General Electric and its venture capital partners have made a collective investment of USD55m in power grid technology companies. The investment is a part of the USD200m GE Ecomagination Challenge. It is the first of several rounds of innovation funding planned by GE and its venture capital partners as part

The global financing markets are headed for a revival over the next 12 months, with a slower recovery expected in Europe, according to a survey of capital providers conducted by law firm Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker in association with mergermarket and Debtwire. The survey revealed that increased lending activity,

The quarter ending 30 June 2010 marked the continuation of a five-quarter trend of positive returns in private equity and venture capital funds, according to Cambridge Associates, a provider of research and investment advice to institutional investors and private clients. Earnings in both types of funds were down from the

GE Energy Financial Services, a unit of GE, has joined a USD8m funding round for CoolPlanetBioFuels, a start-up company developing a technology that converts low-grade biomass into high-grade fuel and carbon that can be sequestered. The venture capital investment was led by North Bridge Venture Partners, which had also led

Private equity firm Advent International has acquired Tinsa, a Spanish property valuation firm, from its founding partners. Advent International has taken a 94.5 per cent majority stake in the business, with the remaining capital held mainly by the management team. The transaction is valued at EUR100m and has been approved

Small and medium-sized businesses in Francophone West Africa will receive commercial investment thanks to a EUR8m investment by CDC, the UK’s development finance institution. CDC’s EUR8m commitment is to the Fonds Cauris Croissance II, a private equity fund run by Cauris Management, a West African team based in Togo and

Marketo, a provider of revenue performance management solutions, has secured additional funding to fuel its growth. Institutional Venture Partners, which has also funded Netflix, Twitter and Zynga, led the USD25m investment with participation from previous investors InterWest Partners, Storm Ventures, and Mayfield Fund. The new funding will be used to

Dutchess Capital has recently provided equity line facilities for several more mining and resources companies. They include GBP5m for Baobab Resources, CAD10m for Nordic Oil and Gas and CAD10m for Houston Lake Mining. Earlier this year, Dutchess provided GBP10m in ELF financing for Sunkar Resources and USD35m for AsherXino. For

Choice Care Group, Sovereign Capital’s portfolio healthcare company, has acquired Excel Support Services, which provides supported living for people with learning disabilities. Founded in 2005, Excel has grown significantly in the past few years. It operates from two regional offices in Bracknell, Berkshire and Sandwell, West Midlands.   Excel aims to