Suzanne Weinstock

Consortium ups stake in Bezeq Israel Telecom by 11%

Apax Partners, Saban Capital Group and Mori Arkin have upped their stake in the privatised telecom company. The investor group acquired a 30 percent stake in Bezeq in 2005.

Olympus buys Allied-backed tank manufacturer

Olympus Partners has used $110m of equity from its $1.5bn fifth fund in the buyout of Norwesco from publicly listed Allied Capital.

August Equity loses managing director

Andrew Hartley, who co-led the UK mid-market private equity firm’s spin out from Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein, has left after 13 years to seek ‘fresh challenges’.

First microinsurance PE firm launched at Clinton-led event

LeapFrog Investments aims to provide 25 million low-income individuals in Asia and Africa with access to microinsurance in the next 10 years. The market for microinsurance on the two continents includes more than one billion people.

Malaysia allows foreign venture firms to enter

The Southeast Asian nation has approved publicly listed Japan Asia Investment Company as the first foreign venture firm to operate alongside its 57 domestic firms.

Virginia pension commits $215m to private equity

The $55bn Virginia Retirement System has made commitments to TPG, Austin Ventures, Great Hill Partners and Oaktree Capital Management following a 2007 bump in the pension’s private equity allocation to 10 percent.

Study: Buyout volume shrinks 74% in 2008

Private equity-backed M&A has steeply declined both in terms of total volume and as a percentage of M&A worldwide.

Norwest continues Israel expansion with new hire

Palo Alto, California-based Norwest Venture Partners has hired long-time technology executive Dror Nahumi to support the firm as it moves to deploy increased capital in Israeli technology.

TA invests C$98m in internet security

Boston-based TA Associates plans to grow software company Radialpoint by capitalising on the surge in broadband use in emerging markets. The firm closed its 10th buyout fund on $4.5bn in 2006, and its sixth Atlantic and Pacifc fund on $1.75bn in November 2007.

Private equity firms invest $160m in solar

Venture firms Globespan Capital Partners, Dry Creek Ventures, Silicon Valley Technology Group as well as private equity firm Energy Investors Funds have committed a combination of equity and debt financing to Solar Power Partners. The round brings the company's 2008 fundraising total to $100m.