Allocations
Tim Draper, founder of DFJ and the Draper Venture Network and early investor in Skype, Baidu, Tesla, TwitchTV, Hotmail, Cruise Automation, and Thumbtack, has closed a USD190 million early stage venture fund under the brand Draper Associates.
Draper Associates has historically been a personal investment vehicle for Draper, and this fund represents the first time the opportunity has been offered to outside LPs. “We believe that the venture capital business and finance generally is going through a transformation and we raised this fund to lead that change,” says Draper. “We have created an ecosystem that we believe will give Draper-backed
A GBP1 trillion coalition of 54 institutional investors, including Aviva Investors, Natixis, ACTIAM, Mirova, Coller Capital and Strathclyde Pension Fund, has launched an engagement campaign with ten of the biggest US and UK restaurant chains, to call for an end to non-therapeutic use of antibiotics important to human health in their global meat and poultry supply chains.
The companies include J D Wetherspoon, McDonald’s and Domino’s Pizza Group, which holds its AGM later this month (20 April). The coalition has been brought together by the Farm Animal Investment Risk & Return (FAIRR) Initiative and responsible investment charity ShareAction, with the
Livingston-based Touch Bionics, the developer and manufacturer of upper limb prosthetic technologies, has been sold by its shareholders – including Archangel Investors, Scottish Investment Bank and management – to Össur Hf, the Iceland-based provider of prosthetic, bracing and supports solutions, in a GBP27.5 million deal.
Touch Bionics was the first company to develop an electrically powered prosthetic hand with five independently powered fingers. Its products now include electronic prosthetic hand and finger solutions as well as passive silicone prostheses that closely match the natural appearance of the wearer. The business employs over 120 people and has operations in Scotland, Germany
The UK was the number one major European economic target for inbound deals from the emerging markets during the second half of 2015, according to KPMG’s Cross-Border Deals Tracker.
The dataset analysed deal flows between 15 developed economies (or groups of economies) such as UK, US, Oceania, and Hong Kong and 13 high growth economies (or groups of economies), such as Brazil, Central & Eastern Europe (CEE), India and South Africa. It found that UK companies were involved in 45 inbound, completed deals during July-December 2015 – an increase of 10 (nearly 30 per cent) from the previous six months.
Octopus Investments’ Octopus Titan Venture Capital Trust (Titan VCT) has raised a record GBP100 million. This is the largest ever fundraise for Titan VCT, the UK’s biggest Venture Capital Trust (VCT).
The news follows swiftly on the heels of the latest figures from the Association of Investment Companies, which revealed that the VCT sector raised GBP457.5 million in the 2015/2016 tax year – the highest amount since 2006.
This is further evidence of the growth in investor demand for VCTs and mirrors recent market commentary. As new restrictions on lifetime and annual pension investment limits come into force from
Law firm Paul Hastings is advising COSCO (Hong Kong) Group Limited (COSCO HK) on its acquisition of 67 per cent of Piraeus Port Authority SA. COSCO HK is a wholly-owned subsidiary of China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company.
This marks one of the most high profile Greek privatisations of recent years and successful execution of the deal is a key part of the plan to turn Piraeus into a logistics hub for Chinese exports to Europe.
Paul Hastings has demonstrated significant strength over the years in acting as international deal counsel for Chinese buyers, including acting for WH Group (formerly
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has joined Georgia based JAM Capital Partners to raise a new USD100 million fund to invest in fast growing and innovative businesses in the Southeast.
JAM Capital Partners is a private investment partnership that makes majority and minority investments in lower middle market growth companies.
John McCallum, Managing Partner of JAM Capital Partners, launched the firm in 2010 and believes that the Southeast provides unique advantages for investors seeking to invest in fast growing businesses. The lower middle market, typically businesses with annual revenue of USD5 million to USD25 million, is underserved by private investment
Harvest Capital Credit Corporation (Harvest) closed a USD10.8 million junior secured debt financing for Yucatan Foods in support of a recapitalisation, as well as to finance the Company’s long-term strategic growth initiatives.
The debt financing was comprised of two tranches; an USD8.2 million junior secured subordinated debt investment and a USD2.6 million subordinated convertible note.
Headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, and founded in 1990, Yucatan is a pioneer in avocado processing and is consistently recognised within the food industry for outstanding taste, quality, and safety. Today, the Company offers an array of guacamole products in various flavours, which are found
Diversis Capital,, a Los Angeles-based private equity firm focused on acquiring and growing small- and middle-market companies, has acquired the majority of the assets of Caligor Rx, Inc.
Based in Secaucus, New Jersey with an additional facility in Dartford, UK, Caligor provides services that enable pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to maximize the value of their clinical supply chain investments. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
From its roots as a pharmacy started in 1919, Caligor has established itself as a leader in sourcing and distributing comparator drugs for clinical trials worldwide. Complementing its comparator business, Caligor provides regulatory
Conner Strong & Buckelew has formed a strategic alliance with Century Equity Partners (Century) to accelerate the firm's expansion strategy.
The alliance leverages Conner Strong's market-leading service and delivery model with Century's extensive M&A experience and industry relationships to immediately enhance organic growth and targeted acquisition strategies.
Under the terms of the alliance, Century will acquire a minority interest in Conner Strong & Buckelew. George E Norcross, III, Conner Strong's Executive Chairman; Mike Tiagwad, President and CEO; and Joseph Buckelew, Chairman, will maintain their majority interest in the firm. Together with the existing management team, they will continue in
Events
12 November, 2026 – 8:00 am
12 November, 2026 – 5:00 pm
