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Hamburg-based shipping company Hamburg Südamerikanische Dampfschifffahrts-Gesellschaft is to buy the container line operations of Chilean shipping line Compañía Chilena de Navegación Interoceánica (CCNI), Valparaiso.
The relevant contracts were signed last weekend. As part of the transaction, Hamburg Süd is also acquiring the agency business of Chilean firm Agunsa Agencias Universales S.A. (Agunsa), which is integral to the container line service.
The CCNI / Agunsa operations are scheduled to be transferred at the end of March 2015, subject to approval from the competition authorities.
A team from CMS in Germany led by Dr Christian von Lenthe (lead partner) and Dr Arne
Blackstone’s second energy-focused private equity fund Blackstone Energy Partners II has commenced its investment period with total commitments of USD4.5 billion.
BEP II received significant interest from both existing and new investors, with demand well surpassing the fund’s USD4.5 billion hard cap. Investors in the fund include a diverse group of US state pension funds, corporate pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, insurance companies, endowments, foundations and family offices.
Like its predecessor fund BEP I, a USD2.4 billion fund that had its final close in September 2012, BEP II will invest in control-oriented equity and equity-linked interests in companies, assets and
2014 was one of business angel syndicate Archangels’ most active years for investment in Scottish-based early stage and established technology and life sciences businesses and provided strong levels of returns for investors.
Archangels arranged funding of GBP12.2m for 14 companies, comprising GBP7.5m of investment from Archangels’ investors, with a further GBP3.5m of co-investment from Scottish Enterprise and GBP1.2m from other partners. Archangels’ annual gathering of investors and invested companies will hear that the biggest single investment was GBP2.5m in Scottish bionic prosthetic upper limb producer, Touch Bionics, in May last year.
In 2014, Archangels also invested GBP100,000 in Cytomos,
DriverUp, the first online marketplace for automotive financing, has launched giving accredited investors an opportunity to directly enter the USD379 billion auto lending industry.
DriverUp is the exclusive brand of Sierra Auto Finance, an auto finance company launched with USD50 million Series A financing, led by Emerald Development Managers and RRE Ventures.
The DriverUp platform uses technology to fundamentally improve how loans are secured and serviced by creating a direct-to-investor option that until now has not existed within the auto-lending industry. Through DriverUp's proprietary software and advanced data analytics, the marketplace enables efficient processing and direct investment in auto loans,
ProHatch, the alternative capital formation and advisory services platform, has added regulated securities issues to the platform, expanding their online marketplace to Accredited Investors and Issuers focused on financial investing in growth oriented businesses, real estate as well as nonprofit programs.
“We are differentiating ourselves in the burgeoning market of crowdfunding by offering a platform where contribution crowdfunding and regulated crowdfinance can work side by side,” says Elizabeth Smith Kulik, Senior Managing Partner. “Through the introduction of regulated issues on ProHatch, Sponsors and Accredited Investors can now come together to pool their interests and collectively participate in ProHatch’s marketplace of
Private equity firm The Aclaime Group has announced the direct investment of over USD100 million in invested capital through its Aclaime Credit Strategies Fund (ACSF).
The Fund has achieved audited net returns of 12.73%, 12.21%, 13.88%, and 14.01% over the past four calendar years.
ACSF focuses its attention on well underwritten asset-backed loans using the value of the assets versus traditional bank methods. Deal sizes range from USD50,000-USD10,000,000 and span multiple asset classes and geographies. The capital market for this type of credit is fragmented, and with evolving banking regulation, the availability of funds is often scarce or unreliable for
Cavendish Corporate Finance has advised on the sale of a 40% stake in MVF to Bridgepoint Development Capital (BDC), a private equity firm focused on mid-market buyouts and growth capital investments.
Founded in 2009 by five British entrepreneurs, MVF is a tech firm specialising in online customer acquisition and lead generation. Recognised as one of the UK’s most prominent growth businesses, winning a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in 2014, MVF has achieved significant growth – a 278% compound annual revenue growth rate since 2013.
Operating in 50 countries worldwide, MVF works with over 1,500 clients, including British Gas, Mars
Property Innovation Labs (Pi Labs), Europe's first property-focused accelerator, has announced its inaugural intake of start-up companies and the launch of a crowdfunding campaign.
Pi Labs was created in October 2014 through a strategic partnership between global real estate adviser Cushman & Wakefield and venture capitalists Spire Ventures.
Entrepreneur Faisal Butt, founder of Pi Labs, will lead the three-month bi-annual programme which will provide funding, mentors and office space for the most exciting new wave of ‘proptech’ start-ups at the iconic Second Home, situated in the heart of east London’s ‘Tech City’.
Five start-ups have joined the first accelerator programme
Mid-market private equity firm Duke Street has appointed Stuart McMinnies as a Partner. McMinnies joins from 3i where he was a senior partner.
McMinnies spent 19 years at 3i, the last 10 as a Partner. He played a leading role in some of the firm’s most successful deals, including ABX, SR Technics and Fonecta, as well as representing 3i on the board of some of its largest investments such as Foster+Partners and Asia Capital Reinsurance.
In addition to his core focus on the UK mid-market, McMinnies led numerous deals in continental Europe and in emerging markets. His principal sector expertise
3i Group (3i) has agreed to invest in Aspen Pumps in a GBP105 million transaction with Inflexion Private Equity Partners.
Aspen designs, manufactures and distributes specialised mini pumps which remove condensate water from air conditioning and refrigeration systems. In addition to pumps, the Company sells a range of products for air conditioning installers and engineers, including its range of accessories, Aspen Xtra, and rooftop mounting systems, Big Foot. Aspen has a strong international presence, with its products available in over 100 countries. The Company is headquartered in Hailsham, East Sussex, United Kingdom.
Baird Global Investment Banking advised 3i on
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