Author: Connie Loizos

Neuralstem, a Rockville, Md., company whose technology is aimed at fostering hte production of human’s neural stem cells in commercial quantities, has secured $8 million in debt financing with Hercules Technology Growth Capital to fuel the company’s capital budget through late 2014. Hercules is a specialty finance company focused on providing senior secured loans to venture capital-backed companies in technology-related markets.

PRESS RELEASE:

Neuralstem, Inc. (nyse mkt:CUR) announced today that it secured $8 million in debt financing with Hercules Technology Growth Capital HTGC +0.08% , to fund the company’s capital budget through late 2014.

“This debt financing extends our cash runway well into late 2014 at a critical time in our clinical product development cycle. We have multiple NSI-566 cell therapy clinical trials planned this year, building on our successful ALS Phase I trial, including the upcoming phase II ALS in the U.S.; both chronic and acute spinal cord injury in the U.S. and South Korea, respectively; ALS in Mexico, and stroke in China, in addition to completing the NSI-189/Phase Ib trial in major depressive disorder,” said Neuralstem’s President and CEO Richard Garr. “We are pleased to have the support of leading life sciences and technology investor, Hercules.”

“Neuralstem’s unique stem cell platform has the potential to address a serious unmet medical need in the ALS and spinal cord injury patient populations, as well as other indications. The team’s progress to date is the result of years of meticulous research and development. We are proud to be a strong financial partner,” said Chad Norman, managing director at Hercules.

The funding of $8 million, which closed on March 22, 2013, is in the form of a secured note which is repayable in installments over 42 months following an interest-only period of nine months and up to 12 months upon funding of a second tranche. The note bears interest at a prime-based variable rate. In addition, Neuralstem issued Hercules 648,798 warrants to purchase shares of Neuralstem common stock at an exercise price of $1.08 per share. The second tranche of $2 million will be made available to the company, at the company’s option until September 30, 2013, subject to certain conditions. Further information with respect to the loan agreement with Hercules is contained in a Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities referenced herein in any jurisdiction to any person. The warrants and underlying shares issued in connection with the transactions have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration under the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an applicable exemption from those registration requirements.

TriPoint Global Equities, LLC was the placement agent for the transaction.

About Neuralstem

Neuralstem’s patented technology enables the ability to produce neural stem cells of the human brain and spinal cord in commercial quantities, and the ability to control the differentiation of these cells constitutively into mature, physiologically relevant human neurons and glia. Neuralstem completed an FDA-approved Phase I safety clinical trial for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease, in February 2013, and has submitted recommended Phase II trial protocol to the FDA. Neuralstem has been awarded orphan status designation by the FDA for its ALS cell therapy.

In addition to ALS, the company is also targeting major central nervous system conditions with its NSI-566 cell therapy platform, including spinal cord injury, ischemic stroke and glioblastoma (brain cancer). The company received approval to commence a Phase I safety trial in chronic spinal cord injury in January 2013.

Neuralstem also has the ability to generate stable human neural stem cell lines suitable for the systematic screening of large chemical libraries. Through this proprietary screening technology, Neuralstem has discovered and patented compounds that may stimulate the brain’s capacity to generate new neurons, possibly reversing the pathologies of some central nervous system conditions. The company is in a Phase Ib safety trial evaluating NSI-189, its first neurogenic small molecule compound, for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). Additional indications could include chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), Alzheimer’s disease, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

For more information, please visit www.neuralstem.com or connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn

About Hercules Technology Growth Capital, Inc.

Hercules Technology Growth Capital, Inc. HTGC +0.08% (“Hercules”) (www.HTGC.com) is the leading specialty finance company focused on providing senior secured loans to venture capital-backed companies in technology-related markets, including technology, biotechnology, life science and cleantech industries at all stages of development. Since inception (December 2003), Hercules has committed more than $3.4 billion to over 220 companies and is the lender of choice for entrepreneurs and venture capital firms seeking growth capital financing.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Information

This news release may contain forward-looking statements made pursuant to the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements in this press release regarding potential applications of Neuralstem’s technologies constitute forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks inherent in the development and commercialization of potential products, uncertainty of clinical trial results or regulatory approvals or clearances, need for future capital, dependence upon collaborators and maintenance of our intellectual property rights. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements. Additional information on potential factors that could affect our results and other risks and uncertainties are detailed from time to time in Neuralstem’s periodic reports, including the annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012.

SOURCE Neuralstem, Inc.

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Vista International Technologies, a Denver-based company whose technology ostensibly converts waste, biomass, tires and other solid carbon based materials into electricity and thermal energy, while capturing the pollutants, has raised a letter of interest from Intercapital Partners Limited, a U.K.-based private equity firm that’s looking to invest up to $6 million in Vista, according to the company. Vista says terms and conditions of the investment are “currently being finalized.”

PRESS RELEASE:

Vista International Technologies, Inc. VVIT +12.50% , a pioneer in efficient Waste-to-Energy technology, is pleased to announce that it has received a letter of interest for a significant investment into the company. Management has received notice regarding an investment of up to $6 million into the Company by Intercapital Partners Limited, a general private equity firm located in the United Kingdom. Both parties are interested in closing the transaction in the near term. Terms and conditions of the investment are currently being finalized.

CEO Tim Ruddy remarked, “This investment puts Vista in an excellent position to achieve both the near and long term goals of the company. It will allow us to more fully execute our business plan, and bring greater value to our shareholders by expanding the geographical areas we can serve as well as the number of projects we will have under development.”

Vista International Technologies, Inc. has been producing Waste-to-Energy gasification systems for over twenty years, with installations across three continents. The Company’s technology has low costs of installation and operation, and allows for the processing of virtually any hydrocarbon-based waste product, including municipal solid waste, waste tires, waste coal, sewage sludge, animal waste, and biomass, among others. The company’s Waste-to-Energy systems are emission friendly and extremely efficient, and can be used to produce heat, steam, and/or electricity.

For more information on Vista or this release, please visit www.vvit.us, or call 303 690 8300.

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American Internet Services (AIS), a San Diego-based company that manages the IT infrastructure of its clients, has secured a $43.5 million senior secured credit facility from Fortress Credit Corp., an affiliate of Fortress Investment Group. Terms of the transaction weren’t disclosed.

PRESS RELEASE:

AIS (American Internet Services), a leader in tailored data center and cloud service solutions, announced that Fortress Credit Corp., an affiliate of Fortress Investment Group, has provided the company a $43.5 million senior secured credit facility. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

“This financing illustrates Fortress’s continuing support for middle market companies in the data center and cloud service sector,” said Ken Sands, a Managing Director of the Credit Funds, Fortress Investment Group. “AIS is a recognized regional leader in tailored data center and cloud service solutions and we are pleased to have arranged this financing that will support their future growth.”

Tim Caulfield, Chief Executive Officer at AIS, said, “Refinancing AIS’ debt enables us to take advantage of historically low interest rates while providing resources for additional investment in new products and services, continuing our market expansion, and meeting the developing needs of our customers.” Caulfield continued, “We look forward to working with Fortress, a knowledgeable and experienced lender to the internet infrastructure sector.”

DH Capital, LLC served as advisor to AIS on the financing. DH Capital is a private investment banking partnership combining industry expertise in Internet infrastructure, telecommunications, and SaaS with proven execution in M&A and capital placements.

About Fortress Fortress Investment Group LLC is a leading, highly diversified global investment firm with over $53 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2012. Founded in 1998, Fortress manages assets on behalf of over 1,400 institutional clients and private investors worldwide across a range of investment strategies — private equity, credit, liquid hedge funds and traditional fixed income. Fortress is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange FIG -4.51% . For additional information, please visit www.fortress.com

About AIS Founded in 1989, AIS provides tailored data center and cloud service solutions to companies that require the best in security, compliance, connectivity, and customer service. AIS manages all aspects of IT infrastructure so that customers can focus on their core business. The company’s exclusive AIS Customer Advocacy(TM) service professionals have designed, implemented, and supported tailored packages for cloud, colocation, network connectivity, disaster recovery, high availability, and IT security for more than 600 enterprises worldwide. Backed by private equity firms Seaport Capital, Viridian Investments, and DuPont Capital Management, AIS operates SSAE 16-compliant, SOC 1-, 2-, and 3-audited, redundant facilities in San Diego, Los Angeles and Phoenix. For more information, visit www.americanis.net or call us at 1-866-971-2656.

