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A team of Hogan Lovells lawyers has advised the senior executive management team of VocaLink on its sale to MasterCard for approximately GBP700 million (USD920 million).
Hogan Lovells’ role involved advising VocaLink's senior management on their management incentive arrangements and their position and related matters, including warranties and disclosures. Under the agreement, a majority of VocaLink’s shareholders will retain 7.6 per cent ownership for at least three years.
Based in London, VocaLink operates key payments technology platforms on behalf of UK payment schemes, including: BACS – the Automated Clearing House (ACH) enabling direct credit and direct debit payments between
eSolidar, which launched a crowdfunding campaign on Seedrs on 27 June, has already raised over 50 per cent of its GBP200,000 target and is currently the most successful live foreign campaign on Seedrs.
Portuguese venture capital firm Portugal Ventures has now committed a minimum of EUR50,000 to the company. eSolidar’s founder Marco Barbosa says he is confident of reaching the GBP200,000 target by the end of August.
eSolidar.com is a global giving marketplace, used by Elton John and Katy Perry among 100 other celebrities and brands, that allows people to shop, sell and donate to their favourite charitable causes.
Bretèche Industrie Group, a manufacturer of equipment for the international food and pharmaceutical industries, backed by Equistone Partners Europe and Cerea Capital since 2013, has acquired Shick, a US-based provider of ingredient automation systems.
Founded in 1956 and located in Kansas City, Missouri, Shick is a family firm that specialises in automation solutions for the baking industry. The company is best known for manufacturing silos and dosing equipment for use prior to the kneading phase and generated approximately USD50 million in sales last year.
Following the acquisition of Shick, the group expects to generate consolidated sales of nearly EUR230
Salveo Capital has re-launched Salveo Fund I with the addition of managing directors Michael Gruber and Jeffrey Howard and director of fund operations Achint Prabhat to the existing team of partners Alex Thiersch and John Dohm and director of communications Eric Atienza.
Salveo is a venture capital fund with offices in Chicago, Illinois, that will invest in emerging growth companies within the cannabis sector. The addition of the new team members brings investment, fund management, capital markets and due diligence experience to complement the existing team.
Gruber has over 20 years of experience working with early stage investments, particularly
Platte River Equity has acquired CTS Engines in partnership with the CTS senior management team.
Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, CTS provides a full spectrum of maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services for established engine platforms, specialising in the overhaul of the General Electric CF6-80C2, CF6-80A and CF6-50 engines, as well as the Pratt & Whitney PW2000.
CTS also performs developmental testing on next generation aerospace engines utilising the highest thrust independent commercial test facility in the world, located in Jupiter, Florida.
CTS will continue to operate out of its two Florida-based facilities.
The investment by Platte
Inflexion portfolio company British Engineering Services, an engineering testing, inspection and certification business, has acquired material testing consultancy Nortest Limited.
Inflexion says the deal will strengthen British Engineering Services’ ability to provide its customers with premium quality engineering testing, inspection and certification services throughout the UK and the Republic of Ireland by adding a comprehensive range of non-destructive testing, positive material examinations and welding certification services.
Stewart Kay, group CEO at British Engineering Services, says: "I’m extremely proud to announce today our first acquisition as British Engineering Services. We are a relatively new business, but we have a long
Asia-based healthcare company Columbia Asia has secured USD101 million in investment from Mitsui & Co.
Columbia Asia, part of Seattle-based Columbia Pacific Management, has 27 hospitals and one clinic in India, Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia. They are focused on serving Asia’s rapidly growing middle class with modern and efficient multispecialty hospitals located close to where patients live and work.
Tokyo-based Mitsui & Co, already a major healthcare investor in Asia, says it sees tremendous growth potential in the Columbia Asia platform, which is the only healthcare provider in Asia to operate hospitals in so many countries under a single
Clearwater International has advised the shareholders of Chase Search and Selection Limited (CHASE) on its recapitalisation with investment provided by Vespa Capital.
The business, established in 1998 by Chris and Judy Phillips, started life as a permanent recruitment agency serving the pharmaceutical sector. Today, CHASE is the largest independent recruitment and contract sales organisation (CSO) in the UK providing specialist nursing and sales and marketing personnel to pharmaceutical, biotech and healthcare customers.
Vespa will support CHASE’s continued development; with investment in existing and new personnel and systems to promote further growth. It will also assist the company in its
App commerce company Poq has secured USD4 million in a Series A funding round, led by venture and growth investor Beringea with additional funding from existing investors.
Seed investors include Seedcamp and Venrex. Poq provides a Software-as-a-Service platform that enables retailers to offer customer-facing shopping apps. Poq has coined the term ‘app commerce’ which refers to shopping via mobile apps.
Launched in 2011, Poq powers the apps of large international retailers such as House of Fraser, Missguided and Liberty. Poq allows retailers to make use of in-app and in-store data to gain actionable insights in customer behaviour and to identify the best growth
Investment funds lawyer Christopher Knight (pictured) has joined Akin Gump as counsel in its investment management practice in the Hong Kong office.
He joins the firm from the Hong Kong office of DLA Piper.
Knight has extensive experience advising financial institutions, investment banks, asset managers, sponsors and investors on the establishment and regulation of hedge funds, regulated funds and private equity funds. He has also advised on Shari’ah compliant investment fund structures.
“Chris’ arrival is a real boost to our investment funds team in Asia,” says Anne-Marie Godfrey, a partner in Akin Gump’s investment management practice in Hong
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