Hudson Ferry Capital Backs Mason Dixon Energy
April 7, 2010
Mason Dixon Energy, a Bridgeport, West Va.-based provider of land services to oil and gas companies east of the Mississippi River, has raised an undisclosed amount of private equity funding from Hudson Ferry Capital.

Achaogen Raises $65 Million
April 7, 2010
Achaogen, a San Francisco-based developer of antibiotics to treat life-threatening, multi-drug resistant bacterial infections, has raised $65 million in Series C funding. Frazier Healthcare Ventures led the round, and was joined by Alta Partners and return backers 5AM Ventures, ARCH Venture Partners, Domain Associates, Venrock Associates, Versant Ventures and the Wellcome Trust. The company previously raised around $42 million.

Shareholder Objects to CKE Restaurants Take-Private Plan
April 7, 2010
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Porter Orlin, a New York-based investment manager, said on Tuesday it wrote a letter to CKE Restaurants’ (CKR.N) board and management, expressing strong dissatisfaction with private equity firm THL Partners’ [THL.UL] plan to take the company private.Porter Orlin, which holds almost 2.3 million shares in CKE, said in the letter that [...]

Blackstone Investing $50 Million Into India’s Jagran
April 7, 2010
MUMBAI (Reuters) - Blackstone Group (BX.N) will invest about $50 million in the parent of media firm Jagran Prakashan (JAGP.BO), as the U.S. private equity group seeks to ride strong growth in India’s print media market, the firms said.The firms did not disclose the size of the stake that Blackstone would take in Jagran Media [...]

Roofing Supply Group Adds On
April 6, 2010
Roofing Supply Group, a wholesale distributor of roofing supplies, has acquired the roofing division assets of Oklahoma City-based Northwest Roofing Supply Inc. No financial terms were disclosed. Roofing Supply Group is a portfolio company of The Sterling Group

Wigix Buys Mag2U
April 6, 2010
Wigix Inc., a database-driven product catalog company backed by Draper Fisher Jurvetson, has acquired Mag2U, a Shanghai-based business process outsourcing company that focuses on magazine subscriptions in China. No financial terms were disclosed. Wigix is based in Oakland, Calif., but has ooperations in China.

Yankee Group Raises $10 Million
April 6, 2010
Yankee Group, a Boston-based market research company, has raised $10 million in new private equity funding from majority shareholder Alta Communications. The capital will be used to support " the strategic expansion of its research on the impact of global connectivity."

Alimera Sciences Sets IPO Terms
April 6, 2010
Alimera Sciences Inc., an Atlanta-based ophthalmic pharmaceutical company, has set its IPO terms to six million common shares being offered at between $15 and $17 per share. It would have an initial market cap of approximately $518 million, were it to price at the high end of its range.The company plans to trade on the Nasdaq [...]

Aeroflex Files for $500 Million IPO
April 6, 2010
(Reuters) - Aeroflex Holding Corp filed with U.S. regulators on Tuesday to raise up to $500 million in an initial public offering of common stock.Plainview, New York-based Aeroflex provides radio frequency and microwave integrated circuits used in wireless communication systems. It said in its prospectus that its customers include Boeing Co (BA.N), Cisco Systems Inc [...]

MatlinPatterson Puts Polymer Group On The Block
April 6, 2010
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Private equity firm MatlinPatterson is trying to sell Polymer Group, a non-woven materials maker in which it is the largest shareholder, according to sources familiar with the matter.Blackstone (BX.N) is advising on the sale, the sources said, and the focus has been primarily on attracting private equity companies as bidders, two [...]

VC Fund-Raising Remains Steady In 1Q, Does Better Than PE
April 8, 2010
The return of venture capital fund-raising will not be a smooth and easy one.

VC Fund-Raising Remains Steady In 1Q, Does Better Than PE
April 6, 2010
The return of venture capital fund-raising will not be a smooth and easy one.

Allegiance Capital Opens Office In Seattle
April 8, 2010
Allegiance Capital, an investment banking firm primarily serving closely-held, middle-market companies, has opened an office in Seattle.

Strong Debt Markets Bolster U.S. Buyout, Recap And Exit Volume
April 8, 2010
On the back of strong credit markets, leveraged buyout firms saw upsurge on both the deal making and exit fronts in the first quarter of 2010.