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Wells Fargo Insurance, part of Wells Fargo & Company, named Richard Colton head of its Mergers and Acquisitions Industry Practice. Serving middle market and large corporate customers, including private equity firms, the practice provides clients with insurance, risk, due diligence, and employee benefit services and solutions. Colton, who will be based in new York, previously served as co-founder of Aon’s mergers and acquisitions group and was also former chairman of Lockton’s mergers and acquisitions group.

PRESS RELEASE:

Wells Fargo Insurance, part of Wells Fargo & Company, named Richard Colton head of its Mergers and Acquisitions Industry Practice. Serving middle market and large corporate customers, including private equity firms, the practice provides clients with insurance, risk, due diligence, and employee benefit services and solutions. In his role, Colton will work closely with clients pursuing opportunities with private equity-related transactions, as well as lead related sales and growth initiatives, and operations. Based in New York, he will report to Peter Gilbertson, regional managing director for Wells Fargo Insurance’s Northeast region.

“Throughout his career, Richard has been a pioneer in developing private equity-related risk and insurance solutions,” said Gilbertson. “Under his leadership, Wells Fargo Insurance will not only better serve our customers, but will be a valuable resource for other businesses throughout the company that serve the private equity industry.”

The Wells Fargo Financial Sponsors Group, part of Wells Fargo Securities, is one of the other business lines that benefits from the practice. “The credibility and leadership that Richard brings to this vital service nicely rounds out our offering of corporate and investment banking products and solutions to our private equity clients,” said Brian Van Elslander, managing director and head of Wells Fargo Financial Sponsors Group.

Colton previously served as co-founder of Aon’s mergers and acquisitions group and was also former chairman of Lockton’s mergers and acquisitions group. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Long Island University.

About Wells Fargo Insurance

Wells Fargo Insurance(1) is the fifth largest insurance broker in the world (Business Insurance, 2012). With 127 offices in 37 states, Wells Fargo Insurance provides solutions for a wide range of customers, including retail consumers, high net worth individuals, small businesses, as well as middle market and large corporate customers. The 7,000 insurance professionals of Wells Fargo Insurance write or place $15 billion of risk premiums annually in property, casualty, benefits, international, personal lines, and life products and also includes the nation’s largest crop insurance provider, Rural Community Insurance Services (RCIS).

About Wells Fargo & Company

Wells Fargo & Company WFC -0.80% is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.4 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 9,000 stores, 12,000 ATMs, the Internet (wellsfargo.com), and has offices in more than 35 countries to support the bank’s customers who conduct business in the global economy. With more than 265,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 26 on Fortune’s 2012 rankings of America’s largest corporations. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy all our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially.

(1) Ranking includes Wells Fargo Insurance Services USA, Inc., Wells Fargo Insurance Services of West Virginia, Inc., Wells Fargo Insurance, Inc., and Rural Community Insurance Company

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Devicescape, a San Bruno, Calif.-based WiFi software maker, has appointed Jeff Baeth to the position of CFO. Baeth joins the company from Jajah, where he served as CFO, helping facilitate the company’s sale to Telefonica S.A. in 2010. Devicescape has raised nearly $16 million in funding, including from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and August Capital.

PRESS RELEASE:

Devicescape today announced the appointment of Jeff Baeth to the position of Chief Financial Officer. Baeth comes to Devicescape from JAJAH, Inc., where he served as Chief Financial Officer and helped facilitate the company’s acquisition by Telefonica S.A. in 2010. He brings over 25 years of finance and accounting experience with high tech companies.

“We’re excited to bring aboard someone with Jeff’s depth of experience,” said Dave Fraser, CEO of Devicescape. “As Devicescape continues its rapid growth, Jeff’s history scaling the operations of innovative and disruptive companies in the telecom space will prove invaluable.”

Prior to joining JAJAH, Inc. in 2007, Baeth was senior vice president at VeriSign Inc, where he was instrumental in scaling the company from a startup to a global industry player with revenue of over $1.6 billion. He was a member of the Office of Chief Financial Officer and was responsible for managing VeriSign’s global financial and performance management operations. Additionally, Baeth was part of the VeriSign M&A team that conducted the acquisition of Jamster, Network Solutions, and m-Cube. Prior to joining VeriSign, Baeth served in finance and accounting roles for Adobe Systems Inc., KLA-Tencor, and KPMG.

“I’m excited to join Devicescape at this critical time in the company’s growth trajectory,” said Baeth. “The company’s value to the mobile ecosystem is obvious: operators gain the ability to economically boost network capacity with high-quality Wi-Fi networks and consumers enjoy an elevated mobile experience. With the recent launch of PopWiFi, Devicescape again demonstrated its leadership in curating public Wi-Fi and offering its carrier-grade Curator Service to mobile network operators.”

PopWiFi, a proximity marketing service for venue owners offering amenity Wi-Fi, was launched by Devicescape at Mobile World Congress in February and gives venue owners a uniquely simple, yet powerful ability to interact directly with customers in-store and on-device. The service is available to the millions of venues that are part of Devicescape’s Curated Virtual Network (CVN).

About Devicescape Devicescape moves beyond Wi-Fi Offload and uniquely combines intelligent network selection with the world’s largest curated virtual network of high-quality Wi-Fi hotspots. This enables mobile operators to magnify their capacity-reach and elevate the “always best connected” experience. Headquartered in San Bruno, California, Devicescape is privately held by leading venture capital companies including Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, August Capital, Jafco Ventures, and Enterprise Partners. For more information visit www.devicescape.com.

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Earth911, a Scottsdale, Az.-based company that gathers, distributes and analyzes localized recycling information for its customers, has added Ed Skernolis to its advisory board. Skernolis spent 14 years with the Environmental Protection Agency, and 18 years as the director of government affairs for Waste Management, among other roles.

PRESS RELEASE:

Earth911, Inc., an Infinity Resources Holdings company (otcqb:IRHC) IRHC -5.45% , welcomed another key industry advisor to its strategic consulting team with the addition of Ed Skernolis, a 40-year veteran of the recycling industry whose legacy includes the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Waste Management, Inc., National Recycling Coalition (NRC), and Keep America Beautiful (KAB). As an adviser to Earth911, Inc., Skernolis will open conversations about collaborative solutions to achieving true product stewardship between members of his professional network and Earth911, Inc.

Skernolis spent 14 years with EPA, 18 years as Director of Government Affairs for Waste Management, Inc., 2 years as Acting Executive Director of the NRC, and most recently served as Senior Vice President, Recycling, for KAB before retiring at the end of 2012. At KAB, Skernolis led the creation and rapid growth of the Recycling Department, fostered significant growth in America Recycles Day and the campus-based competition RecycleMania, and oversaw creation of the K-12 Recycle-Bowl competition, the Annual Recycling Symposium, and KAB’s highly successful Public Space Recycling Initiative, which has placed almost 100,000 recycling bins in public areas around the country.

“The recycling value chain is complex and requires an understanding and appreciation for all of its moving parts to be successful within the system,” said Skernolis. “I’m looking forward to working with Earth911 to make valuable connections that will take recycling and product stewardship to new levels.”

Skernolis, now working as an environmental consultant, is a thought-leader in recycling strategies and consumer education programs to make recycling second-nature. His ideas helped innovate recycling throughout the supply chain, government and private industry by championing more streamlined recycling collection and processing and improving consumer outreach. Throughout the economic crises of the past decade, Skernolis spoke and wrote confidently about maintaining the growth of recycling programs and the long-term financial benefits to businesses as well as communities.

“Ed Skernolis brings his own personal brand of success, relationship-building and diplomacy that helped him guide organizations through decades of change in the way recycling is implemented and communicated. We’re thrilled that Earth911 will benefit from having this knowledge leader on board,” said Corey Lambrecht, Earth911, Inc. President and COO.

Skernolis received three special service awards while at EPA and received the Distinguished Service Award from the Environmental Industries Association while with Waste Management. Skernolis joins other notable advisors to Earth911: Gowri Shankar, venture partner with Naya Ventures, and digital media pioneer and former Disney executive Bernard Gershon.

