--- Connecting LPs & GPs worldwide
--- Connecting LPs & GPs worldwide
Global private equity firm Carlyle and the Qatar Investment Authority have partnered in a joint bid for a 40 per cent stake in TAV Havalimanlari Holding, in a sale process that values the Turkish airport operator at around $2bn.
The venture capital arm of Russian investment banking major Troika Dialog has sold its stake in Evernote Corporation, a consumer internet and mobile services company, to Sequoia Capital, netting more than ten times its initial investment.
Global private equity firm Blackstone is eyeing the sale of Brocade Communications Systems, a listed maker of data storage network switches, in a take-private deal that could be valued at around $2.65bn. 
Scottish Equity Partners has hired energy industry executive Tony Robison to its newly established Energy and Environmental Technologies Fund (EEF).
Private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. has hired Vincent Policard as a director in its infrastructure team. 
US alternative investment group Strategic Value Partners has closed its second special situations fund with commitments of $918m, significantly exceeding its $600m target.
Polish Enterprise Fund VI, a private equity fund managed by Central and Eastern Europe-focused private equity firm Enterprise Investors, has launched an investment vehicle that will handle the construction of wind farms in Poland. 
The Volcker Rule, set to come into effect in July, is already having an impact as banks divest themselves of their private equity interests, writes Jeremy Hocter
Private equity is growing up as an asset class. Adulthood may be less fun, but makes life more predictable. There is even a reasonable chance that in 2012 a private equity manager, Mitt Romney, will be elected president of the US. Private equity has now become mainstream. 
A trend for active ownership is helping limited partners shed the dated stereotype of being merely passive participants in the private equity space, according to Nathalie von Niederhäusern, co-head of investment management at Swiss Re's private equity investment arm.
With a private equity investment programme that has yielded almost 20 per cent over the past two decades, Teachers’ Private Capital – the C$12bn private equity investment arm of the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan – is under constant pressure to maintain its performance. 
Despite a leveling-out of venture activity in US cleantech and renewable energy, the sector has shown resilience in the face of a challenging financial period, showing significant improvement over 2009’s results.
Although 2011 ended with a slow month for venture capital activity, with monthly transaction value down by a third compared to the year before, January could herald something of a recovery, according to new research. Global private equity firm Blackstone is eyeing the sale of Brocade Communications Systems, a listed maker of data storage network switches, in a take-private deal that could be valued at around $2.65bn.
Global private equity firm Carlyle and the Qatar Investment Authority have partnered in a joint bid for a 40 per cent stake in TAV Havalimanlari Holding, in a sale process that values the Turkish airport operator at around $2bn. The venture capital arm of Russian investment banking major Troika Dialog has sold its stake in Evernote Corporation, a consumer internet and mobile services company, to Sequoia Capital, netting more than ten times its initial investment.
Recent poor coverage of the private equity industry has further undermined a somewhat tarnished reputation. This has much to do with the industry’s historic lack of openness as to its activities, according to EVCA chairman Karsten Langer. US alternative investment group Strategic Value Partners has closed its second special situations fund with commitments of $918m, significantly exceeding its $600m target. Polish Enterprise Fund VI, a private equity fund managed by Central and Eastern Europe-focused private equity firm Enterprise Investors, has launched an investment vehicle that will handle the construction of wind farms in Poland. Scottish Equity Partners has hired energy industry executive Tony Robison to its newly established Energy and Environmental Technologies Fund (EEF).
The private equity arm of European insurance giant AXA is seeking investor approval to raise an additional $1bn for its latest fund, as secondary players poise for imminent regulation that will force banks to offload existing stakes in private equity funds. The IFC has partnered with the UK government to establish the IFC Climate Catalyst Fund, a private equity fund of funds focused on growth capital investments in resource efficiency and low-emission companies in emerging markets.
China’s fast-growing social security fund is looking to commit to foreign private equity funds for the first time, in an effort to increase the ratio of overseas investment and boost the returns on the country’s vast pools of foreign exchange reserves. 
Pan-African private equity firm Emerging Capital Partners has netted a 1.5 times return after selling its 24.9 per cent stake in Batim Africa, an Ivory Coast-based company specialising in land development and housing construction.
Johannesburg-based private equity firm Ethos has bought South African corporate clothing company Kevro for ZAR850m ($108m). 
China Investment Corporation, the investment arm of China's vast sovereign wealth fund, has bought a minority stake in Washington-based asset manager EIG Global Energy Partners.
