Yorkville Advisors, the alternative investment firm, has completed its 20th standby equity distribution agreement, a proprietary equity financing, for 2010. This transaction was an AUD25m (USD23m) facility with Australian Stock Exchange listed New Guinea Energy, a company focusing on oil and gas exploration in Papua New Guinea. It represents the fourth oil and gas standby equity distribution agreement since the beginning of the year. Pioneered nine years ago by Yorkville, a standby equity distribution agreement aims to offer companies a flexible and cost effective way of raising capital in pursuit of their growth strategy. The terms enable an investee company,

Xtreme Power, a provider of power resources for utility-scale power management and energy storage systems, has closed a USD29.5m financing round co-led by Bessemer Venture Partners, The Dow Chemical Company through its venture capital group, and existing investor Sail Venture Partners. Additional investors include Posco ICT and SkyLake. Umesh Padval, a partner with Bessemer Venture Partners, and Walter Schindler, managing partner at Sail Venture Partners, have joined the board of directors. The financing will support Xtreme Power’s technology development, production expansion, and large-scale power projects. "Xtreme Power’s technology significantly enhances the value that renewable energy generators provide to the grid,

The State Street Private Equity Index posted a 2.22 per cent return for the quarter ending 31 March 2010, 372 basis points lower than the fourth quarter of 2009 return and 868 basis points higher than the return recorded during the year ago period.  The first quarter of 2010 return for the European and rest of world regions were -1.9 per cent and 4.0 per cent, respectively, with both reflecting a slight decrease from the prior quarter. For the second quarter 2009 to the first quarter of 2010, all private equity recorded a 22.7 per cent one-year end-to-end return.  Mezzanine

Vector Capital, a private equity firm specialising in the technology sector, has completed its acquisition of Trafficmaster in a take-private transaction valued at approximately USD145m. Trafficmaster is a provider of intelligent vehicle services which aim to enhance driving experience and improve business performance by saving companies time and money. While Trafficmaster was previously listed on the London Stock Exchange, 70 per cent of the company’s revenue was generated by its significant operations in the US. David Fishman, a partner at Vector Capital who will join Trafficmaster’s board of directors, says: "We look forward to partnering with an exceptional management team

Salamanca Capital Investments, the Mayfair-based investment advisory business and part of the Salamanca Group, has acquired Barcelona Marina.  Known locally as Marina Port Vell, the Marina dominates the heart of Barcelona. Salamanca has acquired the Marina from Global Via whose parent company, FCC, is one of Spain’s largest construction companies. It is understood that FCC is in the process of disposing of a number of non-core assets. Salamanca will work with the Spanish Port Authority to turn the Marina into the home of some of the world’s largest privately owned yachts, with some berths catering for vessels of up to