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Smart Communications has completed its spinoff from Thunderhead and has launched as an independent company led by its existing management team and backed by Accel-KKR, a technology-focused private equity firm.
As an independent company, Smart Communications will continue to define and lead the next generation of cloud-enabled customer communications management (CCM) by focusing on scaling its growth in new and existing markets, broadening its industry reach, and accelerating innovation and product development.
Smart Communications’ blue-chip customer base spans three continents and includes over 300 customers from a diverse range of industry sectors, including banking, insurance, healthcare, telecoms and retail,
The Thomson Reuters Private Equity Buyout Index (TRPEI) and the Thomson Reuters Venture Capital Index (TRVCI) returned 0.25 per cent and 1.87 per cent in August, respectively.
This brings their year-to-date performance to +5.43 per cent and +0.94 per cent.
The Thomson Reuters PE Buyout and VC indices each seek to track the aggregate gross performance of its respective industry in the US.
They are the first indices to allow liquid access to the gross performance of the private equity and venture capital industries through index-linked investment products.
Both the Thomson Reuters PE Buyout Index (TRPEI) and the Thomson Reuters VC Index (TRVCI) are
Norsk Titanium has secured an investment from Silicon Valley-based Applied Ventures, the venture capital arm of Applied Materials, a specialist in materials engineering solutions used to produce chips and advanced displays.
Terms of the investment have not been released.
“Applied Ventures’ equity investment positions Norsk Titanium and our disruptive Rapid Plasma Deposition capability into the core of the Silicon Valley additive manufacturing revolution,” says Norsk Titanium chairman of the board John Andersen, Jr. “Applied’s extensive capabilities in materials engineering and process management complement our unique titanium capabilities as well as our global expansion into new metal alloys and markets
Alternative investment firm HIG Capital has appointed Appu Mundassery as the company’s head of direct lending in Europe.
Based in London, Mundassery joined HIG in 2009 as a managing director.
With affiliates in the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, HIG’s European direct lending team manages a portfolio of directly originated par loans to small and mid-size companies with EBITDA up to EUR25 million.
John Bolduc, HIG executive managing director who oversees HIG’s global credit platform, says: “Appu has done a terrific job helping us develop our direct lending business in Europe and under his leadership, I am
Gide has advised iBionext on setting up the firm’s management company and on structuring its first venture capital fund, iBionext Growth Fund.
The fund specialises in the investment in and development of healthcare start-ups.
iBionext Growth Fund has announced a first closing of USD52.5 million, with a target of USD112 million for 2017.
The fund has drawn interest from international investors, insurance companies and family offices, alongside the Biotech & Healthcare Acceleration Fund (FABS) operated by Bpifrance in the context of the Investments for the Future Program (PIA) managed by General Commissariat for Investment.
Gide’s team comprised partner
Audax Private Equity, together with its co-investors and management, has completed the sale of Laborie Medical Technologies to Patricia Industries, a part of Investor AB.
Headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, Laborie Medical Technologies is a provider of medical devices for urological, pelvic health, and gastrointestinal applications.
The company’s products are used in the diagnosis and treatment of urinary incontinence and other urological and GI conditions. Laborie supplies physician offices, hospitals, and mobile providers on six continents.
Since Audax’ initial investment in 2012, Laborie has completed 14 acquisitions to expand product lines and enter international markets.
Young Lee, managing
Alternative asset investment firm HIG Capital has appointed Appu Mundassery as the firm’s head of direct lending in Europe.
Based in London, Mundassery joined HIG in 2009 as a managing director.
With affiliates in the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, HIG’s European direct lending team manages a sizeable portfolio of directly originated par loans to small and mid-size companies with EBITDA up to EUR25 million.
John Bolduc, HIG executive managing director who oversees HIG’s global credit platform, says: “Appu has done a terrific job helping us develop our direct lending business in Europe and under his leadership,
Twino Group, a consumer lender, has now issued over EUR300 million in issued loans.
The company, which has been operating since 2009, provides unsecured consumer loans for private individuals in 10 countries, including Poland, Russia and Georgia.
In May 2015, the company also launched a peer-to-peer lending platform, offering investors from across Europe an opportunity to earn premium returns by investing into consumer loans originated by Twino Group’s lending companies.
Fuelled by a BuyBack Guarantee, which protects investors from the borrower default risk, the platform has attracted over 4,000 investors from 30 countries, who have already funded EUR49.5
Direct to market venture firm Legion Capital has launched the Legion High Yield Mortgage Fund I, a USD25 million real estate mortgage fund to finance property acquisition, renovation and rent.
"The US real estate market is experiencing a sustained recovery, with home equity nearly doubled since 2011. However, banks are still not lending money to builders and developers – creating a huge void in the market for real estate finance,” says Jim Byrd, chairman and CEO of Legion Capital Corporation. "This creates a great opportunity for investors looking for secured income in the current volatile market environment."
The fund targets
Global retail marketing company TCC Global has acquired online retailing specialist Summit.
The deal, advised by Livingstone, sees TCC Global, which turned over EUR500 million in 2015, bring in Summit’s expertise in online retailing to enhance its digital engagement capabilities.
Summit, which turned over in excess of GBP47 million in the same year, will retain its established brand and existing senior management team, who have worked on the business for many years.
TCC Global was founded in 1991 by Richard Beattie, the group’s chairman. Today, TCC Global runs campaigns in more than 70 countries, operating from 34 offices
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