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PlanetWatchers, a crop monitoring company that can provide detailed insurance claims assessment in just one hour, has closed a Pre-A series funding round, raising USD3.5 million to support the Company’s growth plans.
PlanetWatchers is a world-leading technology company that uses advanced machine learning to support crop insurers in reporting planting dates, acreage, crop classification and claims validation at scale. The Company uses Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data to provide accurate insight regardless of cloud cover, bad weather or poor lighting. PlanetWatchers exploits the unique benefits of SAR, to create in-season insights that reduce overheads and increases customer satisfaction.
PlanetWatchers,
LeapFrog Investments, a with Purpose investment firm, reached 221 million people in 35 countries with essential services during the pandemic, according to its Annual Impact Results.
Together, LeapFrog’s investee companies were able to reach 16 million more people compared to 2019, at a time when support was profoundly needed. They provided underserved communities with access to a range of healthcare and financial services, including insurance, remittances, diagnostics and telemedicine.
At the same time, LeapFrog achieved a 22 per cent uptick in the value of its portfolios over 2020. Across the past decade, LeapFrog companies have grown revenue on average
The Kempen European Private Equity Fund, the private equity investment fund of Kempen Capital Management (Kempen), has acquired a direct interest in the German group of opticians and audiologists Ounda, which currently operates 65 branches across Germany and targets the high-end segment of the opticians’ and audiologists’ market.
Ounda was founded in 2020 and has since then grown into a group of 65 opticians’ and audiologists’ branches across Germany. The group currently employs over 400 people. The management team of Ounda has ample experience in the opticians’ and audiologists’ market, and every branch employs at least one qualified optician.
Duke Street, the leading European mid-market private equity group, is to acquire COMPO, a European producer and distributor of gardening soil, fertiliser, plant protection and lawn seeds.
Headquartered in Münster, Germany, COMPO is currently owned by Kingenta Ecological Engineering Group Co Ltd (Kingenta), a publicly listed company and one of the leading fertiliser producers in China. Kingenta has owned COMPO since 2016.
COMPO is one of the market leaders across continental Europe, having established a wide range of products under the most respected and well-known brands in the industry. Its diverse product portfolio offers retailers and consumers ‘bio’ alternatives
CVC has completed an investment in A Bathing Ape (BAPE) after the brand became an independent company from IT Limited. This follows the successful privatisation of IT Limited by Brooklyn Investment Limited, owned by CVC Capital Partners Asia V Limited (CVC) and the Founder Group of IT on Friday 30 April 2021.
With the investment, CVC has acquired co-control of BAPE.
BAPE has been among the world’s most iconic streetwear brands since its founding in Harajuku, Tokyo, Japan in 1993. BAPE’s line up of labels includes A Bathing Ape, AAPE, Baby Milo, BAPE Black, and Mr Bathing Ape,
Ares Management Corporation (Ares) has completed its previously announced acquisition of Landmark Partners, one of the largest and most experienced investors in acquiring secondary private fund ownership stakes in the alternative asset management industry.
With more than USD19.6 billion in assets under management as of 31 March, 2021, Landmark provides private equity, real estate and infrastructure secondaries solutions for institutional investors. Founded in 1989, Landmark is led by a team of 150 professionals located in six offices across the US, Europe and Asia and has developed a loyal investor base of more than 600 institutional investors. With its significant investment
Apex Group (Apex) is to acquire BRL Trust Investimentos (BRL Trust), a Brazil-based independent fund administrator.
This acquisition reinforces the Group’s intent for the Latin American market, supplementing its private equity capabilities while adding liquid asset servicing capabilities for Brazil and the broader Latin American market. This deal further complements the Group’s previous announcement of its intent to acquire MAF, the fund administration business of the Brazil-based Banco Modal which is currently awaiting regulatory approval.
The BRL Trust business will add BRL198 billion (USD38 billion at current exchange rates) in assets under administration and BRL166.7 billion (USD32 billion at current
Neo KUma Ventures, the UK’s first investment fund dedicated solely to psychedelic healthcare, is to invest in seven innovative healthcare companies.
York Capital Private Equity, York Capital Management’s private equity group, has made a strategic growth investment in Cennox, a global provider of integrated facilities-based services and solutions to a wide range of end-markets.
Founded in 2006, Cennox provides integrated services and solutions to the financial services, commercial, retail, and transportation industries. Cennox is an independent, multi-vendor service provider to cash automation machines and self-checkout kiosks. The company’s global operations span 1,500 employees that cover the United States, United Kingdom and mainland-Europe. Since its founding, Cennox has scaled through 15 acquisitions and consistent organic growth.
“We are thrilled to have
Sun Capital Partners, Inc (Sun Capital), a private investment firm focused on defensible businesses in growing markets with tangible performance improvement opportunities, has announced that its affiliate has completed the acquisition of Century Distribution Systems, a global digital logistics provider offering supply chain management and freight forwarding services. Terms of the private transaction were not disclosed.
Founded in 1969, Century leverages its proprietary technology platform to perform mission critical supply chain services, including SKU-level purchase order management, document management and compliance services, vendor and carrier management, visibility management and consolidated shipment optimization of less-than-containerload freight. Century partners with its
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