Staff Writer

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Valley Ventures II reached a $20 million first close just before Thanksgiving and is slated for a first-quarter wrap on or near its $35 million target. The two-partner firm will back early and later-stage companies in the Southwestern United States, including health-care businesses (VCJ, November 1998, page 21). Valley Ventures, the first […]

WELLESLEY, Mass. – Mi3, a new venture firm focusing on the medical imaging market, in late November held a first close on $5 million from the Indiana University Department of Radiology. Mi3, which stands for Medical Imaging Innovation and Investment, will target a final close in June somewhere between $25 million and $35 million. The […]

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Chisholm Fund Partners, Fleet Equity Partners’ new fund-of-funds for individuals and small institutional clients, in November held a $20 million initial close as it eyed a final wrap in December. Launched in April 1998, Chisholm Fund Partners’ strategy is a departure from the $35 million Chisholm Partners III and its predecessors. The […]

DURHAM, N.C. – A.M. Pappas & Associates, a life sciences investment and consulting firm, held a $20 million initial close on its maiden vehicle in late November. Tech AMP International, launched last summer, will focus on early-stage life sciences, medical devices and information technology companies with therapeutic implications. The fund is A.M. Pappas’ first formal […]

AUSTIN, Texas – Austin Ventures, L.P. closed its sixth fund in late November at $320 million, beating its $250 million target and making its first investment. General Partner Joseph Aragona said he was pleased with the level of interest in the fund and the speed of its closing. “I think it says that [our] balanced […]

NEW YORK – Nine months after venture capitalist John Barry of Prospect Street Ventures bought out his partners and revamped the firm’s focus, Prospect is considering adding new investors to its flagship vehicle, the $75 million New York City Discovery Fund. Mr. Barry, who kept news of the buyout quiet until now, had been a […]

NEW YORK – In a mild surprise to some observers, venture capital firms put equity to work at a record pace in the third quarter of 1998, according to the PricewaterhouseCoopers MoneyTree Survey released in November. The $3.77 billion investment total surpassed the previous record of $3.73 billion set in the second quarter. “The pure […]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – For the second time in less than a year, California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) has questioned its two advisers, Pacific Corporate Group Inc. (PCG) and Hamilton Lane Advisors, about how recent staff changes at the firms would affect their services to the $130 billion pension. CalPERS Senior Investment Officer Barry Gonder […]

NEW ORLEANS – Advantage Capital Partners in November relaunched the firm’s first “traditional” venture fund under a new name and expects an initial closing around the beginning of the year. The firm also hired Elliot Fishman to head its new New York office and was scheduled to recruit one or two investment professionals for its […]

PHILADELPHIA – The University City Science Center, an organization that promotes science and technology entrepreneurship in the Philadelphia region, in November began preparing the launch of one or two venture funds totaling approximately $200 million that will back health care and information technology businesses spawned from the area’s 31 colleges and universities. The Science Center […]