Dragon Capital and Frontier Investment & Development Partners announce have formed a joint venture for regional private equity – Indochina Opportunity Partners (IOP) – which has now commenced marketing its Indochina Opportunities Fund. The Fund is the first-ever private equity vehicle specifically focused on the Indochina region. It will be opportunistic in its approach and invest across Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, countries where it has already constructed a substantial investment pipeline across a variety of sectors.  The Fund’s strategy will seek to capitalise on the increasing number of consumer and industrial opportunities in Vietnam, while harnessing the agricultural and natural-resource potential

BASF Venture Capital has invested USD13.5 million in Allylix Inc, a US-based renewable chemicals company. The BASF subsidiary led a USD18.2 million financing round, joined by existing investors Tate & Lyle Ventures, Avrio Ventures and Cultivian Ventures. Allylix has a proprietary technology platform to produce a wide variety of renewable specialty chemicals, i.e. terpenes and their derivatives, for several industries including flavor and fragrance, food ingredients, cosmetics and other markets. The technology, based on fermentation, allows for the creation of highly pure, renewable compounds that have previously only been available from natural resources in limited quantities. "Our investment in Allylix

Business Growth Fund (BGF), established to help Britain’s fast-growing smaller and medium sized businesses, has made a GBP4.8m investment for a minority stake in Wow! Stuff, a UK toy development company behind blockbuster toys such as the Air Swimmers and My Keepon, both of which were named in Hamley’s Top 5 toys for Christmas 2011 and Toys R Us’ USA Fab 15 list for 2011.  This is BGF’s third investment in 2012 and its fifth since launch, bringing their total capital committed to fund the expansion of fast growing companies to £26m.   Wow! Stuff was founded by dynamic entrepreneur Richard

The Comvest Group, a private investment firm focused on the lower middle-market, has closed its second private equity debt fund, Comvest Capital II (CVC II), with capital commitments of USD250 million. The capital commitments in CVC II are from a diverse group of institutional investors and high net worth investors, including US and European global private equity investors. This latest Comvest Capital fund will provide direct, flexible debt capital solutions to companies in the lower middle-market across a broad range of industries, including, but not limited to, healthcare, technology, transportation, financial services, media and manufacturing. Robert O’Sullivan, Managing Partner of

Healthcare specialist Westhouse Medical Services Plc has sold its AST Ambulance Services business to a management buyout team for UK GBP2.75m. The MBO team is led by AST’s current operations director, Stewart Lawson. AST Ambulance Services provides specialist transport and ambulance services for the NHS in the UK. Jack Kaye, founder and CEO of Westhouse Medical says: “We wish Stewart and his team all the best in the future in taking the AST business forward.”  On 8 March Westhouse Medical announced that it intended to expand into US market by entering negotiations to acquire majority control of Sunridge International. The glaucoma

HIG Capital’s portfolio company Albertville Quality Foods, Inc (AQF) has acquired Sunrise Foods, LLC (Sunrise), a processor of protein-based products. The Sunrise operation is highly complementary to AQF’s operation and will add over $100 million in additional revenues to the combined company. Like AQF, Sunrise’s value-added customized products are prepared to customers’ specific recipes. The acquisition of Sunrise, based in Albertville, Alabama, significantly expands the profile and capabilities of AQF. The combined company will service a marquee list of foodservice, restaurant, and retail customers through its operation of three facilities and eight state-of-the art production lines. AQF is also pleased

Nautic Partners, a private equity firm with more than USD2.5 billion of capital under management, has acquired Superior Vision Holdings, Inc in partnership with the company’s existing management team. Headquartered in Rancho Cordova, California, Superior Vision provides vision insurance coverage to approximately two million members across all 50 states. Superior Vision will continue to work as an independent vision plan in the marketplace exactly as they do today and the existing management team, led by Rick Corbett, will continue to operate the Company. Founded in 1993, Superior Vision is one of the leading independent vision benefits companies in the United

The owners of John Varvatos Enterprises, Inc – VF Sportswear, Inc., a subsidiary of VF Corporation (NYSE: VFC) and John Varvatos – have signed a definitive agreement to sell the majority ownership interest in the company to Lion Capital LLP, with Mr Varvatos retaining an ownership position. The transaction, which is subject to normal closing conditions, is expected to be completed during the second quarter of 2012. Terms were not disclosed.   John Varvatos launched his namesake brand in 2000 with a collection of tailored clothing and sportswear and it now represents an entire men’s lifestyle collection that includes footwear,

The US Small Business Administration has licensed the first nationally-focused Impact Investment Fund, SJF Ventures III, LP. The fund will make equity investments in cleantech and technology companies in communities nationwide as part of an impact investment initiative to invest up to USD1.5 billion in high-growth small businesses. "SJF Ventures III, LP is yet another important new ally in SBA’s commitment to foster small business growth and job creation in emerging sectors," says Administrator Karen Mills. "They’re an experienced team that is well-positioned to drive more investment in high growth, positive impact companies. We will continue to grow this and