Private Equity
Deal values in Canada’s buyout and private equity (PE) market set a new record in 2018, according to final data released by Refinitiv. Investment activity reflected values of $37.2 billion in total last year, up 31 percent from 2017, and surpassing the prior record of $33.7 billion set in 2007. Transaction volumes, however, were down 10 percent year over year. Energy and environmental companies captured the largest share of dollar flows in 2018, or 33 percent. Dealmaking by Canadian PE funds abroad was also at an all-time high last year, as investors joined 162 transactions valued at $121 billion.
3 min read · 31 January 2019
Investment in Canada's buyout and private equity (PE) market continued at a strong pace in the first nine months of 2018, according to final data released by Refinitiv. PE deployments hit $24 billion at the end of September, down 7 percent from a year ago, but still marking the second most active first nine months in dollar terms on record. Transaction volumes in this period were more significantly reduced, with 255 PE deals done, the lowest number in five years. Overall, Canadian PE market activity declined in Q3 2018, with 76 deals securing $5.6 billion. At the end of September, the oil and gas sector captured the largest share of values, or 28 percent.
3 min read · 02 November 2018
Upgrade, a San Francisco-based consumer credit platform, has raised $80 million in Series C financing. CreditEase Fintech Investment Fund led the round with participation from other investors that included Apoletto, FirstMark Capital, NOAH, Ribbit, Sands Capital Ventures, Silicon Valley Bank, Union Square Ventures and Vy Capital . The capital infusion will be used to expand Upgrade's technology presence in Montreal.
3 min read · 27 August 2018
Goose Insurance Services, a Vancouver-based provider of quick sale travel insurance online, has recently launched its services in conjunction with $2.25 million in seed funding. The lead investor was Impression Ventures, a Canadian venture capital firm focused on fintech.
3 min read · 27 August 2018
DW Healthcare Partners, a Toronto-based healthcare private equity firm, recently announced that it sold its portfolio company PRIME Education to an undisclosed strategic buyer. DW Healthcare first invested in PRIME Education, a Florida-based healthcare education company, in November 2016. Financial terms were not disclosed.
2 min read · 27 August 2018
Dealmaking in Canada’s buyout and private equity market continued at a strong clip in the first half of 2018, according to final data released by Thomson Reuters. Some 173 transactions, led by the $4.95 billion acquisition of Husky IMS International Ltd by Platinum Equity, captured $18.3 billion in total disclosed values in this period, up 26 percent on a dollar basis from a year ago. However, deal volumes saw a year-over-year decrease of 14 percent at the end of June, resulting in an above average disclosed value of $232 million. In terms of deal volume, Canadian information technology and media and consumer-related sectors were the most active in the first half, accounting for 36 and 21 transactions, respectively.
4 min read · 01 August 2018
Venture capital investment in Canadian technology companies continued at a strong pace in the first half of 2018, with $2.5 billion deployed to 282 financings, according to final data released by Thomson Reuters. In dollar terms, this marked the strongest first half in 17 years and the sixth time in the past seven quarters that companies raised more than $1 billion. Foreign funds played a key role in the first half as activity by Canadian funds slumped to 46 percent of total VC invested. Dealmaking in information technology sectors reflected $1.7 billion at the end of June, while investment in clean technology sectors hit $462 million. Life sciences sectors, however, saw a sixth consecutive quarter of declining activity, netting only $250 million.
4 min read · 01 August 2018
Venture capital investment in Canadian technology companies continued at a strong pace in the first quarter of 2018, with $1.36 billion deployed to 128 financings, according to final data released by Thomson Reuters. In dollar terms, this represented the strongest quarter in 17 years and the fifth time in the past six quarters that Canadian companies raised more than $1 billion. Foreign investors played a key role in Q1 2018, accounting for over half of disbursements. Information technology investment stood at $780 million, the highest quarterly level since Q2 2001, while clean technology investment hit $376 million, more than doubling the prior record set in Q2 2013.
4 min read · 02 May 2018
Dealmaking in Canada’s buyout and private equity market continued at a strong clip in the first quarter of 2018, according to final data released by Thomson Reuters. Some 81 deals, led by the $4.95 billion buy of Husky IMS International Ltd, captured $13.3 billion in total disclosed values in this period, up 98 percent on a dollar basis from a year ago. However, deal volumes saw a year-over-year decrease of 15 percent, resulting in an average disclosed deal value of $349 million, the highest ever reported. Canada's manufacturing and business-service sectors were the most active in Q1 2018, accounting for a respective 38 percent and 34 percent of disbursements.
4 min read · 02 May 2018
Deal-making in Canada’s buyout and private equity market was especially robust in 2017, according to final data released by Thomson Reuters. Last year, 360 deals captured $33.4 billion in disclosed values, up 91 percent from 2016 on a dollar basis. Additionally, 2017 was in dollar terms the second most-active year in the Canadian market on record, falling only slightly behind 2007. Domestic deal volume increased at a more moderate 15 percent from 2016, pointing to the key influence of large-cap transactions. Canadian PE investors were active in 121 global deals in 2017, up 17 percent year over year, though disclosed values for these deals fell 33 percent.
3 min read · 05 February 2018