Gowri Shankar is a venture partner with Naya Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm. Shankar is an expert advisor for mobile marketing and served as a member of the founding team at Sprint PCS where he initiated both direct and online wireless sales in the early 90s. Most recently he served as president and CEO of SinglePoint, a mobile marketing agency for media companies where he pioneered interactive TV through mobile with NBC Universal, MTV, CBS and Disney.

Shankar has an established track record of building and growing companies in both Europe and India. He serves on the board for Skedi, Carbon Credits International and is an advisor to ReQall and Zoomingo.

“Earth911 is the only provider that can bring location and product disposal together in a mobile device, allowing companies to engage with their customers throughout the product lifecycle,” said Shankar. “The possibilities for Earth911 to enable customer engagement are open to the imagination.”

Bernard “Bernie” Gershon, who joined with Earth911, Inc. as an advisor in 2011, is president of GershonMedia, which provides advisory services to digital media enterprises. He’s made both the 2012 and 2013 AlwaysOn Power Players New York City list.

Gershon spent 15 years at The Walt Disney Company earning recognition as a pioneer in online and mobile video. As the senior vice president and general manager of corporate strategy, business development and technology, Gershon developed new digital businesses for the company, as well as new digital revenue opportunities for all Disney/ABC content, including broadband, wireless, cable, IPTV and VOD. Gershon was instrumental in delivering Disney/ABC content, including “High School Musical,” “Desperate Housewives” and “Lost,” to Sprint’s mobile video service. He also created, launched and distributed the 24-hour ABC News channel, ABC News Now.

Gershon served as senior vice president & general manager for ABC News, Digital Media Group and is credited with stabilizing and nurturing ABC News’ online businesses. He has also been recipient of the George Foster Peabody Award, RTNDA Edward R. Murrow Awards and numerous Webby Awards. In 2003 he was named in the top 10 of Streaming Media Magazine’s list of the Most Influential People in Streaming Media. He also serves on the advisory boards of top digital companies, including Boxee, Fwix, Row44, Woozworld, and several other companies in the mobile and online video space. He also serves on the board of SpotXchange.

About Earth911, Inc.

Earth911 gathers, distributes and analyzes localized recycling information to assist manufacturers, organizations and consumers with product end-of-life solutions. Working to increase the recycling and disposal of consumer goods since 1991, Earth911′s services enhance and support companies’ responsible waste initiatives. The Earth911 Recycling Directory is the largest and most accurate in the nation, with more than 1.6 million ways to recycle more than 360 types of materials. Follow @Earth911BizNews or visit http://business.earth911.com to learn more. Earth911, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Infinity Resources Holdings Corporation (otcqb:IRHC) IRHC -5.45% . Infinity Resources Holdings companies provide innovative waste reduction and landfill diversion solutions for recycling and proper disposal of commercial and consumer waste streams. Visit http://www.infinityresourcesholdingscorp.com/.

Forward-Looking Statements This document contains forward-looking statements that are subject to a number of risks, assumptions, and uncertainties that could cause the Company’s actual results to differ materially from those projected. These risks, assumptions, and uncertainties include the following: the ability of the Company to raise capital; the ability to complete systems within currently estimated time frames and budgets; the ability to compete effectively in a rapidly evolving and price-competitive marketplace; changes in nature of telecommunications regulation in the United States and other countries; changes in business strategy; the successful integration of newly acquired businesses; the impact of technical change; and other risks referenced from time to time in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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Sample6 Technologies, a Boston-based developer of a so-called bacterial monitoring platform, has appointed Tim Curran as CEO. Curran was previously CEO of Vela Systems, which sold to Autodesk last year; he was also CEO of Eleven Technologies, acquired by Trimble Navigation in 2006. Sample6 is backed by Flybridge Capital Partners, Chevron Tech Ventures, The Kraft Group, Founder Collective and Boston University, among others.

PRESS RELEASE:

Sample6 Technologies, the developer of the world’s fist synthetic biology-based, “enrichment-free” bacterial monitoring platform, has appointed Tim Curran as Chief Executive Officer. Curran has an over 20 year record of success leading technology companies, including as CEO of Vela Systems, which he led to an acquisition by Autodesk in 2012. Previously, he was CEO of Eleven Technologies which was acquired by Trimble Navigation in 2006.

“We could not have found a better person for the position,” said Micah Rosenbloom, Sample6’s founding CEO who will remain on the company’s board and active in the product and commercial development. “Tim has that rare combination of start-up DNA coupled with a proven ability to bring breakthrough technologies to traditional industries from construction to food.” Rosenbloom continued, “We have the opportunity to commercialize the first ‘smoke detector’ for pathogens and to improve the health and safety of the global consumer.”

Tim Curran: An Established High-Tech and Enterprise Executive

With more than 20 years of executive management and leadership experience bringing high-tech solutions to enterprises, Curran has served in a variety of roles with globally recognized business and technology brands.

Most recently as CEO of Vela Systems, Curran led the company through development and commercialization of a revolutionary quality management system for the construction industry. Vela was the first to bring a Cloud platform and iPad devices to the construction industry. Over half of the Top 50 US construction companies are Vela customers. The company had customers in 14 countries and was growing 100% annually when acquired by Autodesk in June 2012.

Previously, Curran served as CEO of Eleven Technologies, a next generation mobile field management solution for the food and beverage industry with customers including Coca-Cola, P&G and Pepperidge Farms, which was acquired by Trimble Navigation in 2006. Curran was previously head of Sales & Marketing for I-many, whose customers included Pepsico, Conagra and Kellogg. I-many grew from $3M to $60M in revenue during his tenure and went public in 2000. He started his career in technology development and implementation at Accenture and EMC.

“Sample6 is on the cusp of delivering game-changing pathogen detection capabilities to the food industry, from farm to consumer,” said Curran. “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to join a world-class synthetic biology and product development organization to lead the company to commercial success. Sample6 delivers tremendous supply chain and brand protection value to businesses while at the same time driving down food safety related illness and deaths. The chance to build a fantastic business combined with making a real difference in health and safety is a rare career opportunity. ”

Sample6’s novel environmental pathogen monitoring platform is currently being piloted at 7 major food companies and has applications in food processing, retail, healthcare, and any place where bacterial contamination poses a risk to consumers. Unlike other technologies in the marketplace, Sample6 can monitor the growth of pathogens, alert its users and enable them to take action before problems occur.

“Sample 6 is leading a revolution in pathogen detection by innovating at the intersection of biotech, sensors and software. Tim’s background is ideal for driving the company forward,” said Jon Karlen, general partner at Flybridge Capital Partners, one of Sample6’s investors and board members.

About Sample6 Technologies
Sample6 Technologies is the developer of the world’s first “enrichment-free” diagnostics platform powered by synthetic biology. It is backed by top tier venture capitalists including Flybridge Capital Partners, Chevron Tech Ventures, The Kraft Group, Founder Collective and Boston University. The company is based in Boston, MA.

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Publicly traded, New York-based CTPartners Executive Search has hired Mark Hexamer, who was most recently a partner with the search firm Fortis Partners, where he worked with venture-backed technology and consumer organizations.

PRESS RELEASE:

CTPartners Executive Search Inc., (NYSE MKT:CTP), a leading global retained executive search firm, announced today that Mark Hexamer will join CTGrowth Partners, a recently established division of CTPartners focusing on executive search for high growth companies, typically venture capital or private-equity backed. He will be a Principal based in Silicon Valley.

Most recently, Mark was a Partner with Fortis Partners where he worked with venture-backed technology and consumer organizations.

An award-winning entrepreneur, Mark established Swap.com, the largest swap market on the Internet. Under his leadership, the firm was named Entrepreneur Magazine`s “100 Brilliant Ideas of 2011,” Time`s “Top 10 Ideas of 2010,” and to the Red Herring North America 200. Earlier, Mark was co-founder of Sidebar Software, a legal writing and research product named as a “Top 20 Product of 1999″ by Legal and Technology News.

Brian Sullivan, Chief Executive Officer of CTPartners said, “Mark has been a successful recruiter, working closely with Dayton Ogden to build a lasting presence in Silicon Valley and the VC world. We are excited to have him on the team.”

About CTPartners

CTPartners is a leading performance-driven executive search firm serving clients across the globe. Committed to a philosophy of partnering with its clients, CTPartners offers a proven record in C-Suite, senior executive, and board
searches, as well as expertise serving private equity and venture capital firms.

