Family offices have been busy in recent weeks, making moves across a wide spectrum of industries. In clean energy, several prominent family investors joined a financing round to advance fusion power. In media, a European advertising leader saw fresh capital commitments from both a family office and its own buyback program. In healthcare, a French medtech firm received a timely cash infusion and takeover bid from a family office. And in private equity, a Chicago-based direct investment firm backed by family capital closed a multibillion-dollar fund focused on founder- and family-owned businesses.
- Aug. 21 – General Fusion, a Canadian fusion energy company, closed a $22 million financing round. The funding included participation from strategic partners and family office investors, including Thistledown Capital (a private family office founded by Tobi Lütke and Fiona McKean), MILFAM (the Lloyd Miller Jr. family office) and JIMCO (the global investment arm of the Jameel family). This capital will be used to advance General Fusion’s demonstration program, which is focused on proving its magnetized target fusion technology as a path toward practical, carbon-free energy. (GlobeNewswire)
- Aug. 20 – JCDecaux SE, the French multinational outdoor advertising company, executed a block trade purchase of 1.7 million shares. Of this, the Amar Family Office acquired 873,491 shares (0.408% of JCDecaux’s capital). Simultaneously, JCDecaux itself repurchased 850,000 shares as part of its buyback program, underscoring both shareholder confidence and the family office’s role in strengthening long-term holdings. (GlobeNewswire)
- Aug. 19 – CARMAT, a French medical technology company specializing in artificial hearts, is currently in a receivership process. HOUGOU, the family office of entrepreneur Pierre Bastid, submitted a formal takeover bid for the company. To sustain operations during court review, HOUGOU immediately injected €1.3 million in cash (non-refundable), providing crucial short-term funding while signaling a strong interest in rescuing and restructuring the business. (Business Wire)
- Aug. 15 – Pritzker Private Capital (PPC) closed its fourth fund, PPC IV, at $3.4 billion, surpassing its $3 billion target and topping the $2.7 billion raised for PPC III in 2021. A majority of investors are family offices and family investment firms, reflecting PPC’s heritage in family direct investing. The fund has already backed HeartLand, Americhem and Buckman, and will continue to focus on family-, founder- and management-owned businesses in manufacturing and services. (Business Wire)