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Jeff Sica, founder and Chief Investment Officer (CIO) of Circle Squared Alternative Investments (CSQ), has been appointed as a special advisor to the board of venture capital firm AITV.
Sica will now be part of a roster of what we believe to be are world-class subject matter specialists that AITV has assembled. In this capacity, he’ll provide the AITV investment team and, in some cases, the underlying portfolio companies, with strategic, financial, technological and commercial advice in an effort to help optimise returns for their investors. AITV developed this highly profiled and actively engaged network of collaborators ranging from fund
55% of private equity firms surveyed by Preqin at the end of 2014 stated they would deploy greater levels of capital in 2015, although 39% suggested it is more difficult to find attractive investments. Preqin’s Christopher Elvin comments:
2014 was the strongest year of private equity investments since the global financial crisis, yet the majority of private equity fund managers are looking to invest more this year. Preqin spoke to 260 firms* worldwide in November last year, and 55% claimed they would be investing a higher amount of capital in 2015 compared to last year. A further 35% of managers
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) has committed an additional CAD330 million to the Canadian private equity market.
The funds will be committed to a Canadian fund-of-funds program that will be managed by CPPIB's longstanding investment partner, Northleaf. This investment is in addition to CPPIB's CAD70 million commitment in 2014 to the Northleaf Venture Catalyst Fund. Since 2005, CPPIB has committed CAD1.2 billion to Canadian private equity investments through its partnership with Northleaf.
The investment objective of this additional mandate is to focus on Canadian small and mid-market buyout and growth equity funds that are seeking to raise CAD1 billion
Private equity firm ACE & Company has sold its stake in Moulin d’Or, a Tunisian baked goods manufacturer, to strategic investor Supreme Group.
The firm invested alongside the Abraaj Group, a leading private equity investor, in Moulin d’Or in late 2012.
Moulin d’Or sold more than 200 million cakes in 2014. The company has over 50% market share of Tunisia’s baked goods sector and has also become a leading muffin producer, dominating the country’s fastest growing industry segment.
ACE & Company and Abraaj initially invested in Moulin d’Or in 2012. During the holding period, Moulin d’Or expanded its product offering,
Investec Specialist Bank (Investec) has expanded its Growth & Acquisition Finance team with the appointment of Robin Aldridge.
Joining from RBS Invoice Finance, where he was a relationship manager in the corporate bank, Aldridge will focus on portfolio management and report into Gary Edwards. Aldridge will be working directly with mid-market businesses to help support their growth through innovative and flexible integrated debt / asset-based lending financing structures. Prior to his time at RBS, Robin was with Burdale Financial for seven years working within portfolio management.
Launched in 2006, Investec’s integrated debt offering has become increasingly attractive to mid-market
Alternative investment specialist Investcorp is to acquire Fritta, a specialist producer of intermediates for the ceramic industry, from financial investor Nazca Private Equity.
The acquisition is subject to Spanish competition authorities clearance.
Established in 1973 in Onda, Spain, Fritta produces ceramic frits and glazes as well as ceramic colours and inkjet inks, all critical intermediate products in the manufacturing of ceramic tiles. The Company’s global activities are supported by two frits manufacturing plants in Spain and Vietnam and two glaze mixing units in Italy and Mexico. Fritta employs around 300 people and its products are sold to approximately 200
SMEs turned increasingly to financial markets in 2014, with companies backed by Euronext subsidiary EnterNext raising a total of EUR9 billion on Euronext’s pan-European markets.
This included shares and bonds in both primary and second trading, and is the highest figure raised in several years. A resurgence in IPOs, combined with hard work by EnterNext teams, resulted in 31 SME listings that raised EUR740 million. Investors were enthusiastic, with issues oversubscribed 2.6 times on average. Secondary capital raising through equities and bonds was also lively, rising from EUR5.7 billion in 2013 to EUR8.2 billion in 2014.
In all, over
Convergence has appointed Joseph (Joe) Dello Russo, former Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administrative officer of MFS Investment Management as a Senior Managing Director.
In his role with Convergence, a provider of database, custom data research and advisory services to the alternative asset manager industry, Dello Russo will lead efforts to develop the Company's business platform, with primary focus in the northeast US market.
As a member of the company's Management Committee, Joe will work in partnership with the company's co-Presidents, John Phinney and George Evans, on business strategy, the development and execution of strategic business and customer relationships and
Arsenal Venture Partners has appointed Ryan Waddington (pictured) as a Partner. He will lead the firm’s efforts in the Midwest region and will be involved in all areas of the firm's operations, from sourcing investments to interfacing with strategic organisations, to delivering value to Arsenal's portfolio companies.
Waddington's 15-year investing career includes, most recently, co-founding Michigan-based Huron River Ventures, a seed-stage venture capital firm that invests in enterprise and resource efficiency sectors. Prior to that, Waddington helped establish an energy-focused private equity group within New York-based Ziff Brothers Investments, one of the largest and most successful family office investment firms
Clean energy investment fund Glennmont Partners, as selected Greensolver to actively manage a 25MW wind portfolio in France.
As European onshore wind power matures, it has become an increasingly attractive asset class to secondary investors who are looking for consistent returns with proven technologies and projects. To manage these effectively, however, and ensure compliance, auditing and continuous portfolio improvement under ISO55001 standards, many funds are turning towards the services of specialist asset managers.
The Glennmont Partners deal will see Greensolver provide its Technical and Commercial Management services for the projects on a regular basis over a period of five years.
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