US Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer announced on Thursday that a procedural floor vote in the Senate on President Biden’s USD1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure draft bill will take place next week.
The bipartisan bill is not only meant to sponsor the rebuilding of traditional infrastructure sectors like roads, bridges and similar infrastructure projects; it would also mean increasing broadband access to rural parts of the US that are currently without high-speed internet.
Meanwhile, EQT Infrastructure agreed to acquire Covanta, whose business focuses on sustainable waste processing and advancing transitions to a circular economy in North America, this week. The deal follows on from EQT’s announcement that it is buying renewable power generator Cypress Creek Renewables earlier in July.
What will the much-debated upcoming US infrastructure bill — of which nearly USD600 billion would be new spending — mean for PE infrastructure mandates in the country? Read this week’s feature to find out more.
In our podcast this week, PE Wire spoke to New York-based growth equity firm LB Equity, a firm that invests in high-growth beauty and wellness brands, about sustainability themes within the beauty space.
Founded in 2012, LB Equity is led by co-founders Jay Lucas, a former partner at Bain & Company, and Karen Ballou, who used to work for Redken and Elizabeth Arden. Ballou is also the chief executive and founder of LB Equity’s portfolio company Immunocologie, a luxury skincare brand.
Lucas and Ballou explained how they spot the beauty brands with potential for high growth early on, what the main areas of opportunity linking ESG, high growth & beauty are at the moment, and the growth trajectory of the plant-based wellness space.
The discussion highlighted the critical points in terms of due diligence that a private equity firm needs to look out for when it comes to wellness brands & buyouts, and some of the team’s personal favourites in terms of emerging beauty brands.
Karin Wasteson
Editor, Private Equity Wire