New Zealand
Valar Ventures unveils $32m NZ fund
Valar Ventures, the venture capital firm run by PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, has raised NZ$40 million ($32 million) for a vehicle launched in partnership with the New Zealand Venture Investment Fund (NZVIF).
Subsea backs NZ mining project
Subsea Investments II, a private equity fund backed by US-based LPs, will invest up to $7 million for shares issued by NZAX-listed Chatham Rock Phosphate (CRP).
Columbia Capital invests $20m in Cloud Sherpas
US venture capital firm Columbia Capital has invested $20 million in Cloud Sherpas, a newly merged cloud computing solutions provider focused on Asia Pacific and the US.
Taiwan, New Zealand launch $169m venture fund
Taiwan’s National Development Fund (NDF) has agreed with New Zealand Venture Investment Fund (NZVIF) to establish a NT$5 billion (US$169.39 million) joint venture fund.
Leveraged lenders seek common ground
Australia’s banks have proposed a standard set of rules on who can do what in the event of a default. They say it will stimulate the mezzanine market but junior lenders claim the measures are too restrictive
PE bets on Asia’s growing food demand
Food assets – notably fresh produce – are increasingly attractive to private equity firms as they potential trade sale exits to Asian corporates looking to satisfy rising domestic demand
MyFarm launches listed dairy fund
New Zealand dairy farm investor MyFarm Asset Management has launched a specialist investment fund which aims to raise NZ$75 million ($62 million), partly through an IPO on alternative securities exchange Unlisted.
Quadrant, APN announce outdoor advertising JV
Quadrant Private Equity has agreed to form an outdoor advertising joint venture with APN News & Media worth A$272 million ($289 million). APN had decided further investment was required to support expansion and entered into exclusive negotiations with...
APN in exclusive negotiations with Quadrant Private Equity
APN News & Media has entered into exclusive negotiations with Quadrant Private Equity concerning its outdoor advertising business. It comes after a strategic review concluded that the asset shouldn’t be sold but that further investment was required...
Wolseley exits Freshmax to Maui Capital
Wolseley Private Equity has fully exited Australian fruit and vegetables supplier Freshmax through a secondary sale to Maui Capital, an Auckland-based private equity firm. The deal closed before the end of 2011, giving Wolseley enough time to return money...
SCF and Vibernum in Vautron buyout
US private equity firm SCF Partners and Australia’s Viburnum Funds have acquired a majority stake in the newly created Vautron Group as part of a buyout transaction.
Catalyst could sell Aperio for $256m by February
Catalyst Investment Managers could complete the sale of its packaging business Aperio Group to a trade buyer by February, according to a source.
MediaWorks is latest Oz debt-to-equity target
The phenomenon is known as “loan to own.” Investors buy up companies’ debt on the secondary market and negotiate with the boards to secure what are in effect controlling positions.
TPG acquires 20% of MediaWorks' senior debt for $54m
TPG has acquired NZ$70 million ($54.1 million) worth of debt in New Zealand-based MediaWorks from lender Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), accounting for approximately 20% of the company’s full debt load.
Australian lender sells debt in New Zealand media owner at a discount
A lender of Ironbridge Capital-owned MediaWorks, the New Zealand-based owner of TV and radio channels, is selling its NZ$70 million ($54.1 million) of senior debt in the asset for NZ$0.50 on the dollar.
Pencarrow fund holds first close on $59m
New Zealand-based Pencarrow Private Equity has held a first close of its fourth private equity fund on NZ$77 million ($59 million).
NZVIF to invest $6m in start-ups
The New Zealand Venture Investment Fund (NZVIF) is making plans to invest up to NZ$8 million ($6 million) in New Zealand-based start-up firms.
Advent makes first close of Advent 6 fund
Australia and New Zealand-focused Advent Private Capital has held the first close of its Advent 6 fund, and has confirmed commitments of nearly A$100 million ($102.3 million).
CHAMP-backed Blue Star hires Unitas’ Philip Bower
Blue Star, the New Zealand printing firm owned by CHAMP Private Equity, has hired Unitas Capital's Phillip Bower as its new managing director.
Gresham seeks buyer for New Zealand's Noel Leeming Group
Australian PE firm Gresham has reportedly appointed Macquarie Group to advise on the sale of New Zealand appliance retailer Noel Leeming Group, an asset that it has owned for seven years.
Quadrant-backed Summerset struggles on trading debut
Summerset Group, the New Zealand retirement village operator owned by Quadrant Private Equity, saw its stock open above the IPO price of NZ$1.40 on Tuesday, although it closed marginally below it. The price slumped a further 2.84% to NZ$1.37 on Wednesday.
Quadrant’s Summerset raises $99m through IPO
Quadrant Private Equity-owned Summerset Group, New Zealand’s third-largest retirement village operator, has raised NZ$123.6 million ($99.5 million) in the largest IPO seen in the country in two years. The company sold 88.3 million shares at NZ$1.40...
Anchorage exits NZ Burger King to Blackstone
It's a good time to be targeting turnarounds in Australasia. Private equity firms, hedge funds and investment banks are pursuing a host of opportunities in the consumer segment where companies have been hit hard by the seize-up in spending that followed...
Affinity buys Australian meats producer
Affinity Equity Partners has ramped up its consumer portfolio in Australia through a 70% stake acquisition in top deli meats producer Primo Smallgoods, for a price that values the company at A$740 million ($758 million).