Sovereign Capital Partners, the U.K. private equity buy-and-build specialist, has announced the realization of its investment in BIMM, a provider of creative arts education in Europe, through a sale to funds managed by ICG, the global alternative asset manager. The exit follows a 10-year partnership with BIMM.

When Sovereign first invested in BIMM the group had 1,150 contemporary music students in colleges in Brighton and Bristol. Today, it has 12 colleges across Europe in sites including London, Dublin, Birmingham, Manchester, Berlin and Hamburg — established through five strategic acquisitions and five new campus rollouts — and more than 8,200 students across the creative arts education areas of music, film and performing arts.

Well-known alumni include Ella Mai, George Ezra, Mercy Sotire and James Bay, while BIMM's patron is The Who's Roger Daltrey.