PE Fund-Raising Slow To Recover In 1Q
April 8, 2010
Last year's first quarter fund-raising total was painfully negligible. So was this year's - particularly for the buyout industry – but the numbers don't tell the whole story.

Anchorage Advisors Closes Above $500M Target
April 8, 2010
Hedge fund manager Anchorage Advisors LLC has closed on substantially more than its $500 million target for a private equity fund for noncontrol debt purchases, said a person familiar with the situation.

Primus Capital Funds Names Director
April 8, 2010
Primus Capital Funds has promoted William R. McMaster to director.

Owner Continues Liquidation Of Pali Capital In Bankruptcy
April 8, 2010
The owner of defunct broker-dealer Pali Capital Inc. sought bankruptcy protection in an attempt to finish liquidating its assets without threats from creditors.

U.K.'s Pensions Lifeboat Hires Seven For Private Equity Push
April 8, 2010
The Pension Protection Fund, the U.K.'s state-run safety net for failed corporate pension funds, has recruited a group of private equity firms to advise it on a push into the asset class.

India Weighs Sovereign Fund For Overseas Commodity Acquisitions
April 8, 2010
A sovereign wealth fund under consideration by the Indian government wouldn't be limited to pursuing international energy assets, according to Petroleum Secretary S. Sundareshan.

Angola Capital Partners Closes On $28M
April 8, 2010
Angola Capital Partners has raised $28 million for its recent first close of Fundo de Investimento Privado de Angola.

U.K. Mid-Market Has Active First Quarter
April 8, 2010
Mid-market buyouts in the U.K. have enjoyed their strongest quarter since the collapse of investment bank Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., thanks to a busy March.

Avenue Capital Scales Back From Predecessor With Latest Fund
April 8, 2010
Avenue Capital Group recently came to market with its latest special situations vehicle, which is expected to target close to half of what its $6.1 billion predecessor fund raised, said people familiar with the matter.

U.K. Mid-Market Has Active First Quarter
April 5, 2010
Mid-market buyouts in the U.K. have enjoyed their strongest quarter since the collapse of investment bank Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., thanks to a busy March.

India Weighs Sovereign Fund For Overseas Commodity Acquisitions
April 5, 2010
A sovereign wealth fund under consideration by the Indian government wouldn't be limited to pursuing international energy assets, according to Petroleum Secretary S. Sundareshan.

Owner Continues Liquidation Of Pali Capital In Bankruptcy
April 5, 2010
The owner of defunct broker-dealer Pali Capital Inc. sought bankruptcy protection in an attempt to finish liquidating its assets without threats from creditors.

U.K.'s Pensions Lifeboat Hires Seven For Private Equity Push
April 5, 2010
The Pension Protection Fund, the U.K.'s state-run safety net for failed corporate pension funds, has recruited a group of private equity firms to advise it on a push into the asset class.

Angola Capital Partners Closes On $28M
April 5, 2010
Angola Capital Partners has raised $28 million for its recent first close of Fundo de Investimento Privado de Angola.

Avenue Capital Scales Back From Predecessor With Latest Fund
April 5, 2010
Avenue Capital Group recently came to market with its latest special situations vehicle, which is expected to target close to half of what its $6.1 billion predecessor fund raised, said people familiar with the matter.

Boehringer Ingelheim Seeks To Secure Future Through Venture Effort
April 8, 2010
Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, which plans to introduce five new drug products in the next two years, is confident in its immediate prospects. With its new venture capital fund, it wants to help secure its future.

Boehringer Ingelheim Seeks To Secure Future Through Venture Effort
April 5, 2010
Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, which plans to introduce five new drug products in the next two years, is confident in its immediate prospects. With its new venture capital fund, it wants to help secure its future.

With VCs Sitting It Out, Cyber-Security Roll-Up Wave Rolls On - For Now
April 5, 2010
As funding gets tougher for cyber-security start-ups, some of their peers are taking advantage of the glut of companies for sale to roll up several technologies under one brand.

Greylock Partners Chairman Buys Piece Of N.Y. Times' Red Sox Stake
April 8, 2010
New York Times Co. on Thursday said it has sold a small piece of its nearly 18% stake in the holding company of the Boston Red Sox to Henry F. McCance, chairman of the venture capital firm Greylock Partners.

