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At an official launch event in London last week, law firm Simmons & Simmons announced the start-up businesses that are to become the second cohort of recipients of support through the Simmons & Simmons FinTech Fund.
The Simmons & Simmons FinTech Fund launched in May 2016 and is the first fund of its kind designed to help early stage FinTech businesses solve some of the difficult legal hurdles they often encounter at earlier stages of their businesses. For the second year running the firm has set aside GBP100,000 to help four exciting FinTech start-ups solve those problems through the provision
Although sentiment about the economic outlook for the UK in the short term (next 18-24 months) is negative (54 per cent), reflecting Brexit uncertainty and slowing growth, there is a much more positive view (48 per cent) when it comes to the outlook for the next five to ten years.
That’s according to a new ‘State of the Nation’ survey of mid-market management teams, private equity investors, debt providers and advisors in the UK, by management consultancy CIL.
Over half of respondents (51 per cent) also felt positive about the investment environment for their business or portfolio, with a
Analytics 4 Life, a digital health company applying the power of artificial intelligence to develop solutions that improve existing care pathways, today announced it has completed a USD25 million Series B financing.
This unique financing event was supported by an international syndicate of accredited investors, including physicians, healthcare professionals, and medical device experts. The Company’s novel cardiac imaging technology is under clinical investigation to help physicians assess the presence of coronary artery disease (CAD) using intrinsic signals scanned from the body without radiation, contrast agents, or cardiac stress.
“Heart disease is the leading cause of death globally, with one
Private equity firm Sentinel Capital Partners has sold WellSpring Consumer Healthcare, a North American marketer of leading consumer health brands. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
WellSpring Consumer Healthcare manages a portfolio of high-performing consumer healthcare brands, including Emetrol, Bonine, Bactine, GlaxalBase, and FDS. These brands occupy the #1 or #2 positions in their respective segments and benefit from a long-standing heritage, high awareness among consumers, and an entrenched retail presence. WellSpring Consumer Healthcare possesses an in-house acquisition capability coupled with a highly efficient and scalable operating model which has proven its ability to identify and integrate new
BGF has agreed to exit its minority stake in aircraft seat manufacturer, Acro Aircraft Seating. The company will, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions including regulatory approval, be acquired by Zhejiang Science and Technology Investment Company (ZTC) for GBP55 million.
The acquisition will accelerate Acro’s access to the Chinese market. ZTC is the parent company of Zhejiang Tiancheng Controls Co., a manufacturer of seats for construction vehicles, trucks and cars listed in Shanghai.
BGF invested GBP7.8 million into Acro in November 2015 and, as a minority partner, has backed the company’s management team since then.
Co-founder and
Legal & General announces that it has provided circa GBP120 million of debt in support of the Equitix, HICL and Infrared consortium’s purchase of High Speed 1 (HS1), the high-speed railway connecting London to the Channel Tunnel.
The deal was financed by LGIM Real Assets, on behalf of clients including Legal & General Retirement (LGR), and represents its second investment in UK rail related infrastructure this year after it helped to finance a fleet of new Bombardier trains for the First MTR South Western Trains franchise in June.
The 68 mile line runs from the capital to Kent connecting
Maven Capital Partners has completed a GBP1 million investment in hedgehog lab Limited, a mobile app designer and technology consultancy headquartered in Newcastle.
The funding will support hedgehog lab’s next phase of growth and allow the company to further invest in its sales and marketing function, boost its delivery capabilities and broaden its presence overseas, while also creating additional jobs. hedgehog lab currently has a sales presence in the UK, US, Denmark and India and delivery teams in the UK and India.
hedgehog lab operates in a large and fast growing market which is being driven by an increasing
Funds managed by Blackstone Real Estate Partners and Blackstone Tactical Opportunities have completed the previously announced acquisition of International Market Centers (IMC), an owner and operator of premier showroom space for the furnishings, home decor and gift industries, from Bain Capital Private Equity, and funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management.
Fireside Investments also partnered with Blackstone on the acquisition.
IMC is the world’s largest owner and operator of premier showroom space for the furnishings, home decor and gift industries, with 12.2 million square feet of world-class exhibition space in High Point, NC and Las Vegas, NV catering to over 2,000
Specialist investment advisory firm Gravis Capital Management has hired ex-Fidelity director Charles Payne as an investment consultant.
Payne left Fidelity in 2015 after 14 successful years to become an independent investment consultant. He regularly lectures at London Business School, the Imperial College Business School and elsewhere on equity research, stock analysis, financial marketing and business ethics and will provide Gravis with support on portfolio management and construction.
Whilst at Fidelity Payne held a number of senior roles including Product Director with responsibility for European Equities, Director of Research and Executive Director managing the Equity Investment Operations, managing 120 staff,
Since 2013, emerging infrastructure fund managers – those which are raising their first or second unlisted infrastructure vehicle – have found the infrastructure fundraising market increasingly challenging, according to a report by Preeqin.
Funds closed by emerging managers have represented an increasingly shrinking proportion of total industry fundraising in 2016-2017 YTD compared to previous years, despite overall capital raised increasing in that period. At the same time, the disparity between the average size of funds raised by emerging and established managers has increased from USD391 million in 2011 to USD985 million in 2016, and currently the difference in average fund
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