Private equity firm GTCR has entered into a partnership with David Minella to form Aligned Asset Managers (AAM), which will focus on building a multi-strategy asset management platform through substantial equity investments in firms across alternative and traditional asset classes. GTCR, the firm that pioneered the Leaders Strategy of partnering with proven executives in growing industries to create market-leading companies, plans to invest up to USD200 million of equity capital to support the strategy, while Minella will serve as CEO of Stamford, Connecticut-based AAM. Minella, a 35-year financial services industry veteran, was formerly CEO at Value Asset Management (VAM), a

Harold O Rosser a 20-plus year veteran of the private equity industry has formed Rosser Capital Partners (RCP) which will focus primarily on restaurant investments, in addition to consumer and multi-unit retail companies. "I believe now is an appropriate time in my career to establish an independent platform from which to invest," says Rosser, Managing Partner of RCP. "While it was a difficult decision to make, I am very excited about this new path I have chosen. RCP is perhaps the only private equity firm with a specific emphasis on the restaurant sector and my goal is to leverage our

Monomoy Capital Partners, a private equity firm that makes control equity investments in under-performing companies in the lower middle market, has held the final closing of its second restructuring fund, Monomoy Capital Partners II with USD400 million of Limited Partner commitments.   Monomoy’s Fund II exceeded the firm’s USD350 million fundraising target, filled its USD400 million legal “hard cap” for institutional limited partner commitments and was significantly oversubscribed at its final closing. Including a separate executive fund and the financial commitments of the general partner, Monomoy has the ability to invest approximately USD420 million through its second fund vehicle. Monomoy

Lower middle-market buyout firm High Street Capital has completed the sale of Countryside Hospice Care, a wholly-owned portfolio company of High Street Capital III SBIC, to SolAmor Hospice, a subsidiary of Sun Healthcare Group. Countryside, which is based in Anniston, Alabama and provides in-home hospice services in 114 counties in Alabama and Georgia, was acquired in 2005 through High Street’s third investment fund. Following the acquisition, High Street grew earnings by refining the go-to-market strategy, building out the management team and improving operations to expand rapidly into contiguous markets. “The expanded management team at Countryside and High Street Capital forged

Holtzbrinck Ventures has closed its fourth Fund, HV Holtzbrinck Ventures Fund IV at EUR177m, raising capital from both Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck and funds managed by HarbourVest Partners, LLC. Holtzbrinck Ventures, which will now operate as a fully independent venture fund, will continue to execute its strategy of investing in promising early stage companies within the new media sector, which has been consistently successful over the last 12 years. Holtzbrinck will continue its strong support of Holtzbrinck Ventures through its investment in the new fund. Holtzbrinck Ventures has invested in over 80 new media companies since 1998 and has founded

EyeSense AG, a venture capital-backed developer of novel ophthalmic self-diagnostic systems for glucose monitoring of diabetes patients, has entered into a strategic partnership with QIAGEN. Capitalising on QIAGEN’s ESE fluorescence-based optical technology and on Eyesense’s glucose sensing technology, the partners intend to develop a new optical measurement technology for blood glucose monitoring in diabetes patients.   QIAGEN acquired a minority equity stake in EyeSense, and attained royalty rights for future commercialisation. Both the investment and the partnership are aimed at further expanding the range of applications for the growing segment of point-of-need testing and individualised treatment of patients. Financial details