Private Equity
Crédit Agricole Private Equity has formed investment partnerships with three seed capital organizations: Soridec, a regional fund in France’s Languedoc Roussillon area; BioGeneration Ventures, a Dutch group focused on life sciences; and Objectif Gazelles, an angel group.
2 min read · 29 March 2009
5AM Ventures has held a $119.25 million close on its third fund, according to a regulatory filing. The Menlo Park, Calif.-based firm focuses on life sciences opportunities, and is believed to be targeting at least $150 million – which was the size of its second fund. www.5amventures.com
1 min read · 23 March 2009
Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, has formed a corporate venture capital group that will invest in biotech startups. Named Merck Serono Ventures, the effort is initially capitalized with €40 million. Areas of particular interest include neurodegenerative diseases, oncology, autoimmune diseases and inflammatory diseases.
3 min read · 23 March 2009
Industry Ventures, a San Francisco-based secondaries firm, has closed its fifth fund with $265 million in capital commitments.
2 min read · 23 March 2009
1 min read · 20 March 2009
A few years back, I created a Word document called "The Walking Dead." These were venture capital firms that were officially in business -- lights on, working websites, cash to support existing investments -- but which no longer had enough cash to add new portfolio companies. Then I made the mistake of mentioning this document to peHUB Wire readers, who began regularly asking me to publish it. This posed some big journalistic dilemmas, because the list was mostly based on hearsay and intuition. Great for my desktop -- bad for the Web. Last week, however, I began the process of verifying the zombie-hood of the aforementioned firms. What I came up with were 14 shops that could legitimately be dumped into the Walking Dead bucket. That only represents around one-third of the firms on my personal list, but it's better to be safe than sorry when it comes to things like this. If you've got an additional firm to nominate -- and can provide some specific details -- my inbox is always open and confidential. And yes, I do expect this to just be Part I of an ongoing series. So, without further ado, here you go...
1 min read · 19 March 2009
Updated: August Capital, the 14-year-old firm founded by longtime VCs Dave Marquardt and John Johnston, has held a final close on its fifth fund. It raised a stunning $650 million. Even more amazingly, the partners began raising it shortly after Thanksgiving.
2 min read · 18 March 2009
C Change Investments and Korea Investments & Securities Co. have been selected to manage Korea’s Green Growth Fund, which is expected to be launched in June with an initial $130 million commitment from the South Korean government and third-party investors. The fund will invest in companies and projects throughout the world.
3 min read · 18 March 2009
Pharma Capital Partners is raising $100 million for its debut fund, according to VentureWire. The firm was formed by former members of Merck Capital Ventures, and will focus on technologies that can improve pharmaceutical company operations. www.pharmacapitalventures.com
1 min read · 13 March 2009
2 min read · 11 March 2009