CCube Angels, a Singapore-based angel investor group, has bought a minority stake in India’s Adception Infotech, the company behind MyAdCorner.com. 
Switzerland-based private equity investment manager Partners Group has backed the development of Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre, a cancer research, treatment and education facility based in Melbourne, Australia.
While undeniably enticing, M&A deals in growth markets remain a challenging prospect. And now new research has found that over 50 per cent of deals that go to due diligence in these regions fail to complete. The venture capital arm of Russian investment banking major Troika Dialog has sold its stake in Evernote Corporation, a consumer internet and mobile services company, to Sequoia Capital, netting more than ten times its initial investment. Global private equity firm Carlyle and the Qatar Investment Authority have partnered in a joint bid for a 40 per cent stake in TAV Havalimanlari Holding, in a sale process that values the Turkish airport operator at around $2bn. 
Global private equity firm HIG Capital has opened an office in Rio de Janeiro, and appointed Fernando Marques Oliveira as a managing director to lead its Brazil and Latin America team. The IFC has partnered with the UK government to establish the IFC Climate Catalyst Fund, a private equity fund of funds focused on growth capital investments in resource efficiency and low-emission companies in emerging markets. 
Emirati private equity firm Gulf Capital is close to clinching an 80 per cent stake in Abu Dhabi-based Reach Group, a regional consultancy business that could fetch around AED100 ($27m).
Gulf Marine Services, the oil & gas barge and vessel unit owned by Dubai-based private equity firm Gulf Capital, has attracted nearly a dozen offers in a sale process that is expected to fetch around $500m. Global private equity firm Blackstone is eyeing the sale of Brocade Communications Systems, a listed maker of data storage network switches, in a take-private deal that could be valued at around $2.65bn. US alternative investment group Strategic Value Partners has closed its second special situations fund with commitments of $918m, significantly exceeding its $600m target. 3 Feb 2012
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Venture capital investing looks to be in the midst of a revival and change, with Wall Street taking a new found appetite for venture-backed technology companies.
Global private equity firm Blackstone is eyeing the sale of Brocade Communications Systems, a listed maker of data storage network switches, in a take-private deal that could be valued at around $2.65bn. 
Global private equity firm Blackstone posted a dip in its fourth quarter earnings this week due to disappointing performance fees across its portfolios, marginally offset by an increase in management fees following an aggressive diversification drive by the firm beyond its traditional buy-out business. 
Despite a leveling-out of venture activity in US cleantech and renewable energy, the sector has shown resilience in the face of a challenging financial period, showing significant improvement over 2009’s results. 
London and Belgrade-based private equity firm Salford Capital Partners has sold its controlling stakes in West Balkans dairy companies Imlek and Mlekara Subotica to larger rival FrieslandCampina. 
The private equity arm of Lloyds Banking Group has backed the management buy-out of Pertemps Limited and AIM-listed Network Group Holdings by a joint management team, in a move that will further consolidate the outsourced recruitment market as companies look to cut costs internally. 
CEE-focused private equity firm Mid Europa Partners and France Telecom-Orange have agreed to sell Orange Austria to Hutchison 3G Austria, a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based property development and infrastructure conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa, for an enterprise value of €1.3bn. 
Clyde Blowers Capital, the industrial-focused private equity firm spearheaded by Scottish engineering entrepreneur Jim McColl, bucked a tough fundraising market when it closed its latest fund this week with commitments of £420m. McColl spoke to AltAssets about how the firm managed to exceed its target. 
Videoplaza, a Swedish video monetisation platform for the New IP-delivered TV, has closed a $12m Series B financing round from existing backers Creandum and Northzone, and new investors Innovacom and Qualcomm Ventures. 
Private equity firm Capital Dynamics has made another renewable energy investment, with the acquisition of a 5.7MW solar energy project in the US. 
Russian investment management firm DST Global has bought a minority equity stake in fast-growing European online fashion store Zalando, and will join current shareholders including Rocket Internet, Holtzbrinck Ventures, Tengelmann Ventures and Kinnevik. 
Mobile gaming company flaregames has sealed €6m in financing led by global venture capital firm Accel Partners. 
US venture capital investment in the cleantech sector reached $4.9bn in 2011, flat in terms of deals and down 4.5 per cent in terms of capital invested compared to 2010. However, the amount represents a 29 per cent increase from the $3.8bn raised in 2009. 
