The Oregon Investment Council, which manages some $62.3 billion for the Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund, earlier this year upped its target allocation to private equity from 16 percent to 20 percent, giving the program significantly more room to run. Earlier this month Buyouts Editor-in-Charge David Toll sat down with John D. Skjervem, chief investment officer, and Jay Fewel, senior equity investment officer, to get their views on private equity and where they plan to take the program.
7 min read · 30 September 2013
Equity contributions on large leveraged buyouts are falling to levels not seen since the height of the buyout boom in 2007 as borrowers achieve more aggressive terms on deals from cash-rich investors eager to put money to work, sister publication Reuters Loan Pricing Corp reported.
3 min read · 30 September 2013
2 min read · 30 September 2013
2 min read · 30 September 2013
3 min read · 30 September 2013
4 min read · 30 September 2013
1 min read · 30 September 2013
Deal activity in the private equity secondary market this year has been a controversial topic – the overriding opinion being that deal activity has been slow from late last year through the first half of 2013. However, some secondary market professionals who work in the smaller end of the market say their activity has been as busy as ever.
3 min read · 29 September 2013
Crowdfunding platform SVX has flagged its first cohort of 12 Ontario early-stage ventures focused on social and environmental challenges. These are: ChangeIt, a specialist in donating “virtual change” to charities; Community Forward Fund, an arranger of financing for non-profits and charities; The Fair Trade Jewellery Co, a maker of ethical fine jewelry; Frontenac Community Mental Health and Addiction Services; Homestead Organics, an organic farm supply and grain processing business; Investeco, an environmental investment fund; Oliberté, a maker of rugged casual footwear and goods in Africa; REfficient, an online marketplace for industry equipment; RocketOwl, a game developer for social and mobile networks; SolarShare, a promoter of community-based solar electricity generation; TAS, an investor in socially innovative urban projects; and ZooShare Biogas Co-operative, a non-profit renewable energy co-operative. Profiled in July by peHUB Canada, SVX is sponsored by innovation hub MaRS Discovery District.
6 min read · 27 September 2013
Canada's Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (CVCA) welcomed the recent roll out of key provisions of the federal government's Venture Capital Action Plan (VCAP). These include the $50 million in VCAP commitments that went to four Canadian venture partnerships, as reported by peHUB Canada. Additionally, CVCA was encouraged by the launch of the Canada Accelerator and Incubator Program (CAIP), which will provide $60 million in funding to Canadian accelerators and incubators to support the growth of early-stage companies. The National Research Council of Canada's IRAP is currently accepting CAIP proposals.
3 min read · 27 September 2013
