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Mid-market private equity investor LDC has bolstered its senior team with the appointment of portfolio director Martyn Vitty.
With more than 12 years’ experience in senior leadership roles, Vitty joins LDC from high-growth manufacturer ELEY Group, where he held the positions of interim CEO and finance director.
Vitty joined LDC-backed ELEY Group in 2015 and played a key role in securing new contracts and establishing ELEY Americas in the USA. He also helped to implement the firm’s buy-and-build strategy overseas, which included the acquisition of Texas-based company KSS and the sale of Accles & Shelvoke to Frontmatec in Denmark.
Palatine Private Equity has made the third investment from its Impact Fund by acquiring a sizeable stake in Estio Training, a provider of IT, digital and technology apprenticeships.
The Leeds-based business offers 10 different apprenticeship programmes, including Data Analyst, Infrastructure Technician and Software Developer roles. Across its Leeds, Manchester and London sites, it currently has over 750 apprentices on programme.
Estio has developed a strong client base consisting of some of the UK’s biggest companies, including the likes of Santander, Asda and The Cooperative Group. It has also secured contracts with numerous NHS Trusts and Local Authority bodies throughout
The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), the sovereign wealth fund of Russia, and a consortium of sovereign wealth funds (among them the Russia-Japan Investment Fund, launched by RDIF and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC)) lead by RDIF, have invested in WayRay, a specialist in holographic AR displays for cars.
Hyundai Motor, Alibaba Group, China Merchants Capital and JVCKENWOOD have also invested in the project, with Porsche acting as the lead investor. The funds raised, which total USD80 million, will bolster the company’s focus on R&D, industrialisation and team expansion to become a supplier of holographic AR solutions for car manufacturers.
Since its
The value of offshore M&A deals in the first half of 2018 nearly matched the total recorded for the entire year 2017, according to a report released today by offshore law firm Appleby.
The latest edition of Offshore-i, an Appleby report that provides data and insight on merger and acquisition activity in the major offshore financial centres, focuses on transactions announced over the first half of 2018. Following a similar pattern to most of the world’s regions, the volume of offshore deals has fallen back from levels seen in the latter half of 2017, while value is on the rise.
AlphaNetworks, a blockchain-powered entertainment platform supported by industry-leading AI and cognitive science, has closed USD10 million in an initial funding round led by Alphabit Digital Currency Fund and joined by Shuttle Fund of Korea, Smart Contract of Japan and other crypto investors.
The announcement was made as part of AlphaNetworks’ appearance on the closing keynote panel of the International Broadcasting Conference in Amsterdam, the premier annual event for broadcast professionals worldwide.
AlphaNetworks is led by two-time Emmy winner, former Television Academy Governor and media consultant, Seth Shapiro. As Head of Production at DIRECTV Advanced Services, he launched over
Apposite Capital, a private equity firm with an exclusive focus on healthcare, has acquired Prime Health Diagnostics Limited (Prime Health).
This follows Apposite’s investments in Medical Imaging Partnership in 2016 and Medical Imaging Partnership’s subsequent acquisition of the specialist imaging activities of Nuada Medical (now Medical Imaging London) in central London in 2017.
Prime Health operates a diagnostic, treatment and fitness facility in Weybridge, Surrey offering a diverse range of clinical services supported by cutting edge technology. This includes an advanced 3T MRI scanner, digital X-ray and ultrasound.
As a well-established business in Surrey/West of London, Prime
Center Rock Capital Partners (Center Rock) has invested in LINC Systems (LINC), a North American distributor of fastener, packaging and MRO tools and supplies serving a broad range of industrial customers and end markets.
Center Rock invested in LINC out of its inaugural investment vehicle, Center Rock Capital Partners Fund I, LP, to support LINC’s continued expansion and pursuit of growth opportunities.
Center Rock is partnering with LINC founder and President, Ted Azar, who will continue to lead the Company. Headquartered in Westfield, Indiana, LINC provides industrial fastening solutions, packaging and MRO supplies to a broad base of customers
Hillhouse Capital has held the closing of Hillhouse Fund IV, which was heavily oversubscribed with aggregate capital commitments of USD10.6 billion.
From partnering with visionary founders at company inception, to undertaking buyouts of iconic brands, the flexibility of Hillhouse’s mandate enables it to be highly selective in choosing investments. Hillhouse Fund IV will pursue opportunities across the healthcare, consumer, technology and services sectors globally, with a focus on Asia. With the new fund, Hillhouse will continue to work closely with entrepreneurs and management teams in pursuit of sustainable, long-term growth.
In its private equity investments, Fund IV will implement
More than two thirds of small business owners (67 per cent) are working on plans to deliver growth in the next three months. This represents a rise from this time last year (61 per cent) and in every English region, there is an increase in the proportion of small businesses now working on an action plan for growth.
That’s according to the latest quarterly research from Hitachi Capital’s British Business Barometer which recently indicated a fall in the proportion of small businesses predicting growth for the next three months – and a sharp rise in the percentage of respondents fearful
HarbourVest Partners has appointed Karen Simeone as a Managing Director in the firm’s private credit business based in Boston.
Simeone joins Managing Directors Jamie Athanasoulas and Peter Lipson and will specifically expand HarbourVest’s senior credit investing capabilities.
“Institutional investors are allocating to private credit strategies at a robust pace, and we are building a strong team to provide our clients with the type of credit exposure they seek,” says Peter Wilson, Managing Director, HarbourVest. “Karen’s 20 years of credit experience will enable HarbourVest to continue adding to our private credit capabilities in both commingled fund and separate account formats.”
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