Private Equity
While much of the country was happily preparing to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with their families, Stacy Nicholas, the ex-wife of billionaire Broadcom co-founder Henry Nicholas, was suing to take control of her family's $600 million joint trust. Among her allegations are that Nicholas ordered his private investigators, who once dressed in gorilla masks, to follow her, and that he once said he was going to have her “whacked.” The Orange County Register, which has been following the travails of Nicholas and Henry Samueli, Broadcom’s other co-founder, broke the news last week. The suit is filled with the sort of shocking allegations that have become nearly synonymous with Nicholas, who was indicted in June
2 min read · 01 December 2008
1 min read · 01 December 2008
1 min read · 24 November 2008
Ben Silverman has joined the board of The Peacock Equity Fund, a $250 million fund focused on the media sector. He is co-chairman of NBC Entertainment.
2 min read · 20 November 2008
Phyllis Whiteley and Dan Riskin have joined Mohr Davidow Ventures as an executive-in-residence and entrepreneur-in-residence, respectively. Both will focus on the life sciences sector. Whiteley previously was an entrepreneur-in-residence with 5AM Ventures, where she co-founded Anaphore Inc. Riskin previously was president of Interventional Dynamics Inc.
3 min read · 20 November 2008
Christopher McFadden has joined Health Evolution Partners to launch a New York office, and as a managing director of the firm’s growth fund. He previously was a managing director with Goldman Sachs.
5 min read · 19 November 2008
Who says that venture capitalists have soured on Web 2.0 companies? Not Nathanial McNamara, who just left his H.I.G. Ventures to form Yasnap, a company that leverages Facebook Connect to help users create social media applications. McNamara isn’t talking much about the new venture yet, except to say that it plans to launch in early 2009. Its beta is currently accessible, however, and includes such user-generated apps as: Pass a green beer, kick the can and pass the hot potato.
1 min read · 18 November 2008
Fredrik Cassel has been promoted to partner at Nordic venture capital firm Creandum. He joined the firm in 2003, and has led deals for Spotify, Cint, Pintavision and Videoplaza.
2 min read · 18 November 2008
Morgenthaler Ventures last week raised $400 million for its ninth fund, and its first to not include an actual Morgenthaler within the general partnership. Alex Haislip reports over at PE Week (sub req.) that Gary Morgenthaler will be a "venture partner" on the new fund, and quotes firm spokeswoman Ching Wu as saying: He has reached a point in his career where he would like more freedom to manage his personal investments and activities. This arrangement allows Gary the flexibility he seeks while keeping him connected to the work and industry he loves. Gary joined the firm in
1 min read · 17 November 2008
Sharesleuth.com describes itself as an “independent Web-based reporting aimed at exposing securities fraud and corporate chicanery... Call it journalism. Call it investigative blogging. Call it what you will.” We’ll call it "ironic," given that the SEC has just filed insider-trading charges against Sharesleuth’s main backer, tech billionaire Mark Cuban. The SEC alleges that Cuban sold his 6% stake in Canadian-based Internet search company Mamma.com in 2004, after being told by management that it was going to announce a PIPE financing. According to the SEC, Cuban, who has called PIPE financings “a huge red flag,” almost immediately
2 min read · 17 November 2008
