Author: Staff

Dell Inc. responded Friday to a proposed alternative – submitted by Carl Icahn and Southeastern Asset Management – to a $24.4 billion buyout deal led by founder Michael Dell. In a letter to Dell’s board on Thursday night, Icahn and Southeastern proposed that current owners keep their equity position. Additionally, they would have the option of receiving a distribution of $12 a share in cash or $12 a share in stock valued at $1.65 a share, Reuters reported. Dell said in a statement Friday that it was “carefully reviewing the potential transaction to assess the potential risks and rewards to the public shareholders.”

PRESS RELEASE
The Special Committee of the Board of Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) today issued the following statement regarding a non-binding proposal it has received from Carl Icahn and Southeastern Asset Management:

“Mr. Icahn and Southeastern have outlined a potential leveraged recapitalization transaction that they want the Dell Board either to recommend at this time or to consider if the existing going-private transaction is rejected by Dell shareholders. They have also proposed replacing the Board with a slate of new directors who they say would approve such a transaction. Consistent with the Special Committee`s goal of achieving the best possible outcome for all shareholders, we and our advisors are carefully reviewing the potential transaction to assess the potential risks and rewards to the public shareholders.”

Forward-looking Statements
Any statements in these materials about prospective performance and plans for the Company, the expected timing of the completion of the proposed merger and the ability to complete the proposed merger, and other statements containing the words “estimates,” “believes,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “expects,” “will,” and similar expressions, other than historical facts, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Factors or risks that could cause our actual results to differ materially from the results we anticipate include, but are not limited to: (1) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the merger agreement; (2) the inability to complete the proposed merger due to the failure to obtain stockholder approval for the proposed merger or the failure to satisfy other conditions to completion of the proposed merger, including that a governmental entity may prohibit, delay or refuse to grant approval for the consummation of the transaction; (3) the failure to obtain the necessary financing arrangements set forth in the debt and equity commitment letters delivered pursuant to the merger agreement; (4) risks related to disruption of management`s attention from the Company`s ongoing business operations due to the transaction; and (5) the effect of the announcement of the proposed merger on the Company`s relationships with its customers, operating results and business generally.

Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. In addition, the forward-looking statements included in the materials represent our views as of the date hereof. We anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause our views to change. However, while we may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we specifically disclaim any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any date subsequent to the date hereof. Additional factors that may cause results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements are set forth in the Company`s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 1, 2013, which was filed with the SEC on March 12, 2013, under the heading “Item 1A-Risk Factors,” and in subsequent reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K filed with the SEC by the Company.

Additional Information and Where to Find It
In connection with the proposed merger transaction, the Company filed with the SEC a preliminary proxy statement and other documents relating to the proposed merger on May 2, 2013. When completed, a definitive proxy statement and a form of proxy will be filed with the SEC and mailed to the Company`s stockholders. Stockholders are urged to read the definitive proxy statement when it becomes available and any other documents to be filed with the SEC in connection with the proposed merger or incorporated by reference in the proxy statement because they will contain important information about the proposed merger.

Investors will be able to obtain a free copy of documents filed with the SEC at the SEC`s website at http://www.sec.gov. In addition, investors may obtain a free copy of the Company`s filings with the SEC from the Company`s website at http://content.dell.com/us/en/corp/investor-financial-reporting.aspx or by directing a request to: Dell Inc. One Dell Way, Round Rock, Texas 78682, Attn: Investor Relations, (512) 728-7800, [email protected].

The Company and its directors, executive officers and certain other members of management and employees of the Company may be deemed “participants” in the solicitation of proxies from stockholders of the Company in favor of the proposed merger. Information regarding the persons who may, under the rules of the SEC, be considered participants in the solicitation of the stockholders of the Company in connection with the proposed merger, and their direct or indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, which may be different from those of the Company`s stockholders generally, will be set forth in the proxy statement and the other relevant documents to be filed with the SEC. You can find information about the Company`s executive officers and directors in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 1, 2013 and in its definitive proxy statement filed with the SEC on Schedule 14A on May 24, 2012.

About Dell
Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) listens to customers and delivers worldwide innovative technology, business solutions and services they trust and value.

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Silicon Legal Strategy has added Coleman Cannon as a senior associate in its San Francisco office. Before joining Silicon Legal, Coleman practiced at Silicon Valley boutique law firm Montgomery & Hansen.

