A new venture fund dedicated to supporting companies that use quantum technology and materials, called the Quantum Wave Fund (QWave), will be launched shortly with around USD 100 mln under management. The investors include Russians Sergei Beloussov, Sergei Kouzmine and other prominent investors and scientists. The fund will target companies working with data networks, optical transistors, [...]

Polish VC firm Innova Capital has acquired a majority stake of 52.8 per cent in EnergoBit, a Romanian electric engineering products and services company. The EBRD has also invested in a minority stake in the Romanian firm. Innova is one of the leading investment firms in the CEE region, and this purchase of controlling equity [...]

Zurich-based PE firm Zurmont Madison Private Equity LP has acquired a 55-percent stake in Austrian company AKAtech Produktions und Handels GmbH, a manufacturer of complex wiring harnesses and high-quality electromechanical assembly. The deal will allow AKAtech to leverage Zurmont’s financial and technical expertise, and will help in the firm’s next round of growth. AKAtech (www.akatech.at) [...]

The Baltic States leading private equity and venture capital firm BaltCap has invested into the start-up of a Latvian based LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) production company, EUROLCDS. The investment was made through the European Investment Fund – JEREMIE, with financing by the EU Structural Fund. The decision to finance this start-up was based in part [...]

ARX Equity has acquired a major stake in Czech electrical equipment manufacturer, Manag. The buy-in was values at approximately EUR 25 million, ARX Equity has stated that they intend to pursue rapid growth with this company through strategic acquisitions and internal growth. Manag a.s. (www.manag.com) Manag is Czech electrical manufacturing and design firm which services [...]

Rusnano, the Russian nanotechnology investment firm, has agreed to provide USD 15 million of the USD 22 million investment round in SiTime Corporation. Money from the investment round will be used to establish a new facility in Russia which will focus on designing a new generation of MEMS oscillators. SiTime is also funded by New [...]

Global equity investor Advent International recently announced the acquisition of two partner companies from the Czech Republic’s Penta Investments. The two companies,TES Vsetín and MezServis, make up what will be called the TES Group. Advent will acquire 100% of the shares of both companies pending the approval of German and Czech authorities. Penta first purchased [...]

The Russian Corporation of Nanotechnologies (Rusnano) has agreed to an investment in RMT, a Russian maker of thermoelectric cooling systems. Rusnano will invest RU 150 million in the project which was first proposed by RMT officials. A co-investment of unknown value will also be provided by Russian venture capital investor S-Group. Rusnano officials cite the [...]

Britain’s Plastic Logic is raising eyebrows in the U.K. business community after it was revealed the company was engaged in advanced-stage talks with Russia’s sate-owned Rusnano. The talks are believed to be aimed at a cash infusion which would give Rusnano a controlling stake in Plastic Logic. Of concern in the U.K. is the fact [...]

iEurope Fund LLC sold its shares in Slovenia-based ATech elektronika, generating a gross IRR of about 18%. The private equity fund also realized a gross cash-on-cash return of more than 2.3 times. Through the partnership with iEurope, ATech elektronika doubled both the size of its business and its factory. ATech elektronika (www.atech.si) ATech elektronika offers [...]

The investment groups Seed Fund Vera and Ambient Sound Investments made an equity investment in Senseg, a Finnish company developing a breakthrough touch interface technology. Senseg (www.senseg.com) Senseg develops a breakthrough touch interface technology for consumer electronic devices. The technology allows major improvements in the usability of electronic equipment from mobile handsets to game controllers. [...]

Hanzas Elektronika, a BaltCap portfolio company, acquired Sweden’s 5th largest electronic manufacturing services company Elektromekan i Årjäng AB from Westergyllen AB. SIA Hanzas Elektronika (www.hansa-electronics.lv) Hanzas Eletronika („HE“) is the largest electronic manufacturing services (EMS) company in Latvia, headquartered in Ogre and operating a subsidiary in Ventspils, named Ventspils Elektronikas Fabrika. HE launched its operations [...]