With origins dating back to 1980, CTPartners serves clients with a global organization of more than 400 professionals and employees, offering expertise in board advisory services and executive recruiting services in the financial services, life sciences, industrial, professional services, retail and consumer, and technology, media and telecom industries. Headquartered in New York, CTPartners has 23 offices in 15 countries.

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Relay Foods, a Charlottesville, Va.-based company that tries to make it easier for online users to shop for local and organic foods online, has hired Jill Douthit as its new CFO. Douthit previously served as VP of finance at Relias Learning and before that, as finance director for Silverchair Learning Systems. Relay has raised $3.1 million in funding, including from Battery Ventures.

PRESS RELEASE:

Relay Foods, the company that makes shopping online for local and organic foods, gourmet items, artisan baked goods and pantry staples quick and easy, is pleased to welcome Jill Douthit to the team as the company’s new chief financial officer. Douthit, who has extensive experience managing corporate finances and operations in the tech and consumer retail sectors, will drive Relay Foods’ financial strategy as the company executes its expansion plans.

With a talent for positioning companies to scale up operations and thrive in high-growth mode, Douthit is an ideal fit for Relay Foods, which expanded into two new markets (the D.C. metro area and Baltimore, MD) last year and will continue to grow rapidly throughout 2012 (and beyond). Douthit has demonstrated the ability to generate and capitalize on business analytics and develop high-performance teams, skills that will serve her well in her new CFO role.

“One advantage to our expansion into new markets is a higher profile at our headquarters location in Charlottesville,” noted Zach Buckner, Relay Foods founder and CEO. “That gives us the ability to attract talent like Jill, and we look forward to working with her as we position Relay Foods to transform the industry.”

Prior to joining Relay Foods, Douthit served as vice president of finance at a software-as-a-service provider, where she led key business transformation projects, and as finance director at that firm’s parent company. Before that, Douthit excelled in a variety of leadership roles at a procurement and supply chain management enterprise serving the hospitality industry, where she handled mission-critical audit and pricing initiatives.

Douthit’s earlier career experience includes a planning and forecasting role with a major North American retail company and associate and analyst positions with a private equity fund. Douthit holds an MBA from the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia and a BA from Yale University.

Relay Foods is changing the way people approach eating by offering a sustainable, time-saving way to access local goods and obtain staples. Find out more about Relay Foods at www.relayfoods.com.

About RelayFoods.com
The mission of RelayFoods.com is to make eating quality, healthy and sustainable food simple. Relay will accomplish its mission by educating individuals and families about the food they eat, creating connections between producers and end consumers and bringing food to easily accessible locations. Learn more at www.relayfoods.com.

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Tepper Holdings — an investment company controlled by Ron Tepper, the chairman and CEO of the Ontario-based transportation and logistics services provider Fastfrate Holdings — has acquired a majority interest in Fastfrate from Fenway Partners, a middle-market PE firm based in New York. Terms of the deal aren’t being disclosed but Fastfrate’s board has unanimously supported it.

PRESS RELEASE:

Fastfrate Holdings Inc., a leading provider of transportation and logistics services in Canada, today announced that Tepper Holdings, an investment company controlled by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ron Tepper, has acquired a majority interest in Fastfrate Holdings, which wholly controls Consolidated Fastfrate, Canada Drayage and all related trucking and logistics operations, from a fund managed by Fenway Partners. The transaction, which was completed today, was unanimously supported by the Company’s Board of Directors. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

As part of the transaction, Fenway Partners will remain a substantial minority investor in Fastfrate and invest additional capital in the business, alongside a significant reinvestment by Mr. Tepper. The new capital commitments will strengthen Fastfrate’s financial position and enable the Company to grow its already strong footprint throughout Canada, further build its existing businesses and develop new businesses in all areas of the Company.

“I am thrilled about today’s announcement and am more energized than ever about Fastfate’s future,” said Mr. Tepper. “Over the course of our 47 year history, we have built one of the most complete service offerings for transportation in Canada. With that as our foundation, Fastfrate is beginning its next phase of growth and development and is now better positioned to take advantage of the many attractive opportunities ahead. Our future is bright and I look forward to continuing to grow and diversify our revenue base, expand our business, deepen our relationships with key customers and provide consistently high-quality transportation services throughout Canada.”

Mr. Tepper continued, “Our partnership with Fenway has played an important role in helping Fastfrate to expand and sharpen our business over the last five years and I am pleased that the Company will continue to benefit from their financial and operational advice and experience going forward. I would like to thank both the Fenway team and our Board of Directors for their steadfast support and confidence in our management team.”

Peter Lamm, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Fenway Partners, said, “We are pleased to continue our partnership with Ron and his team, and have the utmost confidence in Fastfrate’s future. We look forward to continuing to support the Company as it strives to reach its full potential by expanding and enhancing its services, competitive positioning and geographic footprint.”

Fastfrate will remain headquartered in Woodbridge, Ontario, and maintain its regional offices through Canada. The current management team will continue their present roles at the Company.

About Fastfrate
Consolidated Fastfrate is one of the largest privately owned providers of transportation and logistics services in Canada, employing more than 2,000 people and transporting more than 2 billion pounds of freight annually. Founded in 1966, CFF has grown into a diversified transportation company whose services include: LTL and truckload from any point to any point within Canada and the northeast and Midwest United States, national drayage services, cartage, warehousing, transloading on both the west and east coasts, special operational direct ship program for select retailers, and third party logistics. CFF has 17 operating terminals across Canada and has been the recipient of numerous awards, including one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies for seven years running, as well as the prestigious Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in B2B. For more information visit www.fastfrate.com.

About Tepper Holdings Inc.
Tepper Holdings is a private holding company owned by Ron and Audrey Tepper. THI has ownership in businesses in manufacturing, temperature-controlled warehousing, strategic Asian sourcing, trucking, real estate, technology and investment banking. For further information about Tepper Holdings Inc., please visit www.tepperholdings.com.

About Fenway Partners
Fenway Partners is a middle market private equity firm based in New York with approximately $1.6 billion under management. With significant knowledge and success investing in the branded consumer product industry, Fenway has built a strong reputation for its hands on approach to supporting portfolio companies. For further information about Fenway Partners, please visit www.fenwaypartners.com.

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KSL, a Denver-based private equity firm specializing in travel and leisure enterprises, has acquired Malmaison Group, owner of UK boutique hotel brands Malmaison and Hotel du Vin. Terms of the deal, which involves 27 hotels altogether, are not being disclosed.

PRESS RELEASE:

Malmaison Group (Malmaison), the owner of leading UK boutique hotel brands Malmaison and Hotel du Vin, and KSL Capital Partners, LLC (KSL), are pleased to announce that an affiliate of KSL has acquired Malmaison. KSL, based in Denver, Colorado, is a U.S. private equity firm dedicated to investing in travel and leisure businesses.

With 27 hotels, the transaction will cement Malmaison and Hotel du Vin`s position as the UK`s leading boutique brands, with KSL planning to invest significantly in the existing portfolio and in the growth of both hotel brands.

The investment will support the current development strategy initiated by CEO Gary Davis. Under the leadership of Mr. Davis and KSL, Malmaison will continue its brand development plans including an extensive renovation program and expansion within the UK, European and international markets. Mr. Davis, who previously led the expansion of the De Vere Group`s Village Hotel portfolio and the global expansion programmes at Hard Rock Café and Planet Hollywood, was appointed CEO of Malmaison in January 2012.

KSL is committed to growing Malmaison and Hotel du Vin, with a number of investment initiatives underway, including the opening of a new Malmaison hotel in Dundee in September 2013 and the conversion of an existing property in St. Andrews to a Hotel du Vin in early 2014.

Mr. Davis commented, “We are delighted to welcome KSL as the new owners of the Malmaison and Hotel du Vin brands and are excited to be working with them. They have recognised the significant potential in our business. We look forward to leveraging their considerable expertise, which combined with the talent in our own senior leadership team, will further develop our leading hotel brands.”

“Despite the wider challenging economic climate, we are proud of the strong operational and financial position that the hotels currently enjoy,” Mr. Davis added. “Building on these foundations, we look forward to taking the dynamic brands onward into a period of exciting growth over the coming years.”

