Bessemer Venture Partners has closed its eight fund, Bessemer Venture Partners VIII, with a whopping $1.6 billion. The firm, whose previous investments include Skype and LinkedIn, said that it expects to invest roughly a quarter of the fund in India. Bessemer did not disclose the names of LPs, besides saying that its investors included university endowments, corporations and family offices. Bessemer has offices in Silicon Valley, as well as New York; Mumbai; Herzliya, Israel; and Cambridge, Mass.
3 min read · 01 April 2011
Aircraft parts supplier Goodrich Corp. will pay 330 million euros ($466.8 million) to acquire private equity-backed Microtecnica, Reuters reported. Microtecnica, a maker of actuation systems for the aerospace industry, is owned by European private equity firm Stirling Square Capital Partners, which had bought the firm in July 2008 from a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp., Reuters said. The acquisition is expected to close during the second quarter of 2011.
1 min read · 01 April 2011
BMW i Ventures, a $100 million venture fund started by the car maker, has named Edward Robinson president. Robinson is a 32-year-veteran of BMW, and serves currently as president and CEO of BMW Financial Services, Americas Region. He will continue his current role, in addition to his new position at BMW i Ventures.
4 min read · 01 April 2011
Jive Software has added former McAfee Chairman Charles Robel; McAfee President David DeWalt; Facebook vice president Jonathan Heiliger; and Sundar Pichai, vice president of product management at Google, to its board of directors. The new board members will help Jive with growth. The company’s social business software is designed to help co-workers interact and work together more productively. Jive is backed by Sequoia Capital and Kleiner Perkins.
5 min read · 30 March 2011
Content discovery platform Outbrain has expanded its executive team, adding Gilad de Vries as vice president of brands and agencies and Josh Feller as vice president of business development. De Vries served most recently as vice president of digital media and principal at Israeli venture capital firm Carmel Ventures. Feller previously held roles at Microsoft and Quigo. Outbrain is based in New York and backed by investors including Carmel Ventures, Gemini Israel Funds, GlenRock Israel, Rhodium and Lightspeed Venture Partners.
3 min read · 30 March 2011
U.S.-based private equity investor Neff Capital Management has launched Nordic Global Airlines Ltd., an all-cargo airline based in Helsinki, Finland. The airline aims to begin service later this year. Finnair Cargo, a subsidiary of the Finnish national carrier, and Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co. are minority investors in the company. Neff Capital is based in Miami.
2 min read · 30 March 2011
Dallas-based investment firm Highland Capital Management LP has named Casey Herren to the newly created post of director. Herren will help manage relationships with institutional investors, including public and corporate pension plans, endowments and foundations and wealth management firms, the firm said. He will be based in Dallas. Prior to joining Highland, Herren served as director at Vaughan Nelson Investment Management, a Houston-based asset manager.
3 min read · 30 March 2011
Bravo Brio Restaurant Group Inc. has priced a secondary public offering of 4.1 million shares at $16.25 per share. Selling shareholders include affiliates of two private equity firms: Bruckmann Rosser Sherrill & Co. Management and Castle Harlan Inc. The closing of the offering is expected on April 1.
3 min read · 30 March 2011
Salesforce.com will buy Radian6, a maker of social media monitoring software, in a deal valued at $326 million, Reuters reported. Radian6 has raised venture capital from investors including BDC Venture Capital, Brightspark Ventures and Summerhill Venture Partners.
2 min read · 30 March 2011
Middle-market buyout shop Nautic Partners has acquired Dallas-based Reliant Hospital Partners, an operator of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals. The company operates seven facilities and has two additional hospitals under development. Terms of the acquisition were not released. Nautic Partners has more than $2.5 billion under management.
3 min read · 30 March 2011
