4 min read · 25 April 2018
Springs Window Fashions, a Middleton, Wisconsin-based maker and seller of custom window covering products, has agreed to be acquired by U.S. private equity firm AEA Investors and British Columbia Investment Management Corp (BCI). No financial terms were released for the deal, which is expected to close in June. The seller is Golden Gate Capital, which acquired Springs in 2013. AEA said it and partner BCI will back the company's continued growth, organically and through acquisitions. Earlier this month, BCI joined Francisco Partners in the US$3.4 billion buy of Verifone Systems Inc.
4 min read · 25 April 2018
La Coop fédérée has acquired Standard Nutrition Canada (SNC), a Winnipeg-based provider of livestock nutrition products and services. No financial terms were disclosed for the deal, which does not include the U.S.-based assets of Standard Nutrition Co, SNC's seller. La Coop fédérée, a Montréal-based agri-food enterprise and collective, said the acquisition will expand its animal nutrition operations in Western Canada. Last year, the company raised a $200 million investment from National Bank of Canada, Fonds de solidarité FTQ, Fondaction CSN and Capital régional et coopératif Desjardins.
4 min read · 24 April 2018
Uberflip, a Toronto-based cloud content experience platform, has secured about $41 million (US$32 million) in a Series A financing. The round was led by U.S. growth equity firm Updata Partners, whose General Partner Jon Seeber and Senior Associate Arun Singh will join the board. Uberflip provides tools to aggregate marketing content, allowing B2B marketing and sales teams to create more personalized content experiences. Founded in 2012 by CEO Yoav Schwartz and CMO and President Randy Frisch, it has so far added more than 1,000 B2B companies to its customer base. Uberflip will use the funds raised to support on-going product development.
4 min read · 24 April 2018
Meltwater, a San Francisco-based media intelligence company, has acquired Sysomos, a Toronto-based provider of social media monitoring and analytics. No financial terms were released. The seller was OMERS Private Equity (OPE), which backed Sysomos' spin out from portfolio company Marketwired Inc in 2015. Marketwired was sold to Nasdaq the following year. Meltwater said the acquisition will expand its ability to incorporate online news and data with social media analytics in one platform. Peter Heffring, who recently replaced former Microsoft Corp executive Lindsay Sparks as CEO of Sysomos, will now oversee Meltwater’s social analytics division.
3 min read · 24 April 2018
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) said Pierre Lavallée, senior managing director and global head of investment partnerships, will be leaving effective May 2. As a result of this and other personnel changes, Shane Feeney, current senior managing director and global head of private investments, will become global head of private equity, overseeing direct private equity, funds, secondaries and co-investments, and Asian activity. CPPIB also announced several promotions, including John Graham's move to head of credit investments, and Suyi Kim's move to head of Asia Pacific. Both Graham and Kim will join CPPIB’s senior management team.
5 min read · 24 April 2018
OMERS Infrastructure has agreed to sell its interest in Airports Worldwide Inc, a Houston-based investor in and developer and operator of privatized airports, to Vinci Airports, an affiliate of France's Vinci SA. No financial terms were disclosed for the deal, which is expected to close later this year. It will give Vinci a portfolio of airport assets and management contracts located in the United States, Costa Rica, Northern Ireland and Sweden. OMERS Infrastructure, an investment arm of Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System, first invested in Airports Worldwide in 2009.
3 min read · 24 April 2018
ChefHero, a Toronto-based digital marketplace for restaurant supplies, has raised $12.6 million in a Series A financing. The round was led by U.S. venture capital firm Accomplice.co. It was joined by Golden Venture Partners, Precursor Ventures and Math Ventures. Founded three years ago by CEO Saif Altimimi and CTO Diego Domínguez Ferrera, ChefHero provides an online mobile and web application that allows restaurant owners and their staff to order wholesale food and supplies through a single network. The company will use the proceeds of the Series A to accelerate growth in select cities across North America.
4 min read · 24 April 2018
Dane Creek Capital Corp (DCCC) has acquired Naturawls Pet Products, a St. Thomas, Ontario-based maker of raw pet food and dehydrated treats for dogs and cats in Canada. No financial terms were disclosed for the deal, which will see the Canadian pet-focused merchant bank pay a portion in cash and the remainder in equity from United Raw Pet Food Inc, DCCC's pet foods holding company. DCCC will retain a majority stake in United Raw, while Mark Murakami, Naturawls' founder and CEO, will lead both his business and the holding company. Naturawls is DCCC's third buy of a raw pet food maker.
4 min read · 23 April 2018
Canadian royalty financing firm Grenville Strategic Royalty Corp has promoted Robb McLarty to CIO and acting CEO. He replaces Steve Parry in the latter role. Parry, who co-founded Grenville in 2013, will resign from the board and assume an advisory role with the firm. McLarty, who joined Grenville in 2016 as a managing director, previously served in senior roles at Farwest Ventures and NGEN Partners. Toronto-based Grenville also said its portfolio company Boardwalktech Inc, a provider of digital ledger technology, has raised $10 million and closed a reverse takeover with Wood Composite Technologies Inc.
3 min read · 23 April 2018
