Brynwood Partners VI has completed its first investment by acquiring Balance Bar from Kraft Foods. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Balance Bar competes in the nutrition and energy bar segment. Brynwood Partners has an investment track record in the food industry having managed prior investments in Lincoln Snacks, Signature Snacks, DeMet’s Candy Company and Richelieu Foods. "Brynwood VI is pleased to announce this exciting transaction," says Hendrik J. Hartong III, senior managing partner of Brynwood VI. "Balance Bar is a great brand with a very loyal consumer following. We plan to increase the focus on the brand and

Citadel Capital, a private equity firm in the Middle East and Africa, is to list its shares on the Egyptian Exchange. The listing will not include the offering of new equity in the firm at this time.   “We are about to enter what we believe will prove to be another outstanding vintage year for private equity investments,” says Citadel Capital chairman and founder Ahmed Heikal (pictured). “It is time for decisive investors with proven strategies to embark on the next wave of deals that will generate strong returns. This listing will give Citadel Capital new flexibility in accessing equity

Slate Capital, a private equity firm based in Baltimore, Maryland, and New Markets Venture Partners, a venture capital firm based in College Park, Maryland, have acquired ecoast Sales Solutions. eCoast, based in Rochester, New Hampshire, is an outsourced sales and channel marketing agency that executes customised programmes for the high-technology industry. "We are excited about our partnership with Slate and New Markets and the growth potential that is ahead of us," says Allen Tait, co-chief executive of eCoast. "There is a tremendous need for the lead generation services that eCoast provides, and the company has continued to expand its capabilities

Dubai-based Abraaj Capital, the parent entity for the Abraaj Group and its associated funds, has completed a USD375m capital increase to existing shareholders. The rights issue, which increases the company’s paid-in capital to USD1.5bn, was fully subscribed. Use of the proceeds will include seeding new funds to take advantage of an attractive investment environment, as well as possibly executing strategic opportunities for Abraaj itself to expand its sphere of operations. Sheikh Abdulrahman al Turki (pictured), chairman of Abraaj Capital, says: "This initiative will enhance value for all Abraaj shareholders and allow the firm to consummate opportunities in an expedient manner

Aureos Capital, a private equity fund management company focused on Africa, Asia and Latin America, is launching the USD250m Aureos South-East Asia Fund II. The fund will be the largest pan South-East Asian fund to exclusively target small to mid-cap businesses.   It will invest across the South-East Asian region and will seek to make investments of between USD2m and USD10m.   The fund will target investments in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.   Sev Vettivetpillai (pictured), chief executive of Aureos Advisers, says: “South-East Asia is well placed to be one of the first regions to

WinBuyer, a provider of onsite comparative pricing applications, has completed a USD6.9m first round investment led by Pitango Venture Capital alongside Giza Venture Capital. WinBuyer’s OCP solution accelerates consumer purchasing behaviour and maximises income for online retailers by enabling price comparisons at the point of sale. Isaac Hillel (pictured), Pitango managing partner, and Ori Israely, Giza managing director, are joining WinBuyer’s board of directors. Additionally, Dan Clarke has been appointed to the role of chief executive. Clarke has previously held positions as senior director at Intel US and chief executive of Vcommerce, an ecommerce platform used by online retailers. WinBuyer

Pharos Financial Advisors has launched the Pharos Miro Agriculture Fund, a USD350m private equity fund focused on acquiring and operating agricultural land in Eastern Europe, Eurasia and Africa.   Pharos Financial Advisors is an emerging markets investment manager that is authorised and regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority. It is part of the Pharos Financial Group of companies that were founded in 1997.   The new fund is in partnership with Miro Asset Management, a part of Dubai-based Miro Holdings International. Miro is a global agriculture and timber operator that will act as asset manager for the fund overseeing arable

KKR’s assets under management were USD54.8bn as of 30 September 2009, up 7.9 per cent from USD50.8bn at 30 June 2009. Fee related earnings were USD61.5m for the quarter ended 30 September 2009, compared to USD54.3m for the quarter ended 30 June 2009 – an increase of 13.3 per cent. Economic net income was USD656.6m in Q3, an increase of 78.9 per cent from USD366.9m in Q2. Private equity dollars invested amounted to USD1.1bn for the quarter ended 30 September 2009. KKR Guernsey, formerly known as KKR Private Equity Investors, had a net asset value of USD3.5bn as of 30

TowerBrook Capital Partners is leading the creation of a new independent commercial lending institution called Haymarket Financial. Public Sector Pension Investment Board and Omers Private Equity are investing alongside TowerBrook in this transaction. HayFin will be headquartered in London and funded entirely by permanent equity capital of approximately USD700m. The management team believes that the supply of credit, particularly to mid-sized companies in Europe, will remain disrupted for some time. HayFin intends to take advantage of the structural changes in the market to establish a lending business and will provide capital for growth and acquisitions as well as debt refinancing