Richard Weissmann, a partner at KSL, added, “At KSL, we look for unique travel and leisure businesses with strong management teams to help support and grow. Malmaison and Hotel du Vin occupy a strong position in the UK market. With an exceedingly loyal following, we believe each brand has tremendous potential for further growth and expansion. We are pleased to be working with the company`s talented management team.”

ABOUT MALMAISON AND HOTEL DU VIN

Each founded in 1994, Malmaison and Hotel du Vin are a unique collection of premier boutique hotels located throughout the UK. From our iconic  buildings to the iconic dishes on our Brasserie and Bistro menus, we dare to be different from other UK hotels. Each hotel is designed to cater for those who demand something different. People who are looking for a stylish stay, daring dining or an impressive events venue. You may check-in to a converted castle prison, hospital, sugar refinery, or even a Royal Mail sorting office. But the difference doesn’t stop there. Each Malmaison location is designed with flair and imagination, with sumptuous accommodation and daring touches around every corner. While each Hotel du Vin is elegant, yet unpretentious. Simple, yet sophisticated. Informal, yet luxurious.

ABOUT KSL CAPITAL PARTNERS, LLC

KSL is a private equity firm specializing in travel and leisure enterprises in five primary sectors: hospitality, recreation, clubs, real estate and travel services. KSL has offices in Denver, Colorado and New York. KSL`s current portfolio includes some of the premier properties in travel and leisure. In the UK, KSL owns The Belfry in the West Midlands. In the United States, KSL owns The Grove Park Inn, The Homestead, Montelucia Resort & Spa, Barton Creek Resort & Spa, Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa, The James Royal Palm, La Costa Resort and Spa, and ClubCorp, one of the world`s largest owners of private golf and business clubs. KSL also owns other premier recreation businesses, including Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows, two of the leading ski resorts in North America; and Western Athletic Clubs, the owner and operator of luxury fitness clubs in California.

 

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New Enterprise Associates, the venture capital firm, has launched NEA Studio, a new, New York-based 12-week program program for designers who found mobile and Web startups and who will work alongside NEA investors and design experts, including IDEO founder David Kelly. According to NEA, designers best suited for the program will be able to “take a side project to a full company with the three-month period.”

PRESS RELEASE:

New Enterprise Associates (NEA) today announced the launch of NEA Studio, a new program for designers founding mobile and web startups in New York. During the course of a 12-week program, designer-founders will work alongside NEA investors and a diverse team of experts from the design, startup and NEA portfolio communities including Liz Danzico, Designer, Chair & Co-Founder of the MFA in Interaction Design program at New York’s School of Visual Arts; IDEO founder David Kelley and New York Location Director Albert Lee; and Adi Tartarko, Founder and CEO of Houzz.

“Creating an amazing user experience is both art and science, and design plays a more important role than ever in developing a product–especially mobile and Internet applications,” said Dayna Grayson, Partner at NEA. “More and more designers are founding companies–it’s no longer the exclusive purview of technologists and business entrepreneurs. This is something we’d like to see more of in the market, and founding NEA Studio allows us to actively and directly support designer founders as they move to the next stage.”

Designers best suited for the program will take a side project to a full company within the three-month period. They will have access to shared workspace at the NEA Studio in Union Square, conduct weekly office hours and sessions with NEA investors and advisors, and receive a stipend to help fund their work during the program. NEA Studio will also hold weekly networking events including program participants, investors, advisors, and other members of the New York startup and design communities. Applications for the 12-week program are being accepted through March 31, 2013. The program kicks off April 30, 2013.

In addition to Danzico, Lee, Kelley and Tatarko, program advisors include Josh Berman, Co-Founder & CEO, BeachMint; Cameron Koczon, Partner, Fictive Kin; Akshay Kothari, Co-Founder & CEO, Pulse; Stew Langille, CEO, Visual.ly; Michael Lebowitz, Founder and CEO, Big Spaceship; Barbara Messing, CMO, TripAdvisor; Jill Nussbaum, Executive Director of Product and Interaction Design at the Barbarian Group; Hugo Van Vuuren, Partner, The Experiment Fund; and Rus Yusupov, Co-Founder, Vine.

“We hope this program will offer designer founders a jump start in building their product, and a network of key relationships to help fuel those efforts as they move forward,” said Tony Florence, General Partner at NEA. “As NEA has grown more deeply involved in the New York tech ecosystem, we’ve learned that it’s not only a thriving startup community, but one that is teeming with design talent. We’re excited to support and learn from the designer founders who come through the NEA Studio.”

The NEA Studio shared workspace will be at work–bench, an enterprise software cooperative located in New York’s Union Square. Committed to furthering technology with a purpose, work-bench provides members with a platform to scale their ventures, including a purposefully designed 32,000 square foot space, a growing catalog of member resources, and a powerful network of partners.

About NEA

New Enterprise Associates, Inc. (NEA) is a leading venture capital firm focused on helping entrepreneurs build transformational businesses across multiple stages, sectors and geographies. With more than $13 billion in committed capital, NEA invests in information technology, healthcare and energy technology companies at all stages in a company’s lifecycle, from seed stage through IPO. The firm’s long track record includes more than 175 portfolio company IPOs and more than 290 acquisitions. In the U.S., NEA has offices in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area; Menlo Park, California; and New York City. In addition, New Enterprise Associates (India) Pvt. Ltd. has offices in Bangalore and Mumbai, India and New Enterprise Associates (Beijing), Ltd. has offices in Beijing and Shanghai, China. For additional information, visit www.nea.com.

SOURCE New Enterprise Associates

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Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (DTTL) has appointed Robert O’Brien to lead its global real estate group. O’Brien, already a vice chairman with Deloitte in the U.S., will also continue as the U.S. real estate leader.

PRESS RELEASE:

NEW YORK, March 14, 2013 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (DTTL) announced today that Robert T. O’Brien has been appointed to lead its global real estate group. O’Brien, a vice chairman with Deloitte in the United States, will also continue as the U.S. real estate leader.

In his DTTL role, O’Brien will focus on sharing emerging trends and best practices with the network of member firms around the globe to help ensure a consistently high level of client-service excellence worldwide. Backed by a 10-member Global Real Estate Executive Committee, O’Brien will work with the member firms to develop regional teams in emerging markets, enhance service programs for Deloitte’s largest global clients, and leverage its deep industry expertise across consulting, tax, audit, enterprise risk and financial advisory services. O’Brien will work closely with Chris Harvey, Global Lead, Financial Services Industry, DTTL.

“To capture growth in the next few years, many major real estate players are diversifying their portfolios across geographic markets and asset classes. As the economic recovery matures, we are seeing an increase in cross-border capital flows in the real estate industry,” said O’Brien. “Investment activity in emerging markets is strong. The dramatic flight to quality in the developed markets is now leading to favorable opportunities in secondary and tertiary locations,” he said. “Further, around the world we see commercial real estate leaders getting more active in capturing the benefits of technological innovation, like cloud computing and advanced analytics, to drive business decisions and maintain a competitive edge.”

O’Brien’s background, spanning 29 years, includes significant global client relationships, initial public offerings, acquisitions, dispositions, workouts and bankruptcies. He has advised some of the largest public real estate investment trusts, private equity real estate funds and hospitality clients.

“Real estate continues to evolve as a global industry,” said Chris Harvey. “With a strong presence in every major financial center and emerging market around the world, Deloitte’s real estate practices offer clients an entry to a global network with the ‘on- the-ground-expertise’ so vital to real estate.”

O’Brien has been the U.S. member firm’s real estate practice leader for three years. Prior to that he served as the U.S. member firm’s audit and enterprise risk management leader for its real estate practice, as well as Deloitte’s global real estate funds initiative leader.

O’Brien joined the Deloitte U.S. firm in 1983 upon graduation from John Carroll University with bachelors of science in accounting. In 1989, he earned a MBA in finance with highest honors from Northwestern University’s J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, with a concentration in real estate and international business. He is a CPA and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He serves as a Board Associate of the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts, and is a Trustee and Foundation Governor for the Urban Land Institute.

About Deloitte

Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee, and its network of member firms, each of which is a legally separate and independent entity. Please see www.deloitte.com/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited and its member firms.

