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Aleva Neurotherapeutics, a company developing next-generation implants for Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) in major neurological indications such as Parkinson´s disease or depression, has closed a Series A financing round totalling EUR 9.5 million.
Aleva was founded in 2008 as a spin-off from the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) Microsystems Laboratory.
The round was funded by a group of seasoned industry specialists and co-led by BioMedInvest AG (managed by BioMedPartners AG, Basel, Switzerland) and BB BIOTECH VENTURES III, L.P. (advised by Bellevue Asset Management AG, Kuesnacht, Switzerland). Initiative Capital Romandie (Lausanne, Switzerland) and renowned private investors also participated in the financing.
An SEI Quick Poll shows a significant increase in the percentage of pension portfolios investing in alternatives when compared to the previous three years of polling.
This year, nearly eight out of ten (78 per cent) pension executives surveyed in the SEI Quick Poll reported their organisation had some allocation to alternatives in the pension portfolio, compared to 51 per cent in 2008, 53 per cent in 2009, and 65 per cent in 2010. However, while more plans in 2011 appear to be using alternative investments, allocations greater than 10 per cent of the overall portfolio appear to have decreased
Blue Sky Funds Management has appointed Jane Prior, former international Nabarro associate, as its commercial manager – a newly created role, which will further reinforce the firm’s stringent corporate governance approach.
Prior will provide in-house counsel for the development of Blue Sky’s fund offering and advise on a range of commercial opportunities in Blue Sky’s private equity and real estate divisions.
Blue Sky has grown rapidly in the past few years by developing high-performing and innovative alternative investment products for private clients, financial planners and institutions.
The firm now has USD200m in funds under management across private equity,
Infinity Group has launched Chongqing Infinity Funds, cooperations between Infinity Group and the Chongqing Banan District People’s Government that will be available both in RMB and US dollars.
The Chongqing Infinity RMB Fund is Infinity’s 11th city-level RMB fund. It is also Infinity’s first fund in China managed by its wholly foreign owned enterprise (WFOE). The target size of the RMB Fund is RMB6 billion, including MB500 million for the first round. Banan’s state-owned enterprise Chongqing Highway Infrastructure Construction Limited, together with three private-sector enterprises, Chongqing Zongshen Industrial Group, Chongqing Sifang Concrete Limited and Chongqing Dianya Real Estate Development Limited,
DryShips has acquired 3,000,856 shares of OceanFreight Inc. The shares were acquired from entities controlled by Anthony Kandylidis, the CEO of OceanFreight, under a purchase agreement entered into on July 26, 2011.
These shares represent a majority of the outstanding shares of OceanFreight. The consideration paid by DryShips for each OceanFreight share consisted of (x) USD11.25 in cash and (y) 0.52326 shares of common stock of Ocean Rig UDW Inc, par value of USD0.01 per share, with cash paid in lieu of fractional shares. The total consideration paid for those shares was USD33,759,671.08 in cash and 1,570,226 shares of Ocean
Brynwood Partners VI LP’s portfolio company, High Ridge Brands Co – owner of the North American Zest personal cleansing franchise – is to acquire the Alberto VO5 brand and marketing rights in the US and Puerto Rico from Unilever. In addition, High Ridge will also acquire the rights to the Rave brand and marketing rights worldwide.
Unilever has retained the rights to the Alberto VO5 brand outside the US and Puerto Rico. High Ridge Brands is based in Stamford, CT and Brynwood VI is its majority owner. The transaction, which is subject to approval by the US Department of Justice,
Oil companies are currently undervalued but the situation cannot continue for long, says Angelos Damaskos (pictured), CEO, Sector Investment Managers and Fund Advisor, Junior Oils Trust…
The Junior Oils Trust has been conservatively positioned since the beginning of the year with significant cash reserves and an allocation to corporate bonds. This positioning has provided some insulation against market weakness as a result of the Japanese earthquake, the Eurozone debt crisis and now, the indiscriminate sell-off of equities. The fund currently holds approximately 14% of its portfolio in corporate bonds and around 5% in cash. We have been selectively investing available
Darwin Private Equity (Darwin) has acquired Attenda Limited from management and investors including M/C Venture Partners for a total consideration of GBP50 million.
Harris Williams & Co acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Darwin. The transaction was led by Thierry Monjauze, Francois Morin, Bobby Virdi and Murathan Basyazgan of the firm’s Technology, Telecom & Digital Media (TTDM) Group in London.
Thierry Monjauze, a managing director and head of Harris Williams & Co’s European advisory practice says: “Attenda is a high quality asset which has demonstrated consistent growth driven by its ability to offer customised and complex IT solutions to
Funds advised by HIG European Capital Partners LLP and its debt affiliate, Bayside Capital, have acquired Bezier, the UK’s largest provider of integrated point of sale marketing services.
The transaction was facilitated by the acquisition of Bezier’s senior debt with a face value of over GBP70 million, and will see HIG inject significant new capital into the business.
In the past several years, Bezier, with revenues of approximately GBP100 million, has transformed itself from a traditional manufacturer of point of sale products to become a full service marketing agency with a track record of enhancing sales and saving
Vector Capital is to acquire Motorola Solutions’ Point-to-Point (PTP or Orthogon) and Point-to-Multipoint (PMP or Canopy) Wireless Broadband Networks businesses for an undisclosed amount. The transaction is expected to be completed as early as the end of September and is subject to customary closing conditions.
The Motorola PTP and PMP businesses are leaders in the wireless broadband industry. They are renowned for their extensive portfolios of unlicensed and licensed solutions that address key industry verticals, as well as a strong technology base that supports the broadest range of applications of any business in their market segments. With extensive technical expertise
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