PRESS RELEASE
Silicon Legal Strategy today announced the addition of Coleman Cannon as a senior associate in its San Francisco office, marking the firm’s fourth strategic hire in 2013.

Coleman brings his expertise in advising startups, entrepreneurs, venture capital funds and angel investors in venture financings, M&A transactions and complex commercial agreements to the fast-growing team at SLS. He provides SLS clients with day-to-day counseling across the range of legal issues facing early and growth-stage businesses.

Before joining Silicon Legal, Coleman practiced at Silicon Valley boutique law firm Montgomery & Hansen, LLP, where he counseled technology companies and investors in connection with financing and M&A transactions. Coleman also regularly advised companies on structuring and negotiating various commercial agreements, technology development agreements and strategic transactions.

Coleman began his career in the corporate group at Fenwick & West LLP in Mountain View and San Francisco, where he represented technology companies and leading venture capital firms in financing and M&A transactions and advised startups on day-to-day corporate, commercial, employment and IP-protection matters.

Coleman earned his B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his J.D. and M.A. from the University of Minnesota.

“SLS is leading the way in providing entrepreneurs, startup teams and investors with not only top-notch legal advice but also ultra-responsive client service,” said Coleman Cannon. “I’m thrilled to become a part of such a talented team and to continue developing deep relationships with startups, entrepreneurs and VCs in the tech community.”

“Coleman’s strong startup experience and practical, business-minded approach will bring a great deal of value to our rapidly expanding client base,” said Andre Gharakhanian, partner at Silicon Legal Strategy. “We’re excited to be adding yet another elite team member to our practice, and we’re looking forward to continued growth this year.”

About Silicon Legal Strategy

Silicon Legal Strategy is the premier boutique law firm providing targeted, bottom-line-oriented advice to technology startups, innovative entrepreneurs and seasoned investors. Trained at the top firms in Silicon Valley, our attorneys and staff are incredibly passionate about technology and have extensive experience representing early stage companies and investors. We are a known quantity in Silicon Valley, and work with or sit across the table from every major law firm in the area. Perhaps most importantly, we ourselves are entrepreneurs. We truly understand the challenges of a startup — like building and motivating a team, creating repeatable processes to ensure continued customer satisfaction at scale and dealing with infrastructure issues. We face these challenges every day — and as a result, are able to deliver more relevant, bottom-line-oriented advice. Put simply, we actually “get” what entrepreneurs are going through.

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Irvine, Calif.-based uParts Inc. has closed on $2 million in Series A financing. GRP Partners and Fraser McCombs Capital co-led the round. The company has created a cloud-based platform servicing the collision repair industry.

PRESS RELEASE
uParts, Inc., announced closing of its Series-A financing led by GRP Partners, Fraser McCombs Capital and other influential individuals in the automotive industry. The company launched operations from its headquarters in Irvine, California enabling electronic parts procurement, predictable fulfillment and communications through an intuitive cloud-based platform servicing the collision repair industry.

“It is astounding that in the year 2013, the 20th anniversary of the World Wide Web, repair facilities are placing their part orders using 100 year old technologies — the phone & fax machine,” stated Alex Adegan, uParts’ Founder, President & CEO. “Can you imagine faxing a list of your destination cities to airlines, then waiting for them to call back with possible routes, pricing and availability? Our powerful and intuitive platform solves this problem by allowing all part orders to be placed with a single click.”

“uParts is a great company with a unique service offering to the collision repair industry. Collision shops have been slow to embrace technology for parts procurement and typically use phone and fax calls to place their orders, which results in minimal transparency and higher costs. uParts is solving this problem through technology that will transform the industry,” said Steven Dietz, a Partner at GRP Partners. “We look forward to working with uParts and bringing our experience in technology and automotive to help drive long term value.” Mr. Dietz has joined uParts’ Board of Directors.

