Latest News
Scoota, a specialist in automated omni-channel digital branding technology, has announced a GBP2 million round from Notion Capital, the Angel CoFund (ACF) and VentureFounders. The growth funding will be used for rapid US expansion plans for the latter part of 2020 and early 2021.
In the current climate this raise speaks to the strength of Scoota’s business model and technology, offering its clients a completely new approach to fraud-free, automated omni-channel digital branding, all through one single platform. The company, which is based in London and New York, is rapidly increasing its direct-client base alongside its swift expansion into the US
High Road Capital Partners’ portfolio company General Tools & Instruments (www.generaltools.com) has acquired Garden Weasel (www.gardenweasel.com), a provider of specialised lawn and garden tools, from Faultless Brands. The transaction marks General Tools’ second acquisition under High Road’s ownership, having acquired PacTool International in November 2017.
The acquisition comprises Garden Weasel’s assets, trademarks, patents, and related intellectual property, including the Garden Weasel, Garden Claw, and WeedPopper and other easy-to-use cultivators, weeders, edgers, nut gatherers and hand tools with distinctive red handles. Launched in the US in 1975, Garden Weasel products are sold primarily in hardware stores, farm and fleet stores, home
Adams Street Partners, a private markets investment management firm with more than USD41 billion of assets under management, has appointed Robin Murray and Dave Brett to the firm’s Executive Committee, effective 1 May , 2020. In addition, Murray will succeed Terry Gould as Head of Growth Equity Investments, who will remain an active member of Adams Street’s Growth Equity Team before transitioning into retirement from full-time work during 2021.
Murray joined the firm as a Partner on the Growth Equity Investment Team in 2008, and is based in Adams Street’s Menlo Park office where he focuses on the technology sector. Murray is a
SANNE, a provider of alternative asset and corporate business services, has completed the acquisition of long-term investment specialists Inbhear Fund Service and Inbhear Management Services.
Digital financial services company Alpian, incubated by the Swiss banking group REYL & Cie, has completed a Series A funding round worth CHF12.2 million.
EQT Ventures has led a USD12 million Series A funding round in Peanut, a newly launched social network for women.
Index Ventures and Female Founders Fund also participated in this round, bringing the company’s total funding to USD 21.8 million.
The fresh capital will be used to launch new communities beyond [the already existing] areas of fertility and motherhood, including a space for women living with menopause.
Lyle Fong, partner at EQT Ventures, will use his expertise in community-focused products to aid Peanut’s next stage of growth.
“Lyle’s unprecedented experience of building and scaling community-focused products will be vital as
Asia Pacific’s private market attracted USD117 billion in net capital inflow in 2019, led predominantly by private equity where fund raising topped USD94 billion according to McKinsey’s Private Markets Review 2020. This represented a 25 per cent reduction year-on-year, led principally by closed ended real estate, which closed 2019 with a modest USD13 billion in fundraising; down 39 per cent on 2018.
The big question for the region now, among global investment groups, is where strategic value opportunities might reside in light of the fall in market valuations caused by Covid-19. One only has to look at oil prices moving
Insulation and fire protection expert Aran Services has secured GBP1.5 million in working capital from Independent Growth Finance (IGF). The funds, which were raised using invoice discounting, were used to support the recent MBO and to provide working capital to support the continued growth of the business.Founded in 2004, the Suffolk-based company specialises in domestic and commercial energy efficiency and fire safety, working with schools, social landlords, local authorities, utility providers and home owners, to ensure their systems are up to scratch.
Aran Services serves the most vulnerable in society, with innovations lowering the cost of bills, reducing carbon emissions
Approximately 80 per cent of private equity sponsors believe there could be up to a 25 per cent reduction in the value of portfolio investments in their Q1 valuations, according to a new survey by Gen II Fund Services.The survey also shows there is still a high degree of uncertainty regarding the long-term effects of COVID-19 on investments and as a result, traditional methodologies for valuing portfolio investments are less reliable. For Q1, sponsors are considering a combination of approaches, including public company comparables, third party valuation services, and adjustments to previously applied valuation methodology.
“The survey gives our clients important
BGF has reported strong investment and financial performance in its 2019 Annual Report and Accounts.BGF surpassed the GBP2 billion investment milestone and surpassed 300 companies backed in total during the year. Against the backdrop of ongoing Brexit uncertainty, BGF continued to remain very active in 2019 investing more than GBP200 million in 45 new portfolio companies and providing a further GBP144 million in follow-on funding across 67 investee businesses.
BGF’s evergreen funding model, which sees it recycle proceeds and provide follow on capital to its portfolio, is now a well proven model to deliver patient capital at scale.
BGF also
Special Reports
Featured
Events
12 November, 2026 – 8:00 am
12 November, 2026 – 5:00 pm
