| 1. Goldman Plans to Raise About $2 Billion For a New Venture Fund |
| Goldman Sachs is planning to raise a venture and growth fund of around $2 billion, a move that would make it a bigger player in the competitive world of technology investing, according to people familiar with the matter. Other than SoftBank Group’s Vision Fund, only a handful of firms have several billion dollars of venture and growth capital to invest. Read more |
| 2. Formula One team bought by US private equity firm |
| The Formula 1 team founded by racing legend Sir Frank Williams has been bought by a US private equity firm. Williams Racing, which has been struggling with a run of poor performance on the race circuit, announced Dorilton Capital was buying it for £136m. Read more |
| 3. Warburg Pincus-backed pet shop chain Petz to raise up to $611 mln in IPO |
| Brazilian pet shop chain Petz, controlled by private equity firm Warburg Pincus LLC, plans an initial public offering (IPO) of shares to raise up to 3.4 billion reais ($611.79 million), it said in a securities filing on Thursday. Read more |
| 4. Serie A asks 6 major PE firms to submit final offers by 25th August |
| Lega Serie A is going ahead with their plans to raise investments in the new commercial entity that will handle the league commercial rights. The six private equity firms interested in entering into business with Serie A for its media rights have been given until 25 August to submit their best and final bids. Read more |
| 5. Carlyle Group Buys Eight Solar Projects in Maine |
| The Carlyle Group has acquired eight solar projects in Maine as the asset manager seeks to capitalize on New England’s expanding renewable-energy market. The projects are expected to cost more than $130 million to build and will deliver 100 megawatts of solar-power capacity, enough to supply 19,000 Maine homes. Read more |
| 6. Global Tech Investor Riverwood Capital Raises USD 1.3bn |
| Riverwood Capital, a Menlo Park, California-based technology focused global private equity firm, has raised USD 1.3 bn in total capital commitments, for its third private equity fund, according to its filing with the SEC. With the first commitment received in March 2018, the Fund has received commitments from more than 135 investors (LPs). Read more |
| 7. Buyout groups team up in €13bn battle for Italy’s Serie A |
| Private equity firms CVC Capital Partners and Advent International are preparing a joint bid of 1.3 billion euros for a minority stake in Italy’s Lega Serie A soccer league, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday. A decision on the bids from Lega Calcio Serie A, the body that runs Italy’s top division, is now expected within the next fortnight, the FT said. Read more |
| 8. Top 5 biggest M&A deals struck during the pandemic |
| The coronavirus crisis slammed the brakes on big mergers and acquisitions deals in March, with activity in the second quarter of 2020 slumping to an 11-year low of $485.3bn as company executives instead focused on stemming losses caused by the crisis. Read more |
| 9. Airbnb files for IPO as short-term rental market rebounds |
| Short-term home rental company Airbnb Inc said on Wednesday it filed confidentially for an initial public offering with U.S. regulators, setting the stage for one of 2020’s marquee U.S. stock market debuts. The move underscores a rebound in parts of the travel industry, which was battered this year by restrictions and shutdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more |
| 10. HSBC closes its second private equity fund at $260m |
| HSBC Global Asset Management (GAM) has closed its second Vision Private Equity fund, raising more than $260m. The fundraising is in line with its predecessor strategy, wrapped up at $250m in June last year. The vehicle aims to make primary, secondary and direct co-investments across multiple geographies, sectors and strategies, HSBC said in a statement. Read more |
| 11. Private-equity giants KKR, Carlyle, Warburg Pincus are piling into tech deals |
| Top execs at The Carlyle Group, KKR & Co. Inc., and Warburg Pincus LLC explain how they’re angling for an edge. As the coronavirus pandemic rewrites the financial forecasts of businesses from travel to energy and retail, private equity firms are intensely focused on tech businesses they believe can weather the storm. Read more |
| 12. Apple Becomes First U.S. Company Worth More Than $2 Trillion |
| Apple hit a new milestone on Wednesday, becoming the first publicly traded U.S. company to reach a market capitalization of over $2 trillion and doubling in valuation over the last two years. At $2 trillion, Apple’s market value is now higher than the GDP of numerous developed countries, including Italy, Brazil, Canada, Russia and South Korea, to name a few. Read more |
| 13. SEC Gives More Investors Access to Private Equity, Hedge Funds |
| More retail investors will be gaining access to private funds and companies with new rules approved by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Wednesday. For the first time, persons who don’t meet minimum levels of income and net worth in the ‘accredited investor definition’ will be allowed to put their money in private funds. Read more |
| 14. M&A deals come roaring back |
| Nearly six months ago it seemed that dealmaking was done for the year as companies pulled back, needing to manage their own businesses during trying times rather than think about acquiring others. Some deals, such as Sycamore Partners’ plan to buy a majority stake in L Brands-owned Victoria’s Secret, fell apart. Read more |
| 15. Blackstone Gains $5 Billion on Cheniere LNG Stake |
| Blackstone Group Inc. will see a $5 billion gain from selling a stake in the largest liquefied natural gas export terminal in the U.S. The firm’s private equity business is unloading its stake of just over 40% of Cheniere Energy, Inc. to Brookfield Asset Management and its own affiliated infrastructure group, according to a filing Monday. Read more |
| 16. General Atlantic, Sequoia Capital are key drivers in Oracle bid for TikTok |
| General Atlantic and Sequoia Capital, two major investors in TikTok’s Chinese parent company, are manoeuvring to be part of a deal to acquire the US operations of the popular video sharing app as it seeks to avoid a ban by the Trump administration, according to people familiar with the discussions. Read more |
| 17. Rolls-Royce seeks to raise £2bn after Covid triggers heavy losses |
| British aero-engines maker Rolls-Royce plans to sell Spanish unit ITP Aero and other assets to raise at least 2 billion pounds ($2.6 billion) to boost a balance sheet shattered by the travel slump brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. Read more |
| 18. 6 Family Office Trends In Direct And Venture Capital Investment |
| Over the past decade, family offices have become a significant driving force in global investment and innovation. Despite uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the threat of an encroaching global recession, family offices remain cautiously optimistic about investing. Read more |
| 19. Growth potential of B2C is driving private equity’s interest in sports |
| The surge of private equity interest in sports investment is motivated by the potential of direct-to-consumer growth (DTC), not traditional revenue streams, according to the European Tour’s chief operating officer. Read more |
| 20. KKR acquires business service provider Citation from Hg |
| KKR & Co. Inc. has acquired The Citation Group from Hg, becoming the third private equity owner of the UK business service provider. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Read more |
