Latest News
Private investment company Ardian has closed its Expansion Fund III at EUR450m, with EUR50m in co-investments.
The new fund represents a 41 per cent increase in size from Fund II (EUR353m) and comprises investors from Europe, North America and Asia.
European insurance companies and pension funds make up the majority of the fund’s investor base and almost 80 per cent of the commitments come from existing investors.
Ardian’s 16-strong Expansion team now has significant capital for investment in French, Italian and German SMEs. The team focuses on growth capital and buyout transactions through majority or minority investments in
The chemicals team at Clearwater Corporate Finance has advised Caledonia Investments, the London Stock Exchange-listed investment trust company, on the sale of Amber Chemicals to ICM Products.
Amber Chemicals is a manufacturer of speciality silicones for a wide range of niche markets. The group’s product portfolio includes adhesives and sealants, anti-foams, coatings, emulsions, encapsulants, greases, lubricants, moulding rubber, release agents, silicone fluids and silicone foam.
The companies within the Amber Chemical group are ACC Silicones, Amber Silicones (Tianjin), Quantum Silicones, Siovation and Treco Srl.
Headquartered in Michigan, ICM Products is a manufacturer of silicone defoamers, emulsions and polymers
Mirada Medical has received additional funding from Albion Ventures to accelerate the company’s growth plans.
The investment will fuel the expansion of Mirada’s product distribution worldwide and support accelerated product development through the addition of new scientific and engineering positions at its Oxford, UK headquarters.
Mirada’s products are designed to simplify technically complex image quantification, allowing clinicians to confidently diagnose disease, assess response to treatment and plan radiation therapy or surgical intervention.
Albion Ventures is investing a further GBP0.85m Mirada Medical, in addition to new equity which was acquired by the employees and founders of the company. This
Neuberger Berman has appointed Erik Knutzen as multi-asset class chief investment officer.
Knutzen (pictured) joins to deepen the multi-asset class strategic partnerships Neuberger Berman has with institutional investors.
Knutzen will drive the asset allocation process on a firm-wide level and create related client content for strategic partnerships and multi-asset class solutions while joining in portfolio management on a number of mandates.
"Erik's skills and experience complement our existing client partnership capabilities," says Joseph Amato, president and chief investment officer, Neuberger Berman. "Adding a seasoned, senior multi-asset class investor to an already deep capability at the firm helps Neuberger Berman deliver
Ingenious Clean Energy has backed its first anaerobic digestion plant, located on the premises of Thomas Swan, the County Durham-based, family-run specialist chemicals business.
Ingenious Clean Energy has invested GBP4.5m in the project through its investee company, Generation X Energy Ltd.
The investment was financed by the Ingenious Energy Efficiency EIS Fund and is Ingenious’ first anaerobic digestion deal.
The cost of the installation is financed by Ingenious and will be recouped through the sale of heat and electricity to Thomas Swan under long term agreements.
The plant, managed by Generation X, will produce around 8,500MWh of
A new energy “catalyst” fund to support UK companies develop their early stage innovations into commercial successes has been launched with an initial GBP25m funding round.
The Catalyst aims to help transform UK energy technology and help innovative businesses to take advantage of emerging global markets.
It is funded by the UK’s innovation agency, the Technology Strategy Board, The Engineering & Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC) and the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC).
The Energy Catalyst is the latest in a range of sector-specific Catalysts and will fund projects from early concept stage through to pre-commercial
The Hong Kong Trust Company has chosen and implemented Linedata Admin Edge to provide fund administration servicing for its client base of individuals, family offices, intermediaries and corporations.
Hong Kong Trust provides professional trusteeship, fiduciary services, fund and private equity administration and corporate services.
The selection of Linedata Admin Edge was based on the platform’s strong functionality and ability to manage both fund administration and transfer agency functions and to handle a broad range of funds, many with special rules. Other criteria were the scalability, automation and compliance benefits of this established, robust administration platform.
Carolyn Butler, CEO
UK-based B&M Group is entering the German discounter market by acquiring a majority stake in the JA Woll Group.
The Soltau-based firm mainly sells clearance and end of line stock under the JAWOLL and HAFU brands in the north-west of Germany.
The transaction is currently awaiting approval from the competition authorities; the purchase price was not disclosed.
A team from CMS Hasche Sigle led by Dr Oliver C Wolfgramm advised Stern Vertriebs GmbH and its shareholders on all legal aspects of selling the JA Woll Group to B&M.
The current owners and CEOs of JA Woll, Ingo
EyeSee360, creators of the panoramic video camera 360Fly, has secured a growth capital investment from private equity firm Catterton Partners.
The investment will be used to accelerate market awareness and finalise development of 360Fly cameras, the 360MicroFly smartphone attachment and the 360Fly.com video hosting and sharing service.
Terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.
The 360Fly is a panoramic video camera that allows users to capture and share an interactive 360 degree panoramic video.
The 360Fly camera is shock-proof, waterproof, and has built-in Wi-Fi/Bluetooth functionality.
360MicroFly is a smartphone lens attachment that offers smartphone users the
Bridges Ventures is investing in Clothingsites.co.uk, a UK-based premium designer menswear e-commerce business.
Established in 2002 the business grew by 30 per cent last year.
It consists of: Woodhouse Clothing, an in-season premium menswear e-commerce retailer; Brown Bag, which sells out of season stock at discounted prices; and Trainerstation, which sells trainers and shoes.
Bridges’ investment will further fuel the business’ growth with the majority of capital being used for stock, recruitment, technical upgrades and the relocation to a new, larger warehouse.
Bridges identified Clothingsites as an attractive platform on which to scale up an already well-established
Special Reports
Featured
Events
12 November, 2026 – 8:00 am
12 November, 2026 – 5:00 pm
