I've been a business reporter for a while. I've covered Wall Street, venture capital and now private equity. I'm always looking for a scoop or something to talk about. I'm the eternal optimist and am still waiting for the Chicago Cubs to win the World Series. Yes, I believe.
Zaloni said Monday it raised $7.5 million in Series A financing led by Sierra Ventures. Baird Capital also participated. Durham, North Carolina-based Zaloni provides enterprise data Lake management solutions.
4 min read · 07 March 2016
Culture Amp said Monday it raised a $10 million Series B round led by Index Ventures. Felicis Ventures and Blackbird Ventures also participated. Culture Amp provides a people analytics platform that aims to provide insights on employee engagement and company culture.
3 min read · 07 March 2016
Protector Holdings has acquired BetterWay Insurance Services. Financial terms weren’t announced. Concord, California-based BetterWay provides insurance services to Hispanic consumers; writing auto, motorcycle, RV, boat, homeowners and renters insurance coverage. Protector Holdings Is a joint venture of EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants and Dowling Capital Partners.
2 min read · 07 March 2016
HIG Middle Market said Monday it promoted Matt Lozow to Managing Director and hired Alok Sanghvi as a Managing Director. They will be leading H.I.G.’s Business Services investment efforts. Lozow has been a member of H.I.G.’s New York Middle Market team since joining the firm in 2009. Sanghvi previously led corporate development at MultiPlan Inc. H.I.G. Middle Market is the middle market investment affiliate of H.I.G. Capital.
3 min read · 07 March 2016
In this morning's First Read, there's ransomware now targeting Mac users, Samsung says it has no plans to buy Tidal and rest in peace Nancy Reagan.
1 min read · 07 March 2016
One Peak Partners and Goldman Sachs Private Capital have made a growth equity investment in Staff Finder. Financial terms weren’t announced. Zurich-based Staff Finder provides a software platform that enables businesses to find temporary workers to cover immediate hourly or daily staffing needs.
3 min read · 07 March 2016
Limetree Bay Terminals LLC has named Darius Sweet as CEO. Limetree Bay is backed by ArcLight Capital Partners LLC and Freepoint Commodities LLC. Limetree, in January, acquired the assets of Hovensa's St. Croix facility consisting of about 32 million barrels of crude oil and petroleum product storage, idled refinery units and a deep-water port with 10 petroleum docks.
4 min read · 07 March 2016
HIG Capital has “decided to invest in the Quicken business because of their deep appreciation of the Quicken product, our loyal customers, and Quicken’s commitment to helping consumers manage their finances,” according to a blog post from Eric Dunn, Quicken SVP and general manager. Financial terms weren't announced. Intuit Inc, the seller, announced plans in August to seek out a buyer for Quicken, Dunn said. Quicken is a personal finance software. Read the rest of Dunn’s post here.
1 min read · 03 March 2016
Wealth Enhancement Group, a portfolio company of Lightyear Capital, said Wednesday it agreed to buy HHG & Company LLC. Financial terms weren’t announced. Darien, Connecticut-based HHG, a registered investment advisor, is a wealth management firm with over $1 billion in assets under management.
4 min read · 03 March 2016
Fred Fraenkel has joined Cowen Group Inc as Vice Chairman. Previously, Fraenkel was President of Fairholme Capital Management and Chief Research Officer since 2011, is the former Vice-Chairman and Chairman of the Investment Policy Committee of Beacon Trust Company. Fraenkel also founded Millennium 3 Capital in 2000, a venture firm specializing in early stage companies.
3 min read · 03 March 2016
