Mark Boslet
If there is good news to be had in private equity these days it is that limited partners seem to want to put new money to work. Many GPs will argue that consistency is their forte. But only some can truly make that claim, a new study finds.
Top three 2000-era funds are from TA Associates, ABS Capital Partners and Apax Partners
Venture capitalists remained cautious during the summer months of a presidential election year, reining in third quarter investments in the face of a slow economy and soft IPO market. Investments by U.S. firms came to $6.49 billion in the quarter down 11.6% from a year ago.
Volkswagen Group of America's Electronics Research Laboratory and Plug and Play Tech Center said they launched the Volkswagen ERL Technology Accelerator Powered by Plug and Play. The new Silicon Valley accelerator is designed to host 10 startups from various industries to help develop next-generation technologies for the automotive industry.
Verdande Technology said its investors, including Investinor AS, ProVenture Management and Statoil Technology Invest, are looking to raise $8 million for the company. Verdande recently received a $1.75 million grant from Innovation Norway.
New Enterprise Associates, Inc. said it will open a Chicago office to serve portfolio companies in the region. The firm has invested more than $300 million in 20 Chicago-based companies over the years including Groupon, ArcSight, Cleversafe, Echo Global Logistics, InnerWorkings, Neutral Tandem, and Sprout Social. NEA presently has offices in the Washington, D.C. region, Menlo Park, and New York City, as well as affiliate operations in Shanghai, Beijing, Bangalore and Mumbai.
Gridstore said it raised $12.5 million in a Series A financing led by GGV Capital and ONSET Ventures. The financing was joined by all existing investors and brings the company's total venture funding to $15 million. Gridstore will expand its sales efforts and accelerate product delivery.
The secretive world of single-family offices has become a more meaningful source of capital for private equity as traditional LPs get cold feet. Apparently these wealthy family money managers are eager to get more involved with the asset class.
The vintage not only has the greatest percentage of funds with negative IRRs, but also the largest number with substantial double-digit negative returns
Message Bus said it raised $11 million of growth funding in a round led by North Bridge Venture Partners and joined by True Ventures, Ignition Partners, James Lindenbaum, Tim Young and Jesse Robbins. The company will used the funds to expand hiring and push ahead on its product roadmap.