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.
PubNub said Wednesday that it has completed a Series C financing totaling $25 million that was led by Sapphire Ventures. The syndicate included Robert Bosch Venture Capital GmbH (RBVC), Sound Ventures and Envision Ventures. Existing investors including Relay Ventures, Scale Venture Partners and TiE Angels also participated in the round. San Francisco-based PubNub provides a data stream network for mobile applications and the internet of things.
3 min read · 15 October 2015
Hatch Baby said Thursday it raised $7 million in Series A funding round led by True Ventures. Hatch Baby, a smart parent tech company, has developed the Smart Changing Pad which features a wireless scale and monitoring technology to track a baby’s growth.
3 min read · 15 October 2015
NorthStar Asset Management Group Inc. said Thursday it has agreed to buy a roughly 85 percent stake in The Townsend Group. for about $380 million. GTCR is the seller. New York-based Townsend is a specialty real estate advisory and investment firm. NorthStar said it has obtained a $500 million financing commitment, which is being led by Morgan Stanley Senior Funding Inc. The deal is expected to close in early 2016. Morgan Stanley advised NorthStar.
7 min read · 15 October 2015
Sonian said Wednesday that it secured $7.5 million in venture debt from Ares Capital Corp. Dedham, Massachusetts-based Sonian provided cloud-based archiving.
2 min read · 15 October 2015
Highland Europe said Thursday that its most recent fund raised 332 million euros (US$379.6 million). Highland Europe Technology Growth II was oversubscribed and will focus on emerging internet, mobile and software companies. Fund I closed at 250 million euros in 2012. With offices in London and Geneva, Highland Europe invests between 10 million euros to 30 million euros per deal.
3 min read · 15 October 2015
Santanol, a portfolio company of KKR, has named Remi Clero as Chief Executive Officer effective immediately. Clero most recently served as Chief Executive Officer of Amore Pacific Europe S.A.S. Perth, Australia-based Santanol produces sustainable sandalwood for products ranging from fine fragrance to cosmetics to high-end furniture.
3 min read · 15 October 2015
Community Intervention Services Inc., a portfolio company of H.I.G. Growth Partners, has acquired Northstar Psychological Services Inc. Financial terms weren’t announced. Alpharetta, Georgia-based Northstar provides community-based behavioral health services to individuals and families in that state.
3 min read · 15 October 2015
Cymax said Thursday that it raised $25 million in Series A funding led by Frind Holdings, BDC Ventures and Salman Partners. Cymax, of Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, is an e-tailer that uses technology to aide in the of buying and selling of furniture online.
3 min read · 15 October 2015
Finding the right chief executive for a portfolio company can be a tricky task. CEOs of portfolio companies need a different mindset than if they worked for a publicly-traded company, said Les Berglass, Chairman of Berglass + Associates.
3 min read · 15 October 2015
KAfe Group Ltd. has raised $5.5 million in Series A financing led by Cassia Investments. KAfe Group is an urban fusion cafe chain in Vietnam.
5 min read · 14 October 2015
