Mubadala invests in Spanish university: Mubadala Investment will, along with private equity firm Cinven and the founder of the Madrid university Universidad Alfonso X el Sabio Group (UAX) Jesús Núñez, acquire a majority stake in UAX from CVC Funds, according to a press release. The founder and management team will reinvest in UAX.
How much are we talking? While the statement didn’t disclose the value of the acquisition, Bloomberg previously reported that the university could be valued at upwards of EUR 2 bn. At the time, PAI Partners and Providence Equity were among those considering throwing their hat in the ring, with several banks and lenders talking with the private equity firms to back a takeover.
In context: This acquisition is the first for Mubadala’s in the higher education sector that we’ve heard of so far this year, and potentially the second one in the education sector more broadly after it acquired a minority USD 600 mn stake in UK private school operator Nord Anglia Education in April. The move saw Mubadala join a consortium led by Swedish PE firm EQT that also includes Dubai Holding, in their USD 14.5 bn buyout of the British firm.