Managers
The number of Europe-focused private equity funds of funds to close so far in 2015 is at its lowest ever level, with just seven vehicles having held a final close. Despite slow fundraising, 2012 vintage funds have seen the highest median IRR historically and a substantial number of European investors are still showing an interest in committing to this strategy. In its latest factsheet, Preqin compiles the latest data on the European fund of funds market.
Read the full factsheet here.
This article, taken from the newly released Preqin Special Report: Natural Resources, looks at the make-up of institutional investors in natural resources, preferred strategies and regions, sources of allocations and future investment plans.
The increasing amount of capital raised by natural resources funds in recent years indicates healthy investor appetite for the asset class. As previously mentioned, a Preqin survey in June 2015 found that 29 per cent of investors in natural resources planned to increase their exposure to the asset class over the long term, compared with only 12 per cent that planned to reduce their allocations. Preqin’s
Affiliates of global investment firms Warburg Pincus and General Atlantic are to acquire a 49 per cent stake in the Network Internationa from The Abraaj Group. Emirates NBD will continue to own a 51 per cent stake in the Company. 


Established in 1994, Network International is a payments processing business focused on the Middle East and Africa. The Company provides services across the entire payments ecosystem with a focus on Merchant Acquiring services, in which it processes transactions for merchants covering online, offline and mobile, and Issuing Processing services, in which it processes payment transactions for banks. Network International offers
MarketLive and Shopatron, providers of software solutions for the global retail industry, are to be acquired simultaneously by private equity firm Vista Equity Partners.
“This is a unique opportunity to unite two complementary market leaders to advance the way that retailers and branded manufacturers connect with consumers in a world that relies on seamless digital and in-store experiences,” says Robert F Smith, Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners. “By integrating best-of-breed commerce solutions and combining industry-leading expertise, MarketLive and Shopatron are incredibly well-positioned to bring a highly adaptive omni-channel commerce platform to the rapidly expanding retail market.”
MarketLive
Entertainment Benefits Group (EBG), one of the largest privately-held travel and entertainment providers in the US, has acquired Boston-based Working Advantage, an employee deals portal that provides shopping discounts at more than 10,000 organisations to more than ten million employees.
EBG’s Corporate Program Division, which provides perks and reward solutions to over 60 percent of the Fortune 1000, will integrate Working Advantage’s portfolio of discount entertainment tickets and shopping discounts into its existing product offerings. The acquisition increases EBG’s user base from 50 million to over 60 million users, and increases the number of corporations it works with to 40,000
OneRoof Energy, a residential solar services provider, has signed a USD20 million loan agreement with North Sky Capital's Alliance Fund II. The loan agreement was arranged by GoldenSet Capital, a sub-advisor to Alliance Fund II.
"GoldenSet Capital and North Sky Capital are great partners," says David Field, president and chief executive officer of OneRoof Energy. "The residential solar industry continues to expand at a fast pace. To meet the demand of this capital intensive industry, we are pleased to be working with this group who have been supportive with continued funding."
Loan amounts may be drawn by the Company
Fenox Venture Capital has invested in Jibo – the World’s First Social Robot. With this investment, Jibo plans to expand its global reach and further develop Jibo’s skills.
Fenox VC’s strategic investment will help Jibo bring its “social robot” to more households across the globe. Through Fenox VC, Jibo has partnered with Sega Sammy Holdings and CAC Holdings who will help the company expand its sales and marketing to key regions globally.
“These partnerships will bring great innovation not only to Japan but also around the world,” says Anis Uzzaman, General Partner at Fenox Venture Capital. “Fenox VC will
A new investment company has been formed in the UK to provide businesses with an alternative form of growth capital. Draper Oakwood Royalty Capital is to make investments in growth companies, in exchange for a share in future revenues.
Draper Oakwood calls their investment an ‘R Round’ (Royalty Round). Royalty-based finance is used extensively in many industries, including oil & gas, healthcare, and mining. Draper Oakwood now wants to make this type of capital available to businesses across other industries.
The advantage of the R Round is that entrepreneurs don't have to give up any equity or control in
Baird is to acquire Chautauqua Capital Management, a global investment manager based in Boulder, Colorado. The deal will enable Chautauqua Capital to focus on the performance of the firm’s global and international investment strategies while Baird provides the back office services and support for Chautauqua Capital clients.
The transaction is expected to close in early 2016.
Chautauqua Capital’s globally experienced investment team is led by Chief Investment Officer Brian Beitner, CFA. Beitner is a veteran investor who was previously a senior portfolio manager of Trust Company of the West’s Concentrated Core Equities portfolio management team, which he joined in
In this extract from November’s Preqin Hedge Fund Spotlight, Alastair Hannah takes a detailed look at CTA launches, different trading methodologies, strategies and markets traded, as well as providing an outlook for the rest of the year.
CTA launches
Fifty CTAs have launched in the first nine months of 2015 to 30 September (Fig 1). Although the number of funds launched this year is likely to grow as managers bring new funds to market in the final quarter, and also due to more data becoming available, 2015 looks set for the fewest CTA launches since 2006. Similarly, the proportion
Events
12 November, 2026 – 8:00 am
12 November, 2026 – 5:00 pm
