The early months of 2017 have been eventful for Mistral Venture Partners. The seed investor held a first close for Fund II, made the fund’s debut investment, realized its first portfolio exit, and opened an office in Toronto. In January, Mistral wrapped up initial fundraising for Mistral Venture Partners II, earmarked for financing early-stage information-technology companies. The close accounted for $26 million of a $35 million target, Managing Director Code Cubitt told PE Hub Canada. He expects the fund to reach its goal later this year. Some 60 limited partners signed on to the initial close, most of them returning investors.
Over the past several years, unicorns have evolved from isolated rarities into a thundering herd, with valuations seemingly too good to be true. Turns out the values may be just that, too good to be true, according to a study by a pair of university professors. The two came up with a formula for measuring […]
Funds from Top Tier Capital Partners and Industry Ventures lead a portfolio of late-vintage venture capital funds at the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System. The portfolio, with vintages of 2010 to 2016, is largely made up of mid-sized funds with an unusual mix of investment strategies. About two-thirds of the funds are between $250 million […]
Venture investments were among the lowest-performing assets in the University of California’s endowment and pension portfolios over the fiscal year’s first nine months. UC has holdings in funds from such firms as Column Group, Canaan Partners, GGV Capital, Sequoia Capital, Khosla Ventures, and W Capital Partners, VCJ has reported. The lackluster venture performance was cited during […]
By Alex Derber, VCJ Correspondent Tracking early-stage investment is a difficult task because plenty of non-institutional funding sources from various angels and companies fly under the radar. In Germany, says Invest Europe, the Continent’s venture trade body, seed investment has halved since the financial crisis. Yet like other Western countries, Germany has seen entrepreneurial activity expand dramatically, […]
All the indices dropped in April, compared with March, with the proceeds from venture-backed M&A and IPOs falling the most. Acquisitions in April were led by McKesson‘s purchase of Columbus, Ohio-based Covermymeds. But the $1.4 billion deal was still less than half the size of the unicorn Appdynamics, which finalized its $3.7 billion to Cisco […]
Funds from JMI Equity, Top Tier Capital Partners and M/C Partners lead a portfolio of mid-decade venture funds at the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System. The portfolio, with vintages of 2003 to 2008, is largely made up of mid-sized funds. Three-quarters of the funds are between $300 million and $900 million in size. The investment […]
While female founders are a growing presence in North America’s tech sectors, a wealth of anecdotal and statistical data show women-led startups face barriers to accessing risk capital. This week an important step was taken to reverse the trend in Canada. StandUp Ventures Fund I, a women-focused pre-seed and seed fund, raised an initial commitment and closed its debut deal. The fund, managed by MaRS Investment Accelerator Fund, is earmarked for investments in technology companies that have at least one female founder in the C-suite. PE Hub Canada sat down with BDC Capital Managing Director Michelle Scarborough and MaRS IAF Investment Director Michelle McBane to talk about the fund, its goals, and challenges faced by women entrepreneurs.
Venture capitalists hunt for ideas that will disrupt, disintermediate or democratize other industries, but the field’s fundraising model rarely undergoes any of the D words itself. Blockchain Capital, a San Francisco venture firm focused on the still-arcane world of blockchain technology and cryptocurrency startups, is aiming to change that. In April, the firm raised a […]
At the National Venture Capital Association‘s annual meeting in Washington on Wednesday, Andreessen Horowitz Managing Partner Scott Kupor has stepped into the role of chair. Kupor brings to the position an eagerness to enhance the environment for entrepreneurship in the United States and improve access to the capital markets. “The idea that I can be […]