Deloitte provides audit, tax, consulting, and financial advisory services to public and private clients spanning multiple industries. With a globally connected network of member firms in more than 150 countries, Deloitte brings world-class capabilities and high-quality service to clients, delivering the insights they need to address their most complex business challenges. Deloitte has in the region of 200,000 professionals, all committed to becoming the standard of excellence.

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After their purchase of BioClinica, a clinical train management services firm, and the medical imaging and cardiac safety services company CoreLab Partners, middle market firms JLL Partners and Ampersand Capital Partners have combined the two companies under the name BioClinica.

PRESS RELEASE:

BioClinica(R), Inc., BIOC 0.00% , a global provider of clinical trial management services, announced today that JLL Partners and Ampersand Capital Partners, two leading middle market private equity firms, have completed their acquisition of BioClinica and CoreLab Partners and have combined the two companies under the name BioClinica.

This merger brings together two of the most experienced and trusted authorities in medical imaging management for clinical trials and creates a new standard in imaging core lab services, cardiovascular safety monitoring, and eClinical trial management solutions.

“The unification of BioClinica and CoreLab Partners will enhance the existing service quality and technological innovation supported by scientific and medical expertise that have long been hallmarks of these two companies,” said Mark Weinstein, who will lead the newly combined company as President and CEO. “This merger produces a stronger BioClinica that is better able to support pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device development.”

Dan Agroskin, Managing Director of JLL Partners said, “JLL has spent a significant amount of time gaining an understanding of the pharmaceutical outsourcing sector and, as a result, we are pleased to have made these two acquisitions. This combination brings together two industry leading companies that we are confident will continue to deliver a strong service offering to their customers. We are excited by the growth potential of this newly formed platform, and we look forward to working with the talented management of BioClinica and CoreLab Partners as they continue to enhance their best-in-class capabilities.”

The combination of BioClinica and CoreLab Partners establishes a clear industry leader for imaging core lab services and further complements BioClinica’s other service offerings. BioClinica is better positioned to offer customers comprehensive support for clinical trials with extensive capabilities, including:

Scientific and Medical Expertise

– Unmatched scientific and medical expertise in therapeutic areas where imaging is critical such as oncology, neurology, musculoskeletal, and cardiology

– A comprehensive suite of cardiovascular safety monitoring services with unrivaled scientific and technical leadership

Industry-Leading Technologies

– Longstanding experience working across all imaging modalities

– Combined strength in image acquisition protocols, electronic transfer, management, and central review of medical images

– Leading eClinical solutions for clinical trial management, electronic data capture, randomization, and supply chain forecasting and optimization

Recognized Clinical Trial Experience

– A combined total of 50 FDA approved drugs, including 33 in oncology

– Demonstrated flexibility to engage in multiple partnership models and the independence to collaborate with a sponsor’s choice of full-service Contract Research Organizations (CROs)

– Global operational support in North America, China, Japan, Germany, The Netherlands, and France

Follow BioClinica on the Trial Blazers blog at http://www.bioclinica.com/blog, and on twitter at http://twitter.com/bioclinica.

About the BioClinica, Inc. Merger Transaction

On March 13, 2013, JLL Partners completed its acquisition of BioClinica through the short-form merger of an entity affiliated with JLLPartners and BioClinica. BioClinica is the surviving entity in the merger and is now wholly-owned by affiliates of JLL Partners, Ampersand and certain other investors. As of the close of business on March 13, 2013, BioClinica will no longer trade on the Nasdaq Global Market.

In connection with the transaction, KeyBank National Association, CIT Finance LLC and U.S. Bank National Association acted as the lead arrangers and joint bookrunners for the financing, which consisted of $100 million of senior secured facilities, including a $75 million term loan facility and $25 million revolving facility, undrawn at close.

Excel Partners acted as financial advisor to BioClinica, and Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP acted as legal counsel to BioClinica. Robert W. Baird acted as financial advisor to CoreLab Partners and Edwards, Wildman Palmer LLP acted as legal counsel to CoreLab Partners and Ampersand Capital Partners. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Simpson Thacher Bartlett LLP acted as legal counsel to JLL Partners.

About BioClinica

BioClinica is a leading global provider of integrated, technology-enhanced clinical trial management services. A 2013 merger with CoreLab Partners created a new standard for imaging core lab services including electronic transfer, management, and independent review; cardiovascular safety monitoring including automated ECG, Thorough QT studies, Holter monitoring, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and pulse wave analysis; and eClinical solutions for electronic data capture, randomization, clinical trial management, and clinical supply chain forecasting and optimization. BioClinica offers unmatched scientific expertise with a team of respected medical researchers and board certified, sub-specialty trained radiologists, cardiologists, nuclear medicine physicians and oncologists. With more than 28 years of experience and over 3,300 successful trials to date, BioClinica has supported the development of many new medicines through all phases of the clinical trial process. BioClinica operates state-of-the-art, regulatory-body-compliant imaging core labs on two continents, and supports worldwide comprehensive cardiovascular safety, and eClinical and data management services from offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. For more information, please visit www.bioclinica.com.

About JLL Partners

JLL Partners is a leading New York-based private equity investment firm with approximately $4 billion of capital under management. JLL Partners’ investment philosophy is to partner with outstanding management teams and invest in companies that they can continue to grow into market leaders. JLL Partners has invested in a variety of industries, with special focus on the healthcare and pharmaceutical services industries. For more information, please visit www.jllpartners.com.

About Ampersand

Ampersand Capital Partners, based in Boston, is a leading private equity firm that focuses on middle market growth equity investments in the Healthcare sector. Ampersand Capital Partners leverages its unique blend of private equity and operating experience to build value and drive long-term performance alongside its portfolio company management teams. For more information, please visit www.ampersandcapital.com.

Certain matters discussed in this press release are “forward-looking statements” intended to qualify for the safe harbors from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In particular, the Company’s statements regarding trends in the marketplace and potential future results are examples of such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements include risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the consummation and the successful integration of current and proposed acquisitions, the timing of projects due to the variability in size, scope and duration of projects, estimates and guidance made by management with respect to the Company’s financial results, backlog, critical accounting policies, regulatory delays, clinical study results which lead to reductions or cancellations of projects, and other factors, including general economic conditions and regulatory developments, not within the Company’s control. The factors discussed herein and expressed from time to time in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission could cause actual results and developments to be materially different from those expressed in or implied by such statements. The forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this press release and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstance. You should review the Company’s filings, especially risk factors contained in the Form 10-K and the recent Form 10-Q.

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Omaha, Neb.-based Transgenomic, a biotech company, has secured an $8 million term and revolving credit facility from Third Security LLC, a life sciences investment firm with offices in Radford, Va.; Palm Beach, Fla.; and San Francisco.

PRESS RELEASE:

Transgenomic, Inc. TBIO -8.33% today announced that it has secured an $8.0 million term and revolving credit facility from Third Security Senior Staff 2008 LLC, Third Security Staff 2010 LLC, and Third Security Incentive 2010 LLC (collectively, the “Third Security Investors”), which are entities affiliated with Third Security, LLC, a leading life sciences investment firm. Proceeds from the facility will be used to refinance the Company’s outstanding debt with Forest Laboratories and to help fund working capital requirements.

The facility consists of a $4.0 million term loan and a revolving credit line that will have up to $4.0 million available for draw against eligible accounts receivable. The 42-month term loan is structured to have an interest-only period until January 2014, followed by a 33-month amortization period. The revolving credit line also has a 42-month duration. The new line of credit, combined with the $8.3 million raised in its recent private placement of common stock, provides the Company with substantial capital to continue building its presence as a leading personalized medicine company.

“The $8.0 million facility provides us with a non-dilutive vehicle to repay our existing debt and also provides additional growth capital at attractive terms,” said Mark P. Colonnese, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. “This facility is another tangible show of support from Third Security, who has been a knowledgeable and helpful partner with the Company for several years. With our current cash position, this increased credit capacity, and our market presence, we are well positioned to execute further on our strategic growth plan.”

