StrangeLand: Highland Part of Harrah's Buyout
Last month, I wrote that TPG Capital’s $1.35 billion infusion into Washington Mutual was the worst private equity deal in history. Keeping with the theme of sweeping characterizations, TPG also seems to have been involved with the strangest venture capital deal in history. But TPG wasn’t actually the odd actor this time around. That dishonor goes to Highland Capital Partners. I hate to kick a firm after it plied me with liquor and Wolfgang Puck food, but this is so bizarre as to give me no other choice... Lexington, Mass.-based Highland earlier this year invested $20 million as part of TPG Capital and Apollo Management’s $17.1 billion buyout of Harrah’s Entertainment Inc. Let that sink in for a moment. An early-stage and growth-stage VC firm participated in a massive take-private acquisition in exchange for much less than a 1% equity stake. The $20 million check is virtually insignificant to mega-LBO firms like TPG and Apollo, but represented more than 2% of Highland’s current
