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The Karma Communications Group has acquired the Crayon group, a leading UK-based digital communications agency, to work alongside Karmarama, an independent integrated advertising agency. Karma Communications aims to grow into an international challenger agency group, providing clients with best-in-class creative solutions across every step of the customer journey.
The Karma Communications Group came into existence with the announcement in May 2011 of the investment by Phoenix Equity Partners, the UK-based mid market private equity investor, in Karmarama, together with its sister agencies Kream and Kaper. The group is owned jointly by Phoenix and its senior management team.
Crayon was founded
Rapid Ratings, an independent ratings, research and analytics firm, has appointed Jeffrey Gibb as Senior Vice President of Strategic Relations & Head of Legal Operations.
Gibb, a former practicing attorney, in-house counsel for GE Capital and entrepreneur, will have a multi-faceted role at Rapid Ratings. He will be primarily responsible for legal affairs and business development initiatives. Gibb will also work closely with Chairman and CEO, James H Gellert, on regulatory and legislative activities in Washington DC.
“Jeff has a wealth of experience across the legal, regulatory and investment sectors that will be of material benefit to Rapid Ratings’
Oak Hill Advisors has promoted Alexandra Jung, Adam B Kertzner, Jeffrey E Kirt and Thomas S Wong to partners of the firm. In their new positions, they will join the firm’s existing six partners in leading the firm and directing its investment activities in distressed and performing credit markets in both the US and Europe.
Glenn R August, President and founder of Oak Hill Advisors, says, “We are very pleased at the appointment of these four new Partners. Their promotion is a testament to the depth and quality of our team and our commitment to developing talent. Each of
The UK has reinforced its position as the preeminent market for private equity investment in Europe, with activity in its lower mid-market having continued its strong recovery in 2011 to pre-recession levels of almost 100 deals.
In the face of notable macro-economic challenges, the segment’s robustness was highlighted as UK aggregate buyout volumes and values increased significantly compared to the previous two years.
Lyceum Capital and Cass Business School’s UK Growth Buyout Dashboard, the quarterly analysis of UK-headquartered private equity control deals in the GBP10 to GBP100 million enterprise value space, reveals 44 per cent growth in the total
A private equity fund managed by Krokus Private Equity has backed a management buy-out of LOTOS Parafiny in a leveraged acquisition. The Company will continue its business under the new name – POLWAX.
The transaction entailed the purchase of 100% of shares of the subsidiary from the LOTOS Group. Currently, Lotos Parafiny is owned through a special purpose vehicle Krokus Chem Sp z o o by the Fund Nova Polonia Natexis II and the managing team.
“It was an unprecedented decision for the LOTOS Group as well as for the management team of LOTOS Parafiny. The investment process was very
Earthrise Capital Fund has completed an investment in the Series B securities of Charlotte, North Carolina-based Forest2Market, Inc. Earthrise was joined in the Series B financing by Zephyr Investment Management, F2M’s existing lead investor. In conjunction with this transaction, Ann Partlow, Partner of Earthrise Capital, will take a seat on the Company’s board.
Forest2Market is a provider of pricing data, supply chain expertise and consulting services to the forest products and biomass energy industries. The Company’s database of real-time prices for lumber, pulpwood, fiber, biomass and other forest products is the most comprehensive available. Forest2Market intends to use the proceeds
Private equity firm Institutional Venture Partners (IVP) has promoted Somesh Dash and Eric Liaw to principals. These promotions recognise their contributions to IVP and highlight the firm’s continued momentum in strengthening its investment team.
“Somesh and Eric have worked incredibly hard and have produced fantastic results for IVP,” says Todd Chaffee, General Partner at IVP. “They are an integral part of our investment team, and we are thrilled to announce their promotions.”
Dash joined IVP in March of 2005 and focuses primarily on later-stage investments in Internet, software, wireless, and technology-enabled services companies.
"IVP seeks to identify and back premier
Capital Dynamics has appointed Marcelo Moraes as a Managing Director and Head of Brazil, based in São Paulo.
Marcelo is a member of the Board of Directors of the Brazilian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (ABVCAP) and Chairman of the VALE Fiscal Council (the second-largest mining company in the world). He has over a decade of private equity and venture capital experience, having been a Partner and Managing Director at Stratus Group (an independent Brazilian private equity manager focused on mid-market investments) and an Investment Manager with Bradespar (a listed investment company spun out from Banco Bradesco, one of
Private Equity firms invested USD10,117 million over 441 deals in India during the 12 months ending December 2011, compared to USD8,187 million across 362 deals during the previous year, according to analysis by Venture Intelligence, a research service focused on Private Equity and M&A activity.
These figures – which include VC investments and exclude PE investments in Real Estate – take the total investments by PE firms over the past five years to about USD47 billion across 2,062 transactions.
The latest Venture Intelligence data however reveals that PE investments in October-December 2011 declined to about USD1,456 million (across 105 deals)
Biomass Engineering Limited (BEL), manufacturer of renewable energy biomass plants, has secured a EUR6m growth equity investment from a US-based investor. The investment was made by Excelestar Ventures of Massachusetts, confirming Biomass Engineering’s sector leading biomass cogeneration energy and heat plant technology.
“Excelestar believes in BEL’s combined heat and power biomass plant. It is a robust and modular system that is the product of skilful engineering,” says Tasneem Dohadwala, General Partner of Excelestar Ventures.
BEL is an international leader in design, production and installation of biomass gasification CHP systems. As a pioneer in the industry, BEL’s technology is backed
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