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Praetura Ventures has closed its latest EIS Growth Fund taking the total raise by the firm in the last three years to £100 million.
Following the fund close, the venture capital investor is looking to deploy c£15 million into around 10-15 tech and life sciences businesses in the next six months, predominantly in the North of England.
Of Praetura’s portfolio of 27 businesses, almost two thirds are based in the North, highlighting Praetura’s long-term commitment to funding the region’s economic growth.
Praetura has seen over £1 billion worth of investment opportunities already this year, with businesses across multiple
UK Food and Beverage M&A market activity in T1 2022 (January – April) saw a dip in the volume of deals compared to the prior year period but a c85% dip in the value of deals as big deals were absent in the period.
That’s according to a new report from corporate finance house, Oghma Partners which shows that over two thirds of deals had an estimated value of £10.0 million or less. There was a sharp reduction in deals in the range of between £10-100 million.
Given the long transaction lead times – the impact of food inflationary pressures
Modulr, an embedded payments platform for digital businesses, has raised $108 million (£83 million) in a series C funding round led by General Atlantic, a leading global growth equity firm.
The round also included significant participation from existing investors including Blenheim Chalcot, Frog Capital, Highland Europe, and PayPal Ventures.
Modulr’s technology enables businesses to build payments directly into their own platforms without needing to build complicated payment systems, become regulated themselves or manage the complexities of payment network membership.
Milbank has advised SMBC Aviation Capital (SMBC AC) on its purchase of Goshawk Management Limited and its subsidiaries and associated assets from NWS Holdings Limited and Chow Tai Fook Enterprises Limited for an enterprise value of USD6.7 billion.
As part of this transaction SMBC AC will acquire a portfolio of 176 owned and managed aircraft. The combined business will have a portfolio of 709 owned and managed aircraft and an additional $13 billion of orders from Airbus and Boeing. The combined business will be the second largest leasing company (by number of aircraft) globally.
Hiro Capital has invested in Skybound Entertainment in a significant, undisclosed round led by Knollwood Advisory with participation from Boost VC, and follow-on participation from Com2uS and Skydance Entertainment.
Skybound Entertainment is home to acclaimed franchises including The Walking Dead, Invincible, and Impact Winter.
Skybound brings together creators across its multi-faceted business, including comics, interactive games, audio, film, and television (traditional and digital platforms), licensing, and merchandising. Skybound has successfully franchised some of its biggest IP by connecting creators and their content to new platforms and audiences.
FirstClose, a fintech provider of data and workflow solutions for mortgage and home equity lenders nationwide, has closed a $35 million investment from growth equity firm Lateral Investment Management to accelerate its product and growth strategies.
FirstClose provides underwriting workflow automation technology, point-of-sale software, and data services for the U.S. home equity and mortgage markets. FirstClose will use the funds to expand its ever-growing financial services footprint to leverage property data intelligence, industry-leading partners, and groundbreaking technology to enable lenders to compete for and close consumer loans unlike any other solution in the industry.
Manhattan West, a global strategic investment firm offering an integrated platform of investments and services, has completed a growth equity investment in Vino Vault via the Manhattan West Private Equity Fund, and is now the company’s largest shareholder.
Following five successful acquisitions, and the hiring of Jeff Smith as Chief Wine Officer, Vino Vault will leverage Manhattan West’s investment to continue capitalising on the highly-fragmented wine storage market. Vino Vault offers a comprehensive wine storage network for general enthusiasts and serious collectors, providing a full suite of services, including concierge-style wine storage, expert inventory organisation, collection analysis and turnkey auction
Lightrock, a global private equity platform that backs purpose-driven entrepreneurs tackling the world’s biggest challenges, has closed a new $300 million growth equity fund for Latin America.
Headquartered in London, UK, Lightrock currently has over $3 billion in assets under advice invested in 14 countries across Europe, the USA, Latin America, Asia and Africa.
For the new Latin America fund, Lightrock’s anchor capital provider is LGT Group, one of Europe’s leading financial institutions with $295 billion in assets under management. However, this latest fund also sees Lightrock welcome local investors, including Bradesco’s and XP Inc.’s fund of funds, BNDES, as
Apex Group is to acquire the fund services and third-party management company (Manco) business operations of Maitland International Holdings (Maitland), an international fund services provider.
Apis Growth Fund II, a private equity fund managed by Apis Partners has invested in DT One, a global B2B digital micropayments platform powering cross-border transfers of mobile top-ups, data bundles, gaming pins and gift cards.
DT One plans use the new funding to further expand its global footprint by continuing its organic expansion, invest further into product development and commercial excellence, and pursue new acquisitions and partnerships.
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