HAARLEM, The Netherlands – Merging their disparate strengths to secure common strategic interests, telecommunications giant KPN Royal Dutch Telecom and Netherlands-based publisher VNU NV became the most recent corporate giants to announce a venture fund. Although the shared private equity investment vehicle currently exists only as a letter of intent and no definite agreement between […]
SAO PAULO While domestic end-user Internet companies have found this summer that they are little more than an afterthought for infrastructure-focused investors, the Latin American end-user market has been privy to a steady stream of executed offerings and expects several more before year-end. Most notable was a $100 million transaction completed in August for free […]
LONDON NewMedia SPARK, the incubator, plans to buy the technology corporate finance house NewMedia Investors Ltd. NewMedia Investors will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of NewMedia SPARK and will continue to offer services to NewMedia SPARK’s investments and corporate finance advisory services to New Economy companies under the NewMedia Investors name. NewMedia SPARK acquires the entire […]
LONDON – Digital Bridges Ltd., a leading provider of wireless interactive entertainment, has secured a GBP10 million investment from Apax Partners and Argo Global Capital, both strong investors in the space. Digital Bridges, founded in 1998 by the Scottish entrepreneur Kevin Bradshaw, is said by its new backers to be set to become the world […]
MENLO PARK, Calif. – Mohr, Davidow Ventures in mid-August hired Partner Michael Sheridan to lead the firm’s effort to establish an East Coast presence, said Jon Feiber, a co-managing partner at the firm. Sheridan was not actively looking for a position in a venture capital firm when the opportunity to join Mohr, Davidow arose, although […]
As the size and scope of the venture capital market keep on growing, the expansion brings with it an array of mega funds, leading to more capital under management, more investment professionals and more limited partners. With so many aspects to deal with – at an increasing pace – it’s no wonder venture capitalists are […]
ANDOVER, Mass. – In a move intended to remedy longstanding market confusion over its primary business focus, Internet operating and development firm CMGI Inc. announced last month that it has instituted a significant structural overhaul. Specifically, the Andover, Mass.-based company has formally organized its 17 majority-owned operating companies and @Ventures investing affiliate into six official […]
OWINGS MILLS, Md. – In a move to expand its markets and to preview new technologies, Aether Systems Inc., a provider of wireless data products and services, launched Aether Capital as its venture capital arm in mid-August, said Wayne Jackson, managing director of Aether Capital. Aether Capital received $125 million from its parent company to […]
PHILADELPHIA – The Redleaf Group Inc., a technology operating company, teamed with the University of Pennsylvania in August to form PenNetWorks, an on-campus Internet accelerator, said Mark Coticchia, senior director at Redleaf and general manager for the company’s dotDorm program. The accelerator, which is owned by the University and managed on a day-to-day basis by […]
NEW YORK – Despite the summer volume doldrums, venture capitalists continued to devote wads of cash to the communications sector during the final days of August. During the last full week of August, a pair of companies received a whopping $162 million, led by a $150 million expansion-stage financing for Fremont, Calif.-based optical switching technologies […]