About Transgenomic

Transgenomic, Inc. (www.transgenomic.com) is a global biotechnology company advancing personalized medicine in cardiology, oncology, and inherited diseases through its proprietary molecular technologies and world-class clinical and research services. The Company is a global leader in cardiac genetic testing with a family of innovative products, including its C-GAAP test, designed to detect gene mutations which indicate cardiac disorders, or which can lead to serious adverse events. Transgenomic has three complementary business divisions: Transgenomic Clinical Laboratories, which specializes in molecular diagnostics for cardiology, oncology, neurology, and mitochondrial disorders; Transgenomic Pharmacogenomic Services, a contract research laboratory that specializes in supporting all phases of pre-clinical and clinical trials for oncology drugs in development; and Transgenomic Diagnostic Tools, which produces equipment, reagents, and other consumables that empower clinical and research applications in molecular testing and cytogenetics. Transgenomic believes there is significant opportunity for continued growth across all three businesses by leveraging their synergistic capabilities, technologies, and expertise. The Company actively develops and acquires new technology and other intellectual property that strengthens its leadership in personalized medicine.

About Third Security

Third Security is an independent, private venture capital investment firm with offices in Radford, Virginia, Palm Beach, Florida and San Francisco, California. The Third Security management team consists of life-science focused investment professionals dedicated to managing the risks and challenges of high growth, technology-driven businesses. More information is available at www.thirdsecurity.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release constitute “forward-looking statements” of Transgenomic within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, those with respect to management’s current views and estimates of future economic circumstances, industry conditions, company performance and financial results, including the ability of the Company to grow its involvement in the diagnostic products and services markets. The known risks, uncertainties and other factors affecting these forward-looking statements are described from time to time in Transgenomic’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any change in such factors, risks and uncertainties may cause the actual results, events and performance to differ materially from those referred to in such statements. Accordingly, the Company claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 with respect to all statements contained in this press release. All information in this press release is as of the date of the release and Transgenomic does not undertake any duty to update this information, including any forward-looking statements, unless required by law.

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Medigus, an Israel-based medical device company, has raised $8 million from OribMed Israel Partners LLC, an affiliate of the healthcare investment firm OrbiMed Advisors. In exchange, OrbiMed was issued 30.7 percent of Medigus’s shares.

PRESS RELEASE:

Medigus Ltd. (tase:MDGS), a leading medical device company dedicated to the development of innovative endoscopic procedures and technologies, announced today the closing of a private equity placement of $8 million to OrbiMed Israel Partners Limited Partnership, an affiliate of OrbiMed Advisors LLC, a leading healthcare investment firm. OrbiMed has been issued 39.9 million ordinary shares of Medigus, which account for 30.7% of Medigus’ shares.

Upon the closing of the investment, Dr. Nissim Darvish, Senior Managing Director at OrbiMed Israel, was appointed chairman of the board of directors of Medigus. In addition, Anat Naschitz and Erez Chimovits, both Managing Directors at OrbiMed Israel, and Chris Rowland joined the board.

“We are proud to welcome OrbiMed as our largest shareholder, and are grateful for their confidence in our company and for their vision,” said Medigus’ CEO Dr. Elazar Sonnenschein. “At the critical juncture where we stand, namely the transition from R&D operations to the commercial marketing of our systems in several markets worldwide, the great expertise and financial liquidity offered by OrbiMed will help the company maximize the commercial potential of our SRS™ innovative endoscopy system for the treatment of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) in the US, Europe and East Asia.”

“We are excited about Medigus and look forward to working together towards commercial success,” said Dr.Nissim Darvish and Ms. Naschitz. “Medigus is well positioned to become a leader in minimally invasive surgery, due to its innovative technology, high quality standards and talented personnel. The company offers an appealing combination of market-ready products and a broad pipeline.”

About Medigus Ltd.

Medigus (tase:MDGS) is a medical device company headquartered in Omer, Israel, specializing in developing innovative endoscopic procedures and devices. Medigus is a pioneer developer of a unique proprietary endoscopic device for the treatment of GERD, one of the most common chronic diseases in the western world. In addition, Medigus has developed the world’s smallest camera for endoscopic use as well as for other medical and industrial applications.

Based on its proprietary technologies, Medigus designs and manufactures endoscopy systems for partner companies, including major players in the medical device industry. Medigus has an advanced technology platform that includes all necessary elements for performing a wide range of endoscopic procedures. The platform includes multiple rigid, semi-flexible and flexible video endoscopes, as well as respective endoscopy suites.

About OrbiMed Advisors LLC

OrbiMed is a leading investment firm dedicated exclusively to the healthcare sector, with approximately $6 billion in assets under management. OrbiMed invests across the spectrum of healthcare companies worldwide, from venture capital start-ups to large multinational companies. OrbiMed manages a series of private equity funds, public equity funds, royalty funds and other investment vehicles.

Contact: Miri Segal-Scharia Hayden/ MS-IR LLC Tel: +1-917-607-8654 [email protected]

SOURCE Medigus Ltd

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Spiral Genetics, a Seattle-based bioinformatics company, has raised $3 million led by Draper Fisher Jurvetson.

PRESS RELEASE:

Spiral Genetics, a cloud-based big data bioinformatics company, announced today that it closed its Series A financing, led by venture capital firm DFJ. The new capital will help further Spiral Genetics’ mission to create revolutionary tools that empower the bioinformatics community to solve the large-scale genomic data challenges of tomorrow. The company intends to use the funds to expand its bioinformatics engineering team, scale its sales and marketing efforts and accelerate product development.

In addition to its funding, Spiral announced its partnership with Omicia, a developer of scalable and fully integrated informatics systems specifically designed to interpret human genome sequences for research and clinical applications. The partnership leverages Omicia’s Opal solution which is a variant analysis tool that empowers researchers and clinicians to analyze genomes and prioritize disease-causing variants.

“Our partnership with Spiral Genetics allows faster and more accurate interpretation of human genomes for clinical relevance; a critical bottleneck for adoption of genome into clinical care and laboratory testing. In combination with Omicia’s Opal system, our partnership will move us closer to a seamless solution from raw sequence data to clinically relevant genomic variants. Speed and user friendliness are critical for adoption of human genome sequencing” stated Martin G. Reese, Ph.D, Co-Founder, President and Chief Scientific Officer Omicia. The Opal tool is used by CLIA labs and clinical researchers and in combination with Spiral’s platform is providing same day analysis from raw reads to produce clinically relevant findings.

“Innovations in DNA sequencing have led to an explosion of data, which presents an enormous market opportunity,” said Rachel Pike of DFJ. “These developments are only accelerating and will have real and lasting implications on drug development, R&D in agriculture, and biological production of chemicals and fuels. Spiral Genetics is a solution that will both manage and draw insight from these data, enabling the industry to keep up with constantly-accelerating technological progress.”

The Spiral Platform offers the fastest cloud-based bioinformatics analysis available today. Their breakthrough approach accelerates the data processing time from days to hours, shrinking the analysis time for a whole human genome at 40x coverage to 3 hours.

“We are thrilled to be backed by DFJ,” stated Adina Mangubat, CEO of Spiral Genetics. “DFJ has consistently invested in industry leaders whose technologies are changing critical industry sectors. As more academic researchers, agro-genomic and pharmaceutical companies increase their use of genomic data, there’s no doubt that a large-scale focused bioinformatics toolkit to process and analyze genomic data will be vital and we are excited to be at the forefront of developing new solutions to these challenges.”

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IMS Health, a Parsippany, N.J.-based healthcare industry data firm, has acquired Appature, a Seattle-based software company that had raised roughly $10 million, including from Madrona Venture Group and Ignition Partners. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

PRESS RELEASE:

PARSIPPANY, NJ, March 12, 2013 – IMS Health has acquired Appature, a leading Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) company based in Seattle, to further expand its commercial services capabilities for life sciences and healthcare organizations. Appature offers clients an innovative and patented cloud-based relationship marketing platform to address the complexities of today’s multi-stakeholder healthcare environment, and enable the measurement and optimization of relationship marketing programs across channels.

IMS will bring together its market-leading healthcare information, analytics and managed services with Appature’s platform for customer data integration, campaign management and marketing analytics. This combination will give healthcare clients the ability to deliver integrated customer experiences and assess end-to-end marketing campaign performance, enabling them to optimize their marketing strategies and promotional spend to drive more effective engagements.

“Today, life sciences companies are shifting their sales and marketing approaches to focus on an expanding set of decision makers and the explosion of new media, digital device and channel choices,” says Seyed Mortazavi, president, U.S., IMS. “They are looking for partners that can pull together the right market and technology expertise, information assets and analysis to help them implement effective commercial strategies and yield better ROI. Through this acquisition, we’ll drive the development of next-generation, data-driven marketing effectiveness solutions, transforming the way clients plan and execute their programs. Appature also brings a strong culture of innovation to IMS, reinforcing our commitment to agility and the development of breakthrough solutions.”