RiverVest Venture Partners Promotes Niall O'Donnell To Principal
April 8, 2010
RiverVest Venture Partners, a St. Louis-based health care investor, announced the promotion of Niall O'Donnell to principal.

Venrock Targets $350M For Fund VI, Scaling Back From Predecessor
April 8, 2010
Venrock is out raising its sixth fund, targeting barely half the amount of its predecessor, according to people familiar with the situation.

Will Greece Reverse Course on Hedge Funds?
April 7, 2010
As investors fled Greek bonds on Tuesday, pushing up the cost of new borrowing for the debt-stricken nation, the country may now be forced to reverse its policy of shutting out hedge funds when it launches its upcoming bond offering, The Telegraph reported.

Buyout Shops Said to Circle R.B.S Unit
April 7, 2010
A swath of private equity firms are throwing their hats into the ring for Royal Bank of Scotland's Global Merchant Services, which includes the Worldpay payment-processing unit, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Verizon Chief Sees No Appeal in Vodafone Merger
April 7, 2010
Verizon Communications' top executive dismissed speculation his company would merge with wireless venture partner Vodafone Group, saying such a deal would offer little benefit, Reuters reported.

I.M.F. Meeting With Greek Officials Over Reforms
April 7, 2010
Inspectors from the International Monetary Fund will meet Greece's finance minister to find ways to speed up fiscal reforms, as the debt-plagued country continues to grapple with volatile borrowing costs.

Barclays Seeks Lehman Assets Despite Trustee Disputes
April 7, 2010
Barclays has asked a court to let it keep billions of dollars in Lehman Brothers Holdings assets, even though the trustee of the bankrupt investment bank says the remaining Lehman customers should probably get them, Reuters reported.

Ford Gets $1.75 Billion in High-Yield Bond Sale
April 7, 2010
Ford Motor's finance arm sold $1.75 billion of five-year debt, taking advantage of investor demand for high-yield bonds, on pace for the longest rally since 1996, Bloomberg News reported.

Sears and Lampert Win Dismissal of Kmart Fraud Suit
April 7, 2010
A federal appeals court said Sears Holdings is not liable to former Kmart Holding shareholders, who had accused the retailer of trying to drive down Kmart's stock price to let executives buy shares cheaply.

Three Automakers Unveil Partnership
April 7, 2010
Renault, Nissan Motor and Daimler said they would swap stakes and jointly develop cars in a tie up to gain scale and share costs.

Macarthur Coal Cool to Peabody Energy's Bid
April 7, 2010
Macarthur Coal discouraged its shareholders on Wednesday from taking action on Peabody Energy's increased takeover bid, worth $3.3 billion, and instead wait for a board vote on an acquisition attempt by Macarthur.

R.B.S. Kicks Off Bond Restructuring Scheme
April 7, 2010
Royal Bank of Scotland on Tuesday launched its planned bond exchange and buy-back to restructure up to $24 billion of debt, hitting prices of a few lower ranked bonds, Reuters reported.

Blockbuster Agrees Payment Terms With Studios
April 7, 2010
Blockbuster, the indebted video retail chain, agreed payment terms with two movie studios to allow it to rent DVDs on the same day they go on sale, the company said in a statement Tuesday.

Son of V.C.er Gets Foursquare Badge for Polar Trip
April 7, 2010
The 15-year-old son of Bernard Liautaud, who founded and later sold Business Objects to SAP for $6.78 billion and is now a partner at Balderton Capital, is getting his very own Foursquare badge for checking into the North Pole this week.

JAL Said to Plan 16,500 Layoffs, Saving $870 Million
April 7, 2010
Japan Airlines plans to reduce its workforce by a third within the fiscal year to lower labor costs by $870 million a year, The Nikkei business daily said.

Metals USA Aims for $200 Million in I.P.O.
April 7, 2010
Metals USA Holdings is hoping to raise as much as $200 million in an initial public offering this week, The Associated Press reported.

Infogroup Investor Blasts Proposed Sale Price
April 7, 2010
An investment firm that holds nearly 6 percent of Infogroup's stock says the database provider's proposed sale to private equity firm CCMP Capital Advisors is priced too low, The Associated Press reported.