AVG Technologies, a provider of computer security software, has received a substantial investment from growth private equity firm TA Associates. TA Associates, which has funded companies such as BMC Software, Cadence Design and McAfee, has bought a minority stake in AVG Technologies from its current shareholders for more than USD200m.

Media finance and consulting firm Noci Pictures is in discussions with US and international private equity partners in closing a USD300m dollar structured media and entertainment fund that would finance 20 to 30 films. The firm says many hedge funds, including New York’s Elliott Associates, are seeing premium returns from

TJ Hughes, a big brand discount department store backed by European private equity firm Silverfleet Capital, has outstripped retail sector performance in its year end results to 31 January 2009. The 49 store strong chain saw an increase in turnover of 9.1 per cent to GBP261.3m and an increase in

ITS, a provider of oilfield equipment and services to the global oil and gas industry, has received a USD55m equity investment from energy-focused private equity firm Lime Rock Partners. The agreement provides Lime Rock with a minority stake in ITS in return for providing growth capital. Bob Kidd, ITS Group

Asian institutions are joining their peers in other markets by refraining from making wholesale changes to their portfolio investment strategies in the wake of the global financial crisis. However, the results of Greenwich Associates’ 2009 Asian Investment Management Study reveal that institutions across Asia (excluding Japan) are reconsidering plans to

Hargreave Hale, a stockbroker and investment manager, has renamed the Keydata Aim VCT and the Keydata Aim VCT 2 as Hargreave Hale Aim VCT 1 and Hargreave Hale Aim VCT 2 respectively. The Hargreave Hale Aim VCTs invest in a diversified portfolio of equity investments in small UK based VCT

Assets managed by the world’s largest 500 fund managers fell by over 23 per cent in 2008 to USD53.4trn, down from USD69.4trn the year before, according to the Pensions & Investments/Watson Wyatt World 500 ranking. The fall in assets is the first since 2002 and the largest since the research

KKR Private Equity Investors and KKR have completed the transaction to combine the two businesses. Going forward, KPE will be known as KKR Guernsey and its common units will trade on Euronext Amsterdam from 2 October. Henry R. Kravis and George R. Roberts (pictured), co-founders of KKR, said: “For over

Orient Venture Capital, a Vancouver based capital pool company, has received loans totalling CAD40,000 from Asia Select Asset Management and Dwane Brosseau. The loans bear a fixed interest rate at eight per cent per annum, maturing at the earlier of: 1) 12 months from the date of the advance; and

Yext, a local internet advertising company, has raised USD25m from Institutional Venture Partners and Sutter Hill Ventures to accelerate the growth of pay-per-action phone calls. "We are excited to announce this investment and to have IVP as a new investor to help us build the company," says Howard Lerman, chief