Huddle, a company that lets people connect and work together regardless of their location, has closed a USD10.2m series B round of funding led by Matrix Partners, with participation from existing investors Eden Ventures and Charles McGregor, Huddle’s chairman. Huddle, which employs more than 40 staff in the UK and US and recently became cashflow positive, expects to quadruple in size in the next year. Including the most recent investment, Huddle has raised in excess of USD15m in equity funding since its launch in 2007. The company is using the capital to expand its US presence and build a team

Amalgamated Capital, a recently formed division of Amalgamated Bank, has served as lead arranger and administrative agent for a USD29.5m senior secured credit facility in support of the acquisition of Salvage Direct by QCSA Holdings, a portfolio company of Kinderhook Industries. Amalgamated Capital provides cash flow senior debt financing to facilitate investments made by private equity sponsors in lower middle market companies. Based in Davenport, Iowa, QSCA Holdings (d/b/a QCSA Auto Auctions) is an independent salvage auction company. Founded in 1998 with headquarters in Titusville, Pennsylvania, Salvage Direct established the first online auction in the total-loss salvage industry. Kinderhook Industries

Private investment firm H.I.G. Capital’s affiliate Excel Homes Group has acquired substantially all the assets of Excel Homes, a US-based custom modular home manufacturer. Steve Scheinkman will become chief executive of Excel. Matt Sanford (pictured), managing director at H.I.G. Capital, says: "The housing and construction markets will undoubtedly rebound from historic lows in the coming years, and we believe Excel is well-positioned to benefit when they do. Unlike in Canada and Europe, in the US few people realise the significant cost and quality advantages of modular construction over traditional site-built methods. We believe that under Steve’s leadership the existing team

Morgan Stanley Alternative Investment Partners has raised USD585m in commitments for its Global Secondary Opportunities Fund, a fund dedicated to acquiring interests in private equity funds in the secondary market. The capital raised exceeded Morgan Stanley Investment Management’s initial USD500m target. "This successful fund raise demonstrates how MSIM leverages its competitive strengths and draws upon the full depth of resources at Morgan Stanley to deliver compelling investment solutions to our clients," says Gregory Fleming, president of Morgan Stanley Investment Management. "As an integrated platform participating in both the primary and secondary markets, AIP is well-positioned to employ its differentiated investment

Axa Private Equity, a European private equity firm, has signed an agreement to acquire GO Voyages, the French online retailer of air tickets. Following this investment, Axa Private Equity will hold the majority of the equity of GO Voyages alongside the management team and staff, who will have a significant interest in the company.   GO Voyages had sales of EUR843m in the 2009/2010 financial year, up 21 per cent year-on-year. It has just launched an online holiday offer on the French market.   Lise Fauconnier, managing director at Axa Private Equity, says: “We will actively support GO Voyages’ management

EF Johnson Technologies has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by an affiliate of Francisco Partners, a technology-focused private equity fund. Headquartered in Irving, Texas, EF Johnson Technologies focuses on developing and marketing the secure communications solutions to organisations whose mission is to protect and save lives. The company’s customers include first responders in public safety and public service, the federal government, and industrial organisations. The agreement was unanimously approved by EF Johnson Technologies’ board of directors. Under the terms of the agreement, stockholders would receive USD1.05 per share in cash at closing. The transaction is subject to

Alternative asset manager The Carlyle Group deployed USD5.2bn in equity in 2009 on six continents across buyouts, real estate, growth capital and distressed. The firm has USD33.5bn in equity capital (dry powder) ready to deploy. Despite the challenges in the fundraising markets, Carlyle conducted final closes on nine funds, raising a total of USD15.6bn in capital from January 2009 through March 2010. David M. Rubenstein, Carlyle co-founder and managing director, says: “We are pleased to provide to our investors and the public our tenth consecutive annual report. In it, we explore the four attributes – financial strength, product diversity, sector