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The acceleration and growth of internet marketing has led Michael Sherman, founder and CEO of search engine optimisation and digital marketing specialists Qualified Impressions, LLC, to launch a venture capital program geared toward funding start-ups, growing existing businesses, buying ideas, and the acquisition of established businesses.
WeFundVentures.com (WFV) aims to help start-ups and pre-existing businesses that are capital and resource deficient, grow, by investing cash, expertise in digital marketing, SEO/PPC and media buying, and assisting with overall business development strategies. Investments will be made in early and growth stage US based companies.
WFV says that several partners will be joining
The shareholders of Savcio today confirmed the sale of the company to ACTOM. Savcio is the largest privately owned provider of maintenance and repair services for motors and transformers in Africa. ACTOM focuses on manufacturing, distributing and contracting in the electrical engineering sector.
Private equity firms Actis, Ethos and Old Mutual, BEE shareholders Sphere Holdings and Aka Capital, and management received a conditional approval for the sale from the South African Competition Authorities.
Savcio was originally acquired from Delta Electrical Industries Limited in 2005, by a private equity consortium co-led by Ethos and Actis, with equity and considerable BEE
Almost two-thirds of investors are planning to make new private equity investments in the first half of 2012, the latest Preqin research reveals.
The results of the most recent Preqin Investor Outlook: Private Equity found that although investors remain cautious, almost three-quarters are planning to make new commitments in the coming 12 months.
Fund managers that are planning to launch funds during 2012 can be further buoyed by news that 84% of investors that are planning to actively commit to funds in 2012 will consider forming new relationships this year, while 46% will consider investing in a fund before it
Hicks Equity Partners (HEP), the private equity investment vehicle of the Thomas O Hicks family, is leading an investor group that has acquired a majority interest in Directional Rentals, Inc, a privately held oilfield services company. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Based in Lafayette, Louisiana with satellite locations in Houston, Texas, Casper, Wyoming and Bakersfield, California, Directional rents tools primarily to directional drilling companies for bottom hole assemblies used in onshore and offshore horizontal and directional drilling. The company’s rental equipment portfolio consists of nearly 5,000 drill collars, stabilisers and sub-assemblies in a wide range of sizes
Los Angeles private equity firm Levine Leichtman Capital Partners (LLCP) has appointed Brad Parish as a Managing Director and dedicated member of the Deep Value investment team.
Parish, who was most recently a Principal at DE Shaw Direct Capital, brings extensive expertise in sourcing, executing, and realizing distressed debt investments and other special situation transactions. He will participate in the origination of investment opportunities, as well as due diligence, portfolio management and realization of investments within our Deep Value Funds.
"Brad is a proven principal investor and will be a valuable addition to the LLCP Deep Value team," says Arthur
Finam, the largest Russian brokerage and investment holding, that previously invested in Badoo and a host of other web companies, has invested USD10 million in IM+, a mobile messenger services with 17.5 million users and 800 million mobile ad impressions/month.
As a part of the deal Finam and Shape Services, the company behind IM+, launch FinamShape joint venture that will release a special version of plus . im web messenger for the fast growing Russian market.
"This deal is squarely in line with our fund’s new strategy which is geared towards investing in global players in the TMT sector worldwide.
Claude Paoli (pictured), majority shareholder and President of the French group BPI, has announced an intention to conclude a strategic capital partnership with Perceva Capital. The operation should be finalised in March 2012. The transaction would see Perceva Capital taking a majority stake.
Created in 1984, BPI group is a global management and HR consulting firm. BPI assists companies and institutions to prepare, implement and drive transformation strategies. With a global footprint in 40 countries and a French network of 26 regional offices, BPI employs nearly 1 000 professionals, working in close proximity to clients.
The strengthening of the
Foreign direct investment into the Netherlands increased by 25% in 2011, showing that the Netherlands remains a stable, competitive and highly-connected location for companies to service mainland Europe, according to the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA).
In 2011, the NFIA attracted more than 4,300 jobs, EUR1.47 billion in investment pledges, and 41 international headquarters, particularly to Amsterdam. In total, the NFIA brought 193 foreign investment projects to the Netherlands in 2011, amounting to a total year-on-year increase in NFIA generated FDI of 25%.
According to Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade & Agriculture, Henk Bleker: ‘It shows that the Netherlands still
Barry Norris (pictured), Partner, Argonaut Capital Partners and Manager of the Ignis Argonaut European Alpha Fund, on how the Eurozone is defying the doom-mongers…
When S&P downgraded France, Spain and Italy earlier this year it was seen by many observers to be confirmation that the Euro-zone was insolvent and the single currency at risk of imminent collapse. Instead, European equity markets have had their strongest start to the year since 1998; Italian and Spanish government bond yields have fallen 200bps from their highs in November to 5.5% and 5.0% respectively and high yield credit spreads have fallen now to 5.5%
Pan-African private equity firm 8 Miles LLP has completed a first close of the 8 Miles Fund (‘The Fund’), having attracted capital commitments totalling USD200 million.
Cornerstone investors supporting The Fund include global financial institutions such as IFC (part of the World Bank), African Development Bank, and CDC (the UK government-owned development-finance institution), alongside other institutional and private investors.
CLSA, the Asian investment group, has acted as sponsor to the firm and Philip Pritchard, Head of CLSA Europe, commented: ‘The idea for 8 Miles originated at a CLSA Investors Forum where Bob Geldof addressed a global audience of asset
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