Jumptap, a seven-year old mobile advertising startup, said it is considering either listing its shares or selling itself, writes Reuters. Jumptap, which has raised $121.5 million through seven rounds of funding, counts Summerhill Venture Partners, WPP Plc and AllianceBernstein among its investors.
3 min read · 18 October 2012
Buyout firms are scouring Europe for under-performing companies they previously shunned in search of profits that could help improve returns for their investors. Pressure to boost returns means these private equity groups are prepared to look at potential buyouts that require more homework and are higher risk and more complex.
4 min read · 17 October 2012
Bahrain-backed private equity group Investcorp has mandated Barclays to organize the sale of Armacell, a maker of insulation materials, aiming to capitalize on growing investor interest in energy-efficient products, Reuters reported Wednesday. German-headquartered Armacell says it is the world's largest maker of flexible insulation, claiming 40 percent of the market, with its products used to lag pipes and ductwork in large buildings such as factories and schools.
2 min read · 17 October 2012
Israeli entrepreneur Benny Landa plans to raise $150-200 million to fund a new venture that will produce state-of-the-art industrial printers built on nanotechnology, writes Reuters. Landa will travel to London next week where he will choose the underwriting banks, writes Reuters.
1 min read · 17 October 2012
Luxury phone maker Vertu has picked long-time Nokia executive Anssi Vanjoki as its non-executive chairman following an ownership change, Reuters reported. Earlier this month venture firm EQT bought a 90 percent stake in the small phone maker which makes some of the world's most expensive mobile phones, often featuring crystal displays and sapphire keys from Nokia which founded the firm in 1998. Nokia, which is in the midst of selling its non-core assets, retained a 10 percent stake in the firm.
2 min read · 16 October 2012
Perfecto Mobile, a maker of enterprise-grade, cloud-based testing, automation, and monitoring solutions for mobile applications, has raised $15 million in a third round of financing. Globespan Capital Partners led the latest round of funding. Existing investors Carmel, Vertex and the Waisbein Fund also contributed to the round.
3 min read · 16 October 2012
Hillenbrand Inc. said it would buy privately held Coperion Capital GmbH for about 408 million euros ($527.8 million) to boost its process equipment business. The acquisition of Stuttgart, Germany-based Coperion Capital includes the assumption of an estimated 76 million euros of net debt and a pension liability of 100 million euros. Coperion is a portfolio company of venture capital firm Deutsche Beteiligungs AG.
1 min read · 16 October 2012
Lenders to Australia's beleaguered Nine Entertainment television network, owned by CVC Capital Partners Ltd, are close to agreeing on a deal to swap debt for equity, Reuters reported Tuesday. The deal will wipe out CVC's A$1.8 billion ($1.84 billion) equity investment in Nine, marking the largest-ever loss on a single private-equity deal in Asia, and one of the biggest globally. Nine had proposed a debt-for-equity swap deal to avoid going into receivership.
2 min read · 16 October 2012
Telefonica plans to list up to 23.17 percent of its O2-branded German unit at between 5.25 euros ($6.79) and 6.50 euros per share, valuing the stake at about 1.52 billion euros ($2 billion), writes Reuters. Telefonica said it will set the final price for the German listing on October 29, with the shares expected to begin trading on October 30.
2 min read · 16 October 2012
Private equity firm Mid Europa Partners is to buy Eastern European laboratory diagnostics company Alpha Medical from Czech private equity group Penta Investments, writes Reuters. Mid Europa, which is focused on Central Europe and Turkey, did not say in the statement how much it would pay for Alpha Medical, which operates 50 labs across Slovakia, Poland and the Czech Republic, writes Reuters.
1 min read · 16 October 2012
