Navigation Capital Partners, an Atlanta-based middle market private equity firm, has acquired Specialized Technical Services, a provider of smart grid infrastructure upgrades and meter-related services to municipal, co-operative and investor-owned utilities. STS is the first in a series of acquisitions planned by NCP in support of its initiative to build

ngmoco, a publisher and developer for iPhone OS devices, has raised a new round of financing led by Institutional Venture Partners along with the company’s previous investors, including Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Norwest Venture Partners and Maples Investments. IVP general partner Sandy Miller has joined ngmoco’s board of directors.

CellCentric, a Rainbow Seed Fund investment, has licensed exclusively to Takeda Pharmaceutical Company the development and commercialisation of an epigenetic discovery programme focused on cancer. Under the terms of the new agreement, CellCentric will receive from Takeda an upfront payment and pre-clinical and clinical milestones, in addition to royalties. Based

Religare Enterprises, a financial services group focusing on emerging markets, has approved a commitment of up to USD1bn for investments in asset management businesses. The board has approved an initial investment in Northgate Capital, a private equity and venture capital firm with principal offices in the San Francisco Bay Area

OrbiMed, an investment management firm focused on the healthcare sector, has launched its next venture capital fund, Caduceus Private Investments IV, with USD550m in limited partner commitments. Approximately 80 per cent of the new fund’s capital is from returning investors, and the fund’s partners include some of the largest pension

Private equity firm Global Environment Fund has made an investment of USD30m in UPC Renewables China, an independent renewable energy producer with specific focus in wind energy development. The investment will be dedicated to wind power development in China, where UPC has 150 MW in construction and more than 3

RedPrairie Holding, a productivity solutions provider, has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by a fund affiliated with New Mountain Capital, a private equity firm. RedPrairie says the acquisition will enable it to accelerate its growth rate while enhancing its commitment to customer success. "Our objective is to

Nearly half of venture capital providers say lending will be more restrictive in the next 12 months, according to a study by Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management. At the same time, 70.5 per cent agree that demand for venture capital will grow. Findings on the venture capital

Maven Capital Partners as joint manager of the Capital for Enterprise Fund has made a GBP1.5m investment in PrismTech Group, a provider of high-performance communications software. The GBP75m Capital for Enterprise Fund is a government backed initiative launched earlier this year to help small and medium size enterprises in the