Creator Ventures, a new venture capital firm focused on investing in early-stage consumer-internet companies advancing how people interact, has held the close of its first fund at $20 million. The fund will invest in category-defining startups, often alongside celebrities and creators from music, sport, television, social, and more.  Creator Ventures was born from the Creative Investment Club, a syndicate fund established in 2019 to invest in startups across consumer-social, consumer-technology and the creator economy. The syndicate enabled celebrities and creators to back startups from Pre-Seed to Series A. This syndicate fund shared deals exclusively with large-scale content creators, athletes, actors

Clearlake Capital Group (Clearlake) has completed its acquisition of Intertape Polymer Group, a global provider of protective packaging solutions. The acquisition was previously announced on 8 March, 2022, and approved by IPG shareholders on 11 May, 2022. Under the terms of the agreement, Clearlake has acquired the outstanding shares of IPG common stock for CAD40.50 per share in cash. As a result of the transaction, IPG is now a privately held company, and shares of IPG common stock are no longer listed on the public market.

Cordio Medical, a medical speech processing platform, has secured $18 million in a strategic investment round led by Ceros Financial Services and Peregrine Ventures. Cordio Medical’s HearO product converts a smartphone into a medical-grade device. The smartphone app is backed by sophisticated and proprietary algorithms allowing monitoring and early detection of fluid accumulation related to Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) condition deterioration. After a speech sample is collected from the patient’s mobile device, the HearO cloud-based server analyses the results. If CHF deterioration is discovered, a healthcare professional immediately notifies the patient with an alert.   Ceros Capital Markets, the investment

BGF has sold portfolio company Aubin Group to Italmatch Chemicals, a global specialty chemical group focused on the production and marketing of performance additives for the processing and treatment of water, oil & gas, industrial lubricants and plastics. Headquartered in Scotland, Aubin is a key strategic developer and supplier of innovative chemical solutions for the oil and gas industry and the renewable energy sector with offices and warehouses across the UK and the Middle East.  The acquisition further strengthens Italmatch Chemicals’ position in the oil & gas and renewable energy sectors of key strategic markets such as the Middle East,

ProductLife Group (PLG), a specialist in Regulatory affairs and Pharmacovigilance, has made two new platform acquisitions – Quoretex and Pharma IT. 21 Invest France acquired a majority stake in ProductLife Group (PLG) in January 2019 and the group has already completed four build-ups in France, the US, Central Europe and India, in line with an investment thesis based on the creation of an international platform with a comprehensive range of expertise.  Founded in 2018, Quoretex is based in France and in Belgium and specialises in Quality management and Regulatory Compliance consulting. Pharma IT, meanwhile was founded in Denmark in 2016

Marathon Capital, an independent investment banking firm, has entered into a strategic collaboration agreement (SCA) with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC), one of the largest industrial, energy and infrastructure lenders in the world. SMBC is a member of SMBC Group, a top-tier global financial group headquartered in Tokyo with approximately $2 trillion of consolidated total assets. In conjunction with the SCA, the Parties have entered into a definitive agreement for a minority equity investment in Marathon Capital. The proceeds will be used to accelerate the firm’s growth and expansion.   Under the SCA, Marathon Capital and SMBC will collaborate towards

Cobepa, a Belgian investment company backed by large entrepreneurial European families, has acquired a majority stake in Salice from owners Francesca, Massimo and Sergio Salice. The family shareholders have grown the almost 100-year old business, which specialises in furniture fittings, opening systems and wardrobe accessories, into a market leader reaching a consolidated revenue of more than €200 million in 2021. Partnering with Cobepa will reinforce Salice’s leading market position and help unlock further growth opportunities, in terms of both geographical expansion and penetration of new market segments.  The Salice family will remain as minority shareholders and, to ensure a correct

ASG, a portfolio company of Alpine Investors that buys and builds vertical SaaS companies, has acquired Hotel Effectiveness, a software industry leader for hotel labour optimisation, which has been added to ASG’s Actabl platform. Actabl’s integrations, operations and labour management tools, and business intelligence solutions combine to create a cohesive platform that better serves hotel management teams. Hoteliers will benefit from a feedback loop that creates a living playbook for addressing a wide range of hotel business and operational needs. Actabl’s comprehensive suite of industry-leading technology solutions includes:    Hotel Effectiveness, backed by Growth Street Partners, was acquired by ASG