Bijal N Vira has joined Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton as a corporate finance partner, based in the firm's New York office. Vira joins from Winston & Strawn. Vira's practice is focused on representing investors and committed funds in their equity investment and/or lending activities, and his experience is comprehensive and covers all major investment classes. He advises leveraged buyout (LBO) funds and family wealth offices in platform and add-on acquisitions, senior and subordinate financing, and the subsequent harvesting of such investments; private credit funds, business development companies and small business investment company funds in secured and unsecured debt and

Venky Ganesan, Managing Director of Menlo Ventures, will serve as the 2016-2017 Chair of the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) Board of Directors. Ganesan’s appointment was made official at the Second Annual NVCA Leadership Gala & Summit in San Francisco, this week. Ganesan becomes Chair of the NVCA Board of Directors at a key time for the entrepreneurial ecosystem.  With the 2016 presidential elections to produce a new president with a new policy agenda that could impact NVCA’s key policy priorities, Ganesan remarked on the important role NVCA plays in advocating for policies to strengthen venture and the broader ecosystem.

Alliant has expanded its presence in the Gulf Coast region with the opening of a New Orleans office, which will be manned by Christian Chauvin and Noah Hardie. The pair have joined the company’s Alliant Americas division to provide insurance and risk management solutions to clients in a range of industries and disciplines. “The addition of Christian and Noah provides a unique opportunity for us to expand both our regional influence and service offerings,” says Bob Bennetsen, Executive Vice President and Senior Managing Director, Alliant Americas. “As an organisation dedicated to specialisation and local expertise, their diverse backgrounds and extensive

Flare Capital Partners, a healthcare technology venture capital firm, has appointed Dr. Gary Gottlieb One year since Flare Capital’s launch and initial fund closing, the firm continues to expand its broad network of specialised resources that are leading the transformation of the business of healthcare. Flare Capital’s new team members offer unrivalled perspectives on the changing healthcare landscape and healthcare policy reform and practical insights into both the payer and provider markets. The new Executive Partners will advise on potential investment opportunities, be valuable resources to portfolio companies, and provide insights as to the direction of innovation in healthcare. They join the

Mobile gaming entrepreneur and INSEAD-alumni Eyal Rabinovich has joined Octopus Ventures, the London-based venture capital investor best known for backing Zoopla Property Group, Secret Escapes, SwiftKey and graze.com. Eyal brings 13 years of technology industry experience to the role, having co-founded the Israeli-based data-driven games publisher PlayScape. Eyal’s appointment comes just weeks after the news that Octopus has raised an additional GBP100 million, of which they plan to invest GBP75 million into early stage European entrepreneurs over the coming year. Having co-founded PlayScape in 2008 at the age of 24, Eyal and two other co-founders grew the business to 40

NorthEdge Capital, the private equity firm focused on investing in businesses in the North of England, has promoted George Potts and James Marshall to Investment Manager. Potts joined NorthEdge in 2011 and was part of the team to close the firm’s maiden fund at GBP225m in 2012. He has been involved in a number of transactions including investments into leading data management and managed services provider Utiligroup, composite door manufacturer Solidor, and healthcare business Direct Healthcare Services.   Potts is responsible for the firm’s Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) practices, working with portfolio companies to measure sustainability and ethical

Mid-market private equity firm LDC is aiming to bolster its investment in Welsh businesses with the launch of an office in Cardiff, which will be led by experienced Welsh dealmaker, Dewi Hughes. LDC invests up to GBP100 million of equity capital to support the growth of SME and mid-sized businesses through management buy-outs, institutional buy-outs and development capital transactions. The announcement comes after LDC pledged to invest GBP1.2 billion in British businesses over the next three years.   Local corporate finance professional Dewi Hughes has been appointed to lead LDC’s offering, which represents the only on-the-ground presence of a mid-market

Michael Weisser and Sarah Stasny have joined the New York office of Kirkland & Elliss as partners in the firm’s Corporate Practice Group with a focus on private equity. Weisser and Stasny represent many of the leading private equity funds and their portfolio companies in connection with investments, acquisitions, divestitures and other corporate matters. They also represent pension plans and hedge funds in connection with their private equity investments. “Michael and Sarah are both talented lawyers with an impressive roster of clients, a successful track record and a great reputation in the private equity industry. They have significant experience representing

Hamilton Lane, a global private markets asset management firm, has promoted Vesna Sipp and Richard Hope to Managing Director. Sipp joined Hamilton Lane 10 years ago and has been instrumental in developing strategic client relationships throughout the EMEA investor community. Previously a senior member of Hamilton Lane’s Fund Investment team, Vesna has also been integrally involved in sourcing, evaluating and monitoring primary fund opportunities across the EMEA region.   A member of Hamilton Lane’s Global Investment Team, Richard leads the firm’s Secondaries and Co-Investment activities in EMEA and actively participates on a number of prominent Private Equity Fund advisory boards.