“It is a testament to our business model that we are able to attract world-class investment firms such as GRP Partners, the largest venture capital firm in Southern California and Fraser McCombs Capital, one of the leading investment firms in the automotive industry,” stated Alex Adegan. “uParts seeks to modernize the collision repair industry through a web-based platform that seamlessly integrates into legacy applications of repair shops and inventory management systems of part suppliers. This improves profits for our repair facilities by lowering costs, reducing labor and streamlining the entire procurement process. We are pleased to have such esteemed investors recognize our potential.”

uParts is deploying its platform nationally by broadening its installed-base of collision repair centers, electronically integrating with more supplier inventory management systems and expanding its feature-set. The Company is in a strong position to capture a significant portion of the $15 billion collision parts industry.

“Alex Adegan is an innovative entrepreneur and a strong leader who, with his team, are disrupting the collision repair industry,” said Chase Fraser, Managing Partner at Fraser McCombs Capital. “We focus our investments in early stage technology companies in the automotive space and believe we can help uParts grow into a consequential player in this enormous industry by leveraging our experience and relationships.”

About uParts.
uParts, headquartered in Irvine, California, is revolutionizing the repair industry through its cloud-based platform where auto parts are systematically identified, effectively located, and electronically procured. uParts automates the entire procurement process for its partners by seamlessly integrating into their legacy applications and providing a transaction and communications portal. uParts stands at the forefront of technology for the auto parts industry, bridging the gap between repair facilities and part suppliers with powerful cutting-edge solutions. uParts’ pledge is to stay independent and unbiased; and to provide the most effective solutions to its repair facilities and part suppliers.

About GRP Partners.
GRP Partners was founded in 1996 with the mission to help entrepreneurs achieve their goals of building big, transformative businesses. The partners of GRP have been involved with many startups over the years, of which 15 stand out companies have achieved exit valuations above $1 billion. We’re proud of this accomplishment and the diversity of teams that we’ve backed – notably that all of our biggest wins have come from outside of Silicon Valley. Our last fund is the single best performing fund in the United States according to the independent industry database, Preqin. (Preqin 2000 Vintage Funds >$100mm)

About Fraser McCombs Capital.
Fraser McCombs Capital is a venture capital firm focused on early-stage technology companies within the automotive space. We are the first and only venture fund that’s managed by automotive entrepreneurs and dealers. We have long standing relationships with Tier 1, 2, and 3 vendors, and connections with leading OEM executives and principals of the largest dealer groups. This allows us to provide key introductions for our portfolio companies.

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Venture-backed Box has acquired Crocodoc, a startup that makes HTML5 document rendering and viewing technology. Terms of the deal were not released. The full Crocodoc team will join Box, with Crocodoc co-founder and CEO Ryan Damico serving as Box’s director of platform, the company said. Box is backed by venture firms Andreessen Horowitz, Bessemer Venture Partners, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Emergence Capital Partners, General Atlantic, Meritech Capital Partners, NEA, Scale Venture Partners, and U.S. Venture Partners.

PRESS RELEASE
Box today announced the acquisition of Crocodoc, the web’s leading HTML5 document rendering and viewing solution. Crocodoc’s technology will be deeply integrated into the Box experience, and also become a core standalone platform offering, bringing HTML5 document viewing to third party applications across the web and mobile devices. The full Crocodoc team will join Box, with Crocodoc co-founder and CEO Ryan Damico serving as Box’s Director of Platform.

“Content sits at the center of every business, and nearly every business application,” said Aaron Levie, co-founder and CEO of Box. “Together with Crocodoc, we’re going to transform collaboration on Box and beyond, creating a seamless, beautiful experience for our customers and helping to reimagine the future of documents. We’re going even deeper in the content space, extending Crocodoc’s HTML5 technology to every developer in the world who’s building an application that touches content.”

Founded in 2007, Crocodoc has served hundreds of millions of document previews in the last two years alone. The service powers HTML5 document conversion and viewing for top-tier applications across industries, including Yammer, Facebook, LinkedIn, Edmodo and Blackboard, all of which will continue to be supported. Built on open standards, Crocodoc’s technology for extracting and rendering documents will provide new, sophisticated experiences for Box customers, which include more than 15 million individuals, 150,000 businesses, and major brands such as Gap, McAfee, Schneider Electric and P&G.

“We’re excited to join an amazing team at Box in building the next great enterprise collaboration platform,” said Ryan Damico, co-founder and CEO of Crocodoc. “We want to bring Crocodoc’s technology to as many services and as many people as possible, and joining Box gives us unparalleled reach to accomplish our vision. We’re going to change the way people share and collaborate at work, while continuing to redefine the future of documents on the web and mobile.”

