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These are propitious times for European infrastructure managers. The European Commission has estimated that around EUR200 billion is needed to upgrade Europe’s infrastructure during the current decade for transmission grids and gas pipelines.
“Clearly the opportunity set in infrastructure is vast and continuing,” comments Martin Lennon, Co Founder and Head of Infracapital, one of Europe’s leading infrastructure investors. Part of M&G Prudential, Lennon co-founded Infracapital with Ed Clarke in 2001, since when it has subsequently raised and managed more than GBP5 billion across five funds.
“Existing infrastructure in Europe needs to be kept relevant in today’s world. There are
Traditional European infrastructure is going through a period of transition. Digital communication technology and a push towards sustainable energy production is leading to a move away from a centralised, regulated and vertical model to more of a distributed, connected model that scales laterally.
This is giving rise to a slew of new investment opportunities in key areas such as transport and e-mobility, sustainable energy and digital communication as EU countries seek out ways to upgrade ageing infrastructure to respond to 21st century living.
One of the key components to making this happen is having the right investment partners to bridge the
European infrastructure is an exciting space today for investors. Mega trends, such as digitalisation, decarbonisation, and changing city demographics (in terms of transportation and mobility) are pushing countries to re-think their infrastructure systems and re-engineer them to cope with 21st century living.
Within the energy space alone, this means reducing reliance on coal fired power stations, decommissioning nuclear power stations, and a continued commitment to investing in renewable energy sources. According to the International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook 2017, the proportion of total global electricity generated by renewables will increase from 24 per cent in 2016 to 40 per cent
Monomoy Capital Partners III (Monomoy) has acquired Edsal Manufacturing Co (Edsal), a provider of residential steel storage racks sold at retail.
Edsal, started in 1957 by Edwin Saltzberg, manufactures, sources and distributes branded and private label storage products for garages, tool sheds and basements. The company is a specialist in residential steel shelving sold through the home improvement, big box and mass retail channels with a growing presence in ecommerce sales. Edsal also manufactures steel cabinets and lockers for homes and small businesses; industrial racking products and free-standing tool boxes; plus a variety of related products for garage and basement storage.
Mimecast Limited, an email and data security company, has acquired Ataata, a cybersecurity training and awareness platform.
Mimecast says the acquisition will allow customers to measure cyber risk training effectiveness by converting behaviour observations into actionable risk metrics for security professionals. The addition of security awareness training and risk scoring and analysis strengthens Mimecast’s cyber resilience for email capabilities.
According to research Mimecast conducted with Vanson Bourne, 90 per cent of organisations have seen phishing attacks increase over the last year, yet only 11 per cent responded that they continuously train employees on how to spot cyberattacks. This spans organisations
Alternative finance provider Liberis has used Open Banking technology to increase funding access for UK small businesses, using it to process a full funding application for the first time.
Working with leaders in Open Banking technology Openwrks, Liberis was granted access by the customer to see its bank account transaction data in real time. Allowing a clear picture of the business’s funding needs and capabilities, Liberis used this new data source to enhance its decision-making.
This revolutionary method allowed Liberis to assess the application without the customer having to provide additional physical proof of their transaction history. This is a
Expanding its investment platform in the mid-market restaurant franchise segment, High Bluff Capital Partners (HBCP) has acquired Taco Del Mar, a fast-casual chain featuring coastal Mexican cuisine, from Franchise Brands. Terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.
The deal comes on the heels of HBCP’s acquisition last month of QCE, parent of Quiznos, a provider of premium toasted sandwiches.
“We see tremendous opportunity to continue to build out our platform in the mid-market restaurant franchise segment, which has many regionally strong concepts with significant growth potential,” says Gerry Lopez, Operating Partner at High Bluff Capital. “Our approach is
Leading independent fund and corporate services provider, the Aztec Group, has assisted the Dementia Discovery Fund (DDF) with its final close and will continue to support the fund with its ongoing administration.
Managed by SV Health, the DDF is a specialist fund that provides venture finance for companies developing new medicines for dementia. It was formed through the collaboration of leading pharmaceutical companies, the UK Department of Health and the Charity, Alzheimer’s Research UK.
Initially launched in 2015, the DDF has brought together funding from the private sector, charity and industry and already has an initial portfolio of 16
Bregal Investments has secured a EUR400 million capital commitment for Bregal Milestone’s maiden private capital fund.
Bregal Milestone will make non-control investments in profitable, growing European family and founder-led businesses with global ambitions. The fund has a mandate to provide debt, structured equity and other minority investments tailored to suit the specific needs of each company. Funding is commonly used to support growth, provide liquidity to shareholders, and/or finance acquisitions.
Bregal Milestone focuses on investing in businesses with strong management teams and proprietary products and services. Typical commitments range from EUR20 million to EUR60 million. The Bregal Milestone team
Bacharach, a provider of HVAC-R gas instrumentation and energy management solutions and a portfolio company of FFL Partners, has acquired Neutronics Inc, a provider of refrigerant and gas analysers.
Neutronics’ technologies serve the automotive and commercial HVAC markets, and provide high-purity oxygen analysers to the semi-conductor industry, and self-contained breathing units to the safety and rescue industry.
Financial terms of the private transaction have not been disclosed.
The combination of Bacharach and Neutronics will significantly strengthen Bacharach’s ability to provide the worldwide HVAC-R and Automotive markets with high quality Fixed and Portable Gas Test and Measurement Instrumentation.
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