themed infrastructure sectors which contribute towards making society and economies more sustainable.
ESG will play a key factor in all strategic allocations for the fund, targeting sectors including: renewable energy, digital, energy efficiency/utilities, clean mobility/transportation and social infrastructure. It will make 10-15 private infrastructure debt investments (loans and notes) with circa 70 per cent across senior debt, and circa 30 per cent in junior debt with a positive ESG contribution essential for the investment decision making process. With the aim to deliver sustainable
Livingbridge, one of the UK’s leading mid-market private equity investors, has invested in World of Books Group (Wob), a UK online re-seller of second-hand books.
Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Goring-by-Sea, West Sussex, Wob is a re-commerce business operating within the books sector, committed to acting as a force for good. Its purpose driven actions focus on three areas – the promotion of used goods; championing literacy by helping to make books more widely accessible; and taking action to reduce carbon emissions – each aligned with the UN Sustainable Development goals of responsible consumption, quality education and climate action.
Wob’s
Transine Therapeutics, a biotechnology company developing a novel class of therapeutic RNAs based on its pioneering SINEUP platform technology, has appointed Jan Thirkettle, PhD as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
Thirkettle joins Transine’s team at a time of rapid growth following the Company’s recent successful GBP9.1 million extended Seed financing, which was co-led by Takeda Ventures, Inc and the Dementia Discovery Fund.
Thirkettle has close to 25 years’ experience of building cross functional teams to drive delivery of innovative technologies. Jan has built platforms and played a leadership role in the commercialisation of multiple therapeutics across small molecule, biopharmaceutical
Pemberton, a European private credit manager, has appointed Graeme Dell as the its new Chief Operating Officer (COO), effective 1 July 2021.
Dell brings over 30 years of financial services experience in private equity, asset management, equities broking and investment banking, most recently at private equity firm BC Partners, where he was COO for the last seven years.
Prior to BC Partners, Dell was the Group Finance Director at Ashmore Group Plc from 2007 to 2014 and The Evolution Group Plc from 2001 to 2007. Previously he held senior roles with the Operations, Technology and Finance Divisions at both
Private equity house WestBridge has promoted Peter Barkley to director.
Barkley joined WestBridge in August 2019 to head the firm’s newly opened Manchester office and establish the firm in the north west, north east and Yorkshire markets.
After qualifying at BDO, he joined Dow Schofield Watts where he came to the attention of WestBridge after advising the firm on its GBP10 million investment in environmental consultancy APEM. Since moving to WestBridge, he has joined the APEM board and is actively supporting the company’s buy and build strategy.
Barkley was also instrumental in the delivery and completion of the
Europe’s leading retail & consumer investment and innovation firm True has held the close of its latest fund – Fund III – dedicated to backing the retail and consumer businesses, at the forefront of consumer behavioural change.
Following a virtual fundraising process True has exceeded its target of GBP250 million with support from both new and existing institutional investors. The fund was oversubscribed and in total True now has over GBP600 million (USD850 million) AUM – just five years after Fund I closed.
True takes majority and minority positions in future-fit, digital-first businesses that are capitalising on the shift
Global investment firm KKR is to acquire Global Infrastructure Partners’ (GIP) entire interest in Highway Concessions One (HC1) and seven highway assets with a total length of 487 kilometres.
HC1 is a platform in India that manages GIP’s road portfolio which spans across seven states including Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana.
Through the acquisition of GIP’s interest in HC1, KKR aims to help strengthen and expand India’s national highway network, which serves about 40 per cent of total traffic but accounts for only 2 per cent of the country’s road network. This latest infrastructure investment
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