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GUEST AFRTICLE
Governance is perhaps the least talked about component of ‘ESG’, but is based on concepts of fairness, transparency and accountability that form the basis of good corporate governance.
PODCAST
This latest PEWire podcast features a conversation between Private Equity Wire editor Karin Wasteson and Mike Bego, founder and managing partner of US-based secondary private equity investment firm Kline Hill Partners.
The interview centres around the current rise in credit defaults in the US as well as globally, key takeaways from 2020, some red flags in the current climate, and the fact that a contested outcome in the US election is nothing new.
GUEST ARTICLE
By Emily Fuller, Deborah Low, Ellen McGinnis and Emma Russell, Haynes and Boone – Environmentally friendly investment guidelines have come to the fore recently due to increased focus on climate change and governmental action aimed at protecting our planet. With heightened focus on the economic impact and carbon footprint of corporations and industries, investors have an increased appetite to invest capital in sustainable projects such as renewable energy research, and development or real estate and infrastructure projects that seek to minimize environmental impact through sustainable construction.
By Stéphane Badey, Arendt – These are uncertain times, but three solid trends driving the Luxembourg investment funds market can be highlighted.
1. The continuous growth of the alternative investment strategies. Luxembourg has positioned itself as a jurisdiction of choice for alternative asset managers. As a consulting firm we are accompanying clients in their move to Luxembourg. This is made easier from a regulatory perspective by the adoption of a clear regulatory framework.
2. The further integration of ESG criteria into asset managers’ strategies. The upcoming regulations (SFDR*) are prompting asset managers to position themselves accordingly. Although many had already embraced
GUEST ARTICLE
By Emily Fuller, Deborah Low, Ellen McGinnis and Emma Russell, Haynes and Boone – ‘Sustainability’ and ‘ESG’ have become trendy buzzwords in the finance world of late, but is the concept that wealth creation and management should be beneficial to the environment and society really that new? This article will look at the similarities and differences between ESG investment guidelines and long standing principles of investment practiced under Shariah law and discuss the implications of such restrictions for fund finance.
NEWS
AI-focused VC-firm Air Street Capital has closed a USD17 million fund, targeting early-stage founders in Europe and the US who combine AI expertise with sector-specific knowledge in the enterprise, consumer and life sciences sectors.
Founded by general partner Nathan Benaich, Air Street Capital aims to partner up with professionals in the AI community in order to apply technical expertise to spot new talent and “cut through the hype” to source AI applications, according to the newly founded firm.
Benaich’s prior seed and early-stage investments include Mapillary -which was later acquired by Facebook- Tractable, LabGenius, Thought Machine, Starship, Ravelin, PolyAI, Jukedeck,
GUEST ARTICLE
In this article, Tim Cook, manager of corporate trust national sales at UMB Bank, takes a brief look at three scenarios that show why escrow arrangements are best practice and three potential pain points to avoid.
NEWS
Technology-focused private equity firm Accel-KKR has closed its latest fund, Accel-KKR Emerging Buyout Partners LP at USD640 million, bringing Accel-KKR’s total assets under management to over USD10 billion.
“Despite the less-than-ideal conditions imposed by the pandemic, we completed a very efficient, successful fundraise almost completely during the lockdown,” Rob Palumbo, managing partner of Accel-KKR, commented on the fundraise.
Accel-KKR Emerging Buyout Partners LP Fund -which closed at its hard cap- comprised USD460 million in limited partner commitments and USD180 million in general partner commitments, and will continue Accel-KKR’s strategy of investing in software and tech-enabled services companies, with a
INVESTMENTS
EQT Ventures has led a USD 12.7 million Series A round into Amsterdam-based development startup CodeSandbox, which is used by the likes of Stripe and Shopify, from its AI platform Motherbrain.
Other participants in the round include existing investors Kleiner Perkins, Arches Capital, as well as angel investor Guillermo Rauch. They were also joined by two new angels – Andreas Blixt and Daniel Gebler.
Founded in 2017 by former Facebook developer Ives van Hoorne (CEO) and industrial designer Bas Buursma (COO),CodeSandbox enables teams to prototype, build and host web applications via its web development platform.
The duo set out
DIVERSITY
Finance industry network 100 Women in Finance will be hosting the largest ever international meeting of female investment managers and asset allocators during Global FundWomen Week in November, with the intention of facilitating capital introductions for women.
“The pandemic, coupled with technology, is acting as a great leveller in improving access to capital introduction opportunities for women managers,” said Ulrika Robertsson, co-founder and COO of Impactus Partners and Chair of 2020 Global FundWomen Week.
The virtual event will take place from 9 to 13 November, replacing previous in-person regional conferences, and will be hosted on capital introduction tech platform iConnections,
Events
12 November, 2026 – 8:00 am
12 November, 2026 – 5:00 pm
