Leveraged loan defaults rise but cash-flow coverage should avert US credit crash…for now

Navaid Equity Partners was founded in Fort Lauderdale (pictured), Florida in July this year to invest in quality businesses in solid industries where there’s potential for growth in the underlying business, but where the business is facing some external type of disruption. The firm focuses on small to medium sized businesses with revenue up to USD 500 million in industries with strong fundamentals and future growth potential.

2020 was expected to be the year when valuations would finally come down and present a ‘perfect vintage’ for private equity buyout firms, affording them the opportunity to buy assets at more reasonable purchase price multiples.

OakNorth Bank is sector-agnostic, focusing mainly on lower mid-market businesses and established property developers/investors, and is active throughout England with offices in London, Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham, Leeds and East Anglia.

In this video interview, Private Equity Wire speaks to Monika Nachyla, partner at Abris Capital, about the most important features of the new ESG Scoring Application software, as well as her views on the state of ESG investing in the CEE region and how the pandemic will affect impact investing going forward.

When the Covid-19 crisis hit, Kola Aina, partner at Lagos-based early stage fund Ventures Platform, started comparing notes with partners the company works with around the globe. The end result was the launch of the Nigeria Impact Startup Relief Facility, or NISFR, to bring together early stage investors in African startups that have been hit by the pandemic.

Iron Pillar, a VC firm focused on investing in Indian high growth tech companies, recently onboarded Cyrus Wadia, head of sustainability at Amazon, to guide its companies on sustainability.

Unicorn VC deal value grew to EUR3.1 billion in H1 2020, and is on pace to surpass the EUR5.7 billion record set in 2019, according to PitchBook’s latest VC report, as companies like Deliveroo and N26 both closed substantial rounds in the first six months of the year.

Texas-based private investment firm Andros Capital Partners closed its energy-focused inaugural investment fund Andros Energy Capital at its USD250 million hard cap last week. Private Equity Wire caught up with founder Phillip A Gayle JR (pictured) to find out about current developments within the energy sector, where the opportunities are and his thoughts on the new normal.

Wol Kolade (pictured), managing partner of London-based private equity firm Livingbridge, is one of the brains behind the #100blackinternscampaign. Over 100 firms in the City of London have signed up to the program so far, offering internships in finance to people of colour, in only six to eight weeks. Private Equity Wire sat down with Kolade to learn more.

Michael Johnson (pictured) is responsible for continuing to grow and evolve Crestbridge’s overall funds proposition. Here he discusses how Covid has created barriers to private equity fundraising, what challenges GPs are facing going forward beyond Covid and how managers can best position themselves to address these.