Appature’s SaaS model extends the capabilities of IMS One, the company’s commercial platform that brings IMS and third-party data together for commercial planning, execution, and analytical activities. Flexible and scalable, this platform provides information and services through the cloud, enabling clients to benefit from lower costs, faster implementation, and increased speed to insight. Appature provides best-in-breed capabilities in “big data” integration and cleansing, customer segmentation, multi-channel marketing campaign execution, and real-time marketing reports and dashboards.

“We’re very excited about the opportunity to join IMS at such a crucial time, when the commercial model for life sciences is fundamentally transforming to meet new marketplace demands,” says Kabir Shahani, co-founder and CEO, Appature. “The combination of Appature and IMS is powerful and will enable clients to more easily achieve strategic and financial goals through a data-driven, customer-centric marketing platform. We look forward to bringing truly game-changing offerings to the marketplace.”

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Catchpoint Systems, a New York-based maker of online performance monitoring software, has raised $3.2 million in Series A financing led by Battery Ventures. Catchpoint was founded in 2008.

PRESS RELEASE:

Catchpoint Systems, Inc., a provider of innovative web and infrastructure monitoring solutions, today announced it has closed a $3.2 million series A financing round. First launching its product in 2010, Catchpoint ran 2.9 billion tests for more than 100 customers in 2012 and boasts consistent revenue growth – doubling year-over-year revenue last year. Led by Battery Ventures, the financing will be used to accelerate the company’s growth and product development.

“We were actively looking for the next big thing in infrastructure so investing in Catchpoint was an easy decision,” stated Neeraj Agrawal, general partner, Battery Ventures. “It offers a mature, experienced leadership team with a proven product suite, impressive growth and a strategic vision for what lies ahead. We are confident that Catchpoint will continue to disrupt the performance monitoring industry and quickly become the dominant player.” Battery has deep expertise in Catchpoint’s market, including investments in Akamai, BladeLogic and Tealium. Battery is committed to finding and funding innovative companies in the New York area, and Catchpoint is the tenth such company in its active portfolio.

Founded in September 2008 by four former DoubleClick/Google executives, Catchpoint helps organizations proactively monitor the end-to-end performance and availability of their online systems – improving the speed, reliability and availability of online services to boost customer satisfaction, lower the cost of quality management and protect revenue. Delivering real-time analytics, its web performance and application monitoring tools empower companies to measure the behavior of their services from multiple vantage points to better understand performance and the factors impacting it.

“Catchpoint offers a truly comprehensive, high-end enterprise solution for IT professionals who care about performance,” said Imad Mouline, application performance management industry veteran and current CTO of Everbridge. “Catchpoint delivers when it comes to all-important details like consistent data quality, complete change logs, comprehensive test management, support for the increasingly rapid changes in web technologies and development platforms, and more. In this industry, it is the little things that can make a striking difference to the bottom line – the Catchpoint team learned that through years of using such tools before deciding to reinvent performance management from the ground up.”

Catchpoint will leverage the investment primarily to accelerate its market-changing product development roadmap. It will also support aggressive recruiting, further growth of the company’s successful sales team and continued market expansion.

“Our team is passionate about monitoring. Having once been on the buyer side gives us an edge on innovation as we think and design our products from a customer perspective. Working hand-in-hand with so many companies that understand the seriousness of performance monitoring because of its impact on millions of users is rewarding,” said Mehdi Daoudi, CEO and founder of Catchpoint. “This first strategic investment from Battery Ventures will help us fast-track our product development plans and bolster our continued expansion so we can change the way IT monitors and resolves issues that might have a detrimental impact on critical online services and, therefore, the business.”

With this investment, Neeraj Agrawal of Battery Ventures will join the Catchpoint Board of Directors.

About Battery Ventures
Since 1983, Battery has been investing in category-defining ideas and high potential companies and management teams worldwide. The firm views its investment as a true partnership, and works hard to help its companies carve out unique positions, dominate markets and reach business goals. Battery funds companies in technology and related markets at the Seed, Early, Growth and Buyout stage. For a full list of Battery’s companies go to: http://www.battery.com/our-companies/list/

The firm has offices in Boston, Silicon Valley and Israel, and has raised more than $4.5B since inception. Battery is currently investing BV IX ($750M) and recently announced the close of BV X ($650M) and BV X Side Fund ($250M). For more information, visit www.battery.com. Follow Battery on Twitter.

About Catchpoint
Catchpoint helps companies better understand the performance of their online services so they can ensure a fast, glitch-free online environment to improve user satisfaction, reduce quality management costs and protect revenue. Delivering unmatched insight through organized and visualized information, its web performance and application monitoring tools provide real-time analytics to help IT quickly discover and resolve performance issues. Founded in September 2008 by former DoubleClick/Google veterans and backed by Battery Ventures, Catchpoint is headquartered in New York. Please visit www.catchpoint.com to learn more.

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Heart to Heart Hospice, a 10-year-old, Plano, Texas-based hospice care company, has received a minority investment from Boston-based Summit Partners, the growth equity firm. Terms of the deal aren’t being disclosed.

PRESS RELEASE:

Heart to Heart Hospice, a leading provider of hospice care in Texas, has received a minority investment from Summit Partners, a global growth equity firm. Heart to Heart Hospice will use the investment to continue its mission of delivering quality palliative care to those in need of end-of-life services.

Founded in 2003, Heart to Heart Hospice delivers individualized care in patients’ homes and also provides care for patients in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, hospitals and other residential facilities. Heart to Heart Hospice currently employs over 600 people across its care team staff of physicians, medical directors, skilled nurses, hospice aides, social workers, chaplains, bereavement coordinators, specialized therapists and dieticians.

“Heart to Heart Hospice was founded to provide a compassionate and patient-centered approach to medical care and supportive services at the end-of-life for patients and their families,” said Kelly Mitchell, Founder and CEO of the company. “Unparalleled service and personalized attention are the fundamental beliefs at the core of Heart to Heart Hospice. We have developed a strong relationship with Summit Partners over the years, and they will play an important role in the continued success and growth of Heart to Heart Hospice.”

Added Bill Thurman, the company’s President and COO, “We were in a position where we didn’t need to raise capital. Rather, we chose to do so in order to support several growth initiatives that will allow us to bring hospice care to a greater number of people.”

“Summit Partners has been making equity investments in rapidly growing, market-leading healthcare companies for nearly 30 years,” said Mark deLaar, a Managing Director with Summit, who will join the Heart to Heart Hospice Board of Directors.

“We’re very impressed with the exceptional care that Heart to Heart Hospice delivers to its patients and their families, and we are pleased to partner with them,” added Jesse Lane, a Vice President with Summit Partners who will also join the Board.

About Heart to Heart Hospice
Founded in 2003, Heart to Heart Hospice is a leading provider of hospice care in Texas. Headquartered in Plano, Texas, the company currently provides services to approximately 1,200 patients in 10 locations across 88 counties in the state. Hospice care is a benefit afforded to terminally-ill patients with life-limiting illness. These illnesses include, but are not limited to, cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung disease, kidney disease, liver disease, ALS, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, Parkinson’s disease and AIDS. For more information, please visit www.hearttohearthospice.com.

About Summit Partners
Summit Partners is a growth equity firm that invests in rapidly growing companies. Founded in 1984, Summit has raised nearly $15 billion in capital and provides equity and credit for growth, recapitalizations, and management buyouts. Summit has invested in more than 365 companies globally in technology, healthcare and other growth industries. These companies have completed 130 public offerings, and more than 135 have been acquired through strategic mergers and sales. Summit Partners has offices in Boston, Menlo Park, London and Mumbai. For more information, please visit www.summitpartners.com.

In the United States of America, Summit Partners operates as an SEC-registered investment advisor. In the United Kingdom, this document is issued by Summit Partners Limited, a firm authorized and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Summit Partners Limited is a limited company registered in England and Wales with company number 4141197, and its registered office is at 20–22 Bedford Row, London, WC1R 4JS, UK. This document is intended solely to provide information regarding Summit Partners’ potential financing capabilities for prospective portfolio companies.

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