Yorkville Advisors, the US-based alternative investment manager, has entered into a PLN50m standby equity distribution agreement on behalf of one of its funds with Warsaw Stock Exchange listed Calatrava Capital. Calatrava Capital is a Poland-based investment company specialising in IT services and software, energy and fast moving consumer goods.   Calatrava Capital entered into the agreement as a means of raising additional capital, as and when required, to increase the scale of its current investment projects.   Pursuant to the terms of the agreement, Calatrava Capital has the discretion, for up to 36 months, to withdraw funds of up to

Intel Capital is making 18 new investments totalling approximately USD77m. The investments were announced at the 11th annual Intel Capital CEO Summit, Intel Capital’s gathering of portfolio company chief executives, corporate technology decision makers from Global 1000 companies and thought leaders from around the world. The new Intel Capital investments span 11 countries including Brazil, China, Germany, India, Israel, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Russia, Taiwan, Ukraine and the US.   The investments align with Intel’s focus on fostering innovation in core PC and server market segments including cloud computing, mobility solutions and access to broadband wireless in geographies around the world.

Half of pension funds have recently altered the asset allocation of their investments, with the majority reducing exposure to equities in favour of alternatives, according to Baring Asset Management’s annual poll of UK pension schemes. Of the 50 per cent of pension professionals that had changed recently changed the asset allocation of their fund, 69 per cent had increased their exposure to alternatives and 61 per cent had decreased their exposure to equities.  Respondents claimed that the main reason for making these changes was to reduce the volatility of the fund (61 per cent). The second most common reason for

CIG, a wealth management and business advisory services firm, has launched a healthcare private equity fund, CIG Capital Partners. "The objective of CIG Capital Partners is to achieve above-average returns by investing in healthcare companies that we believe can deliver cost-effective services and products and have the ability to gain market share in their segments," says Yusuf Hai, vice president, business advisory services.  The fund will seek to proactively focus on investment opportunities within the healthcare sector, including services, medical products and information technology. A key component of the investment strategy is to take an active role in each of

Resilience Capital Partners, a private equity firm, has acquired Indiana Limestone.  This transaction is the second acquisition under Resilience’s industrial minerals platform, North Coast Minerals.  Indiana Limestone is a complementary business to Victor Oolitic Stone, which was acquired by Resilience in November 2009.  Like Victor Oolitic, Indiana Limestone has been a supplier of Indiana limestone to the dimensional stone market place for over 100 years. "We are excited about this acquisition and both the near and long term opportunities it generates when combined with Victor Oolitic. Furthermore, the acquisition of Indiana Limestone is consistent with North Coast Minerals’ strategy of

Levine Leichtman Capital Partners, a Los Angeles-based private equity firm, has partnered with management to complete the acquisition of Revenew International from Profit Technologies.  Revenew, based in Houston, Texas, is a cost recovery solutions firm which offers contract compliance, supplier payment review and process auditing.  The company serves a blue-chip client base that includes 37 Fortune 500 companies and has a dominant position in the energy and utility sectors.  Revenew is the fifth investment from Levine Leichtman Capital Partners IV, a USD1.1bn private equity fund.  Lauren Leichtman, co-founder and chief executive of LLCP, says: "We are delighted to partner with

Canadian venture capital activity increased 20 per cent in the third quarter, according to data Thomson Reuters compiled for the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association. The total investment for the latest third quarter totalled CAD261m (USD258m). “With two consecutive quarters of growth, Canadian VC activity in 2010 continues to track ahead of activity in 2009,” the association said in a quarterly report. Venture capital investments for the nine months to 30 September were at CAD905m, or 28 per cent higher than the same period in 2009, when investments were CAD709m. Disbursement levels also rose in the third quarter

Atlas Holdings has acquired Detroit Thermal, the City of Detroit’s underground district energy steam system, a Detroit-based energy-from-waste facility that produces steam and electricity from municipal waste, and Hamtramck Energy Services, which operates the private industrial steam plants at several General Motors facilities in Michigan. The acquired assets will operate as independent subsidiaries under the umbrella of newly formed Detroit Renewable Energy and will be headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. Detroit Thermal owns and operates a 39-mile, low-pressure steam loop in downtown Detroit that has been in operation since 1903 and is the sole source of heating for 104 buildings and

Citi’s Global Transaction Services has introduced a portfolio of custody services in the US, specifically for private equity funds. Citi says its services are particularly timely because of Securities and Exchange Commission regulations affecting custody of customer assets by registered investment advisers and the recently enacted Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which places stricter regulatory requirements on private equity firms.  This legislation – and the regulations to follow – will impact unregistered investment advisers of private equity funds as most of them will now be required to become registered with the SEC and will be subject to