Customers of Box and Crocodoc can expect that:
— Crocodoc’s technology will be deeply integrated into Box’s cloud
content collaboration service, replacing the existing document
previewing experience for all users.
— The Crocodoc API will become a core Box platform offering, powering
HTML5 document viewing for third party applications across the web and
mobile.
— Box will invest significantly in building out Crocodoc’s technology
and ecosystem.
— Box will continue to support all of Crocodoc’s customers.

To experience Crocodoc’s latest technology, visit preview.crocodoc.com.

For more details about the acquisition, visit the Box blog.

About Box Founded in 2005, Box provides a secure content sharing platform that both users and IT love and adopt. Content on Box can be shared internally and externally, accessed through iPad, iPhone, Android and Windows Phone applications, and extended to partner applications such as Google Apps, NetSuite and Salesforce. Headquartered in Los Altos, CA, Box is a privately held company and is backed by venture capital firms Andreessen Horowitz, Bessemer Venture Partners, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Emergence Capital Partners, General Atlantic, Meritech Capital Partners, NEA, Scale Venture Partners, and U.S. Venture Partners, and strategic investors salesforce.com and SAP.

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Drug researcher Quintiles Transnational Holdings raised a more-than planned $947 million in its IPO, the latest listing from a private equity-backed company as record highs for U.S. stocks encourage more exits from investments, Reuters reported. Strong investor demand for the deal helped Quintiles, which is backed by Bain Capital LLC and TPG Capital LP, price 20 percent more shares than expected at the top end of the range and pushed up pricing a day early, according to people familiar with the deal. The Durham, North Carolina-based conductor of clinical trials is also the largest of eleven IPOs pricing this week, which could mark the highest weekly IPO volume since late 2007, according to market data firm Ipreo.

(Reuters) – Drug researcher Quintiles Transnational Holdings raised a more-than planned $947 million in its IPO, the latest listing from a private equity-backed company as record highs for U.S. stocks encourage more exits from investments.

Strong investor demand for the deal helped Quintiles, which is backed by Bain Capital LLC and TPG Capital LP, price 20 percent more shares than expected at the top end of the range and pushed up pricing a day early, according to people familiar with the deal.

Other public floats from private equity-backed companies this year have included Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd , SeaWorld Entertainment Inc, Pinnacle Foods Inc and Intelsat SA.

The Durham, North Carolina-based conductor of clinical trials is also the largest of eleven IPOs pricing this week, which could mark the highest weekly IPO volume since late 2007, according to market data firm Ipreo.

It priced 23.7 million shares at $40, compared with its plan to price 19.7 million shares at $36 to $40.

Other deals which have priced this week include residential mortgage company PennyMac Financial Services Inc and biotech company Receptos Inc.

Bain and TPG became the lead investors in Quintiles in January 2008 after One Equity Partners sold its stake in the company. Britain’s 3i Group Plc and Singapore’s Temasek Holdings are also investors in Quintiles.

Quintiles sold 13.1 million shares in the IPO. The company’s founder and executive chairman Dennis Gillings and the private equity firms sold the remaining 10.6 million shares.

It will use IPO proceeds to pay outstanding debt, to terminate a management agreement with its private equity sponsors and for general corporate purposes.

Quintiles generated adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization of $177.5 million on revenue of $4.9 billion in the year ended Dec. 31, 2012.

The company’s rivals include Covance Inc, ICON and Parexel International, according to Morningstar.

Morgan Stanley, Barclays and JPMorgan are the lead underwriters on the offering.

Quintiles will list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol Q.

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Boot Barn, the western and work wear store, has reached an agreement to acquire Baskins stores. Boot Barn stores are located in 21 states, while Baskins has a presence in Texas and Louisiana. Terms were not released. Boot Barn is a portfolio company of Freeman Spogli & Co.

PRESS RELEASE
Boot Barn, America’s favorite western and work wear store, has reached an agreement to acquire Baskins stores, including the company’s 30 retail locations and online website (www.baskins.com). Boot Barn stores are located in 21 states across the country, while Baskins has a strong presence in Texas and Louisiana. The acquisition further solidifies Boot Barn’s position as the largest specialty retailer in the western and work