Covid crisis drives increase in employee equity initiatives, says Capdesk

BlackRock Alternative Specialists’ David Lomas discusses how its three-pronged approach to deal sourcing makes it well positioned to support private market investors heading into 2021.

Eight Roads Ventures and London-based VC firm Balderton Capital, with participation from existing investors including San Francisco-based Founders Fund, have led a Series B equity round into digital electricity supplier Tibber. 

Sub-Sahara African-based Pacer Ventures has launched a USD3 million fund for early-stage startups, with a focus on healthcare, financial inclusion, education and agriculture on the African continent.

VC investment into London’s tech companies has increased by nearly eight times between 2015 and 2020, while the city has attracted growing amounts of VC capital from North American investors in recent years, data from London & Partners and Dealroom.co shows.

Israeli VC firm Peregrine Ventures has launched its fifth fund and first growth fund, Peregrine Growth, focused on late stage life science companies that are on the verge of an IPO or M&A deal.

Private equity assets under management will increase from USD 4.41 trillion in 2020 to USD9.11 trillion in 2025 – and with a CAGR of 15.6 per cent, it will be the fastest-growing asset class over the next five years, according to Preqin.

The second quarter of this year saw two potentially worrying trends in US corporate credit: the number of public filers carrying debt of more than 7x going into Q3 had risen to 35 per cent (compared to 14 per cent in Q4 2018), while the percentage of leveraged loan defaults rose sharply from 2 per cent at the start of the year to north of 4 per cent, by March.

Kris Ring, debt finance equity partner at Goodwin Procter in Santa Monica, on the relationship between PE firms and direct lenders during the pandemic, the ways this downturn has been different to previous downturns, how the upcoming election will impact business in the US, and what a potentially contested election result could mean for market volatility.

Listen in to PEWire's podcast with Emily Pollock (pictured), alternatives director at Schroders, to find out how consumption patterns will change in the "new normal", as well as her view on the potential for “buy-and-build” strategies in Europe and why she believes European private equity is well positioned for some of the shifts in the current environment.

To mark Ada Lovelace Day, an international celebration of the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM), PEWire is publishing a mini-series of three Q&A interviews with women working in venture capital. Second up is Christine Hockley, director of investments at British Patient Capital which makes long-term investments in innovative companies across the UK.