Private equity firm Riverside has acquired Naka, a Japanese developer, manufacturer and distributor of high-end crystal oscillators and crystal units. Major clients include mobile equipment vendors, which use Naka’s devices in microwave backhaul equipment that provides interconnectivity among base stations.   Crystal oscillators are used in almost all electronic devices that require stable frequencies or precise clocks. These devices help keep track of time, provide stable clock signals for digital integrated circuits, and stabilise frequencies for radio transmitters and receivers. Naka marks the second Japanese platform investment for Riverside and the fourth platform for Riverside Asia Fund I. Stu Baxter,

Authentic Brands Group has completed a USD250m equity capital raise with Green Equity Investors V, an affiliate of Leonard Green & Partners, Knight’s Bridge Capital Partners, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Counsel Corporation, and Authentic Brands Group’s chairman, president and chief executive officer James Salter. The equity capital will be used to fund the growth of Authentic Brands Group’s brand licensing and management business as it looks to acquire and manage consumer brands in the apparel, sporting goods, action sports, home, celebrity, entertainment and consumer electronics segments. Prior to the establishment of Authentic Brands Group, Salter and Kenneth Finkelstein, chief executive

Vanguard Minerals, a strategic consulting company, has launched a venture capital and incubation division, GreenZone Ventures. The new division will have a primary goal of identifying, investing in, partnering with and supporting companies in the green energy industry. Specifically, GreenZone will target bio-fuels, green energy, and emerging technology companies in the start up through third round phases of business, allowing them to develop and ultimately craft an exit strategy. The new division will be headed by Woody Junot and expects to deploy capital and all consulting services by the start of the third quarter of 2010. Jim Price, chief executive

Cronus Partners has acted as the exclusive financial adviser to CAM Commerce Solutions, a portfolio company of Great Hill Partners, in the sale of its point-of-sale software division to Robertson Piper Software Group. The former payments processing division of CAM Commerce, now operating under the name Accelerated Payment Technologies, remains a privately held portfolio company of Great Hill Partners and will continue to offer payment processing solutions, including the X-Charge solution, to retailers, healthcare providers and others requiring secure payment processing. The divested point-of-sale business, which will retain the CAM Commerce brand and operate under the name CAM Commerce Solutions,

Polaris Private Equity III has held its final close at EUR365m.   The number of investors has more than doubled, with international investors now accounting for nearly 40 per cent of the fund. The investment focus remains on small and medium sized businesses based in Denmark and Sweden.    Commitments to the fund were provided by the existing Danish investor base, combined with a significant number of new investors from Denmark, Finland, France, the UK, the Netherlands and Switzerland.   “A closing of EUR365m during one of the worst financial crises of all time indicates strong confidence in our business model

Private equity firm Riverside has acquired Australian Medico Legal Services, an independent medical evaluation provider, via the Riverside Asia Fund I. MLCOA is based in Melbourne, Australia and provides independent medical assessments and related medical advisory services for insurance organisations, corporations, and government and legal entities. Core services involve medical assessments of claimants with symptoms (resulting from particular incidents or diseases) that result in contentious healthcare decisions. MLCOA’s independent assessments serve to determine the most suitable responses to such issues.   This is Riverside’s second Australian acquisition and third investment in the Asia Pacific region in the last month. It

Genstar Capital, a middle market private equity firm that focuses on investments in the life science, healthcare services, software, financial services and industrial technology industries, has acquired Granite Global Solutions, a Canadian provider of risk mitigation services to insurance and corporate clients. Headquartered in the greater Toronto area, Granite Global operates five business lines: McLarens Canada, a niche claims adjuster; Sibley & Associates, Canada’s largest disability management company; King Reed & Associates, Canada’s largest private investigation company; Henderson Structured Settlements, one of only two national structured settlement companies; and Rochon Engineering, a forensic engineering business. "Granite has a full suite