More money is the key to making good returns on investments in the biotech sector says a survey by HBM Partners, the Swiss venture capital house. It looked at all trade sales of venture-backed biotechnology and specialty pharma companies from 2005 to 2007 and found that investments that generated returns of 3x or more, known […]
Institutional investors in emerging markets private equity are ignoring the credit crunch and showing their confidence by continuing to commit money according to a survey conducted by the Emerging Markets Private Equity Association (EMPEA). The research results show that 74% of limited partners are looking to increase allocations to emerging markets private equity over the […]
UK venture firm MTI has reached a first close on University of Manchester spin-out vehicle UMIP Premier Fund, raising £32m of a final target of £50m. The fund will have first approval of any investment opportunities generated by the university’s technology research, which has already produced companies like Renovo, a wound treatment business, which floated […]
DN Capital, the UK-based software and digital multimedia venture capital firm, has reached a first closing on its second fund, Global Venture Capital II (GVC II). The London-headquartered VC has raised just under half of its €100m target, and expects to reach final close by the end of the year. The fund will invest two-thirds […]
French dairy products maker back under total control of family
London-headquartered mid-market firm August Equity has sold Healthcare Homes Group (HHG) to Bowmark Capital in a £75m secondary buyout.
UK venture secondaries firm Shackleton Ventures has closed its second fund on £25m and made its first acquisition with the purchase of a 13-strong investment portfolio from 3i for an undisclosed amount. Shackleton Secondaries II (SSIILP) received the majority of its backing from an unnamed European fund-of-funds investor with over €1.5bn under management. The new […]
Washington State Investment Board remains a robust player in private equity The Washington State Investment Board earlier this month moved closer to its new and comparatively aggressive private equity target allocation of 25 percent. The state pension committed $250 million across four funds, two that are sector specific, one of which represents an emerging markets […]
California State Teachers’ Retirement System raises its long-term PE target to an aggressive 9% In the fall of 2006, the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) raised its long-term private equity target to an aggressive 9%, up from 6 percent. The state pension fund figured that it would take up to five years to get […]
The New Jersey State Investment Council has taken its first minority stake in the management company of a private equity firm—a 5 percent ownership stake in AnaCap Financial Partners, a London-based firm that acquires mid-sized European financial services firms. “Many of the businesses targeted by AnaCap are characterized by underlying assets with predictable and/or annuity-like […]