Recent EU-based VC fundraising & invt
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Highland Capital closes $400M Fund
Highland Capital has closed its eighth fund , worth $400 million. The firm plans to use Highland Capital Partners VIII Limited Partnership to fuel investments in early through growth stage companies in healthcare, internet & digital media and technology companies. This fund is half the size of its $800 million Fund VII, raised in 2006, a reflection of leaner times, but also of continued confidence on the part of LP’s. The company has done well in recent years, helping 90 of its 200+ companies to get acquired or go public. Some of the firm’s recent successes include Conor Medsystems (IPO/acquired by Johnson & Johnson), lululemon athletica (Nasdaq: LULU), Starent Networks (Nasdaq: STAR) and VistaPrint (Nasdaq: VPRT).
Sofinnova Partners , a Paris-based venture capital firm, announced today the closure of its sixth fund, Sofinnova Capital VI, bringing in €260 million. The firm is over 35 years old, and has backed nearly 500 companies; it has around €1 billion of funds under management, an office in San Francisco and an awesome track record. The investors that fueled the fund include CDC Entreprises , Industrial & Financial Investments Co ., JP Morgan Asset Management , funds advised by Partners Group and Skandia Life Insurance Company .
Sofinnova closes its Sixth fund at €260m | TheStartup.eu
Technology - Skype founders raise $165m for new fund
Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis, the founders of Skype, have raised a new venture capital fund for investing in so-called “disruptive” early-stage European technology. Atomico Ventures, the London-based group established by the pair in 2006, has raised $165m for its second fund, at a time when many venture capital groups are struggling to find investors . The firm will focus on early-stage software and internet companies that have the potential to be “transformative”, said Mr Zennström. That model will be welcomed by British entrepreneurs, who have complained that in the downturn, investors have become more risk averse, making safer bets in later-stage companies.
European firm Index Ventures is to return its sights to early stage investing as falling costs increase the profitability of seed technology investment.
Index Ventures returns to roots with seed investment initiative
Many of you will have seen yesterday’s news that Atlas Ventures is, in the words of Techcrunch , ‘upping sticks and moving to Boston’. Atlas has been a mainstay of the European venture scene since it really began in the mid-1990s and we have co-invested with them on a number of occasions. They will be missed. The truth of the matter is that the venture capital industry in Europe lacks critical mass and their departure doesn’t help. There is, however, still money coming into the market.
Atlas are leaving, but there is money in Europe | The Equity Kic
SPAIN – Debaeque takes 10% in BuyVip Venture firm Debaeque has invested an undisclosed sum in online private buyers club BuyVip, acquiring a 10% stake in the business UK – Bridges leads £1m round for Call Britannia Bridges Ventures , via its Social Entrepeneurs Fund, has led a £1m investment in customer contact centre business Call Britannia, alongside Big Issue Invest, management and the government’s Future Jobs Fund GERMANY – Balderton Capital leads EUR 5m wooga funding
Late 2009 EU VC invt
GERMANY – HTGF and New Commercial Room invest in SciEngines High-Tech Gründerfonds and New Commercial Room have invested an undisclosed sum in software business SciEngine FRANCE – Sofinnova Partners leads EUR 3.3m investment in Celsius
Late 2009, Early 2010 Venture Capital deals in Europe | TheStart
With more than 140,000 apps on the iPhone alone, there is a real need for services which help you find the best apps. Apple’s iTunes ratings and genius recommendations only go so far. One startup attacking this problem is French-Israeli AppsFire , which just raised its first angel round. AppsFire was co-founded by former TechCrunch France editor Ouriel Ohayon and Yann Lechelle. The investors are a group of successful French entrepreneurs (yes, they exist), including Marc Simoncini (CEO of dating site meetic.com), Jacques-Antoine Granjon (CEO of Vente-Privee.com), Xavier Niel (CEO of French ISP Free), and entrepreneur and angel investor Jean-David Blanc (who also recently invested in Square).
AppsFire Draws In Some French Angels To Bankroll Mobile App Reco
Marc Simoncini et Xavier Niel investissent dans Tokup.fr - Journ
La plate de marché de services Tokup.fr vient de boucler un premier tour de table auprès de Marc Simoncini, le fondateur de Meetic , de Jean-David Blanc, le fondateur d' AlloCiné , ainsi que de Kima Ventures, le fonds géré par Jérémie Berrebi (Zlio) et Xavier Niel ( Iliad-Free ). Le montant de cette levée de fonds n'a pas été précisé. Le capital de la start-up a cependant été ouvert à hauteur de 10 %. Lancé par le co-fondateur d'AlloCiné, Patrick Holzman et le co-fondateur de Gamekult, Kevin Kuipers, Tokup.fr propose de mettre en relation des personnes ayant besoin de services (du repassage au déménagement en passant par le développement informatique) avec celles qui ont le temps et les compétences nécessaires.
Miami, Florida-based Labotec has landed a round of funding from Kima Ventures , a European early-stage investment fund founded by entrepreneurs and angel investors Jeremie Berrebi (Zlio, Net2One) and Square backer Xavier Niel (Free, Iliad). The VC firm thus joins Kipost and FS Ventures as investors of the crowd-sourced mobile app development venture. The size of the round remains undisclosed, but we hear the amount of financing totaled just south of a seven-figure sum, so we’ll peg it at in between $800,000 and $999,999. Labotec offers a relatively unique way of mobile app publishing, based on crowd-sourcing ideas from third parties.
Labotec Raises Funding For Crowd-Sourced Mobile App Development
Kima Venture investit dans iAdvize, une start-up nantaise fondée par deux anciens de Zlio, qui propose un service de chat commercial. Le montant de la levée de fonds n'a pas été communiqué, mais serait inférieur à 300 000 euros. Le fonds d'investissements de Xavier Niel et Jérémie Berrebi (lire son interview : 'Xavier Niel et moi mettons en commun nos activités de busines angel' , du 15/02/2010) est accompagné dans ce tour de table par trois business angels : Oleg Tscheltzoff (co-fondateur de Fotolia), David Sokol et Jean-Michel Sokol, conseiller municipal à la mairie du 4e arrondissement de Paris. Encore en version beta, iAdvize propose au visiteur d'un site marchand de chater avec un représentant du site afin d'être conseillé sur un produit ou aidé dans sa navigation.
Kima Ventures investit dans iAdvize - Journal du Net > e-Busines
Index Ventures creates seed fund with Kleins at the helm
In the wake of today’s news that Index Ventures is to launch a new seed fund on Monday focusing on early stage with The Accelerator Group, TAG founder Robin Klein spoke exclusively to TechCrunch Europe about how the new vehicle will operate. First the news. Index partners Neil Rimer, Danny Rimer, Saul Klein and Mike Volpi will manage Index Seed, which will be run by father and son combination Saul and Robin Klein. Saul Klein is already a partner at Index Ventures and is active among early stage startups through SeedCamp and creating OpenCoffee Club. Kelin will work at Index Seed two days a week but continue to make independent TAG investments.Criteo annonce une nouvelle levée de fonds de 5 millions d'euros réalisée auprès de Bessemer Venture Partners. La start-up spécialisée dans le reciblage publicitaire compte utiliser cette somme pour se développer sur le marché américain. La société, qui base son modèle économique sur une facturation au clic, s'est récemment installée à Palo Alto (Californie) en pleine Silicon Valley. Criteo emploie aujourd'hui 140 personnes dans 8 pays (France, Angleterre, Allemagne, Italie, Espagne, Pays-Bas, Suède, Etats-Unis). <p style="text-align:right;color:#A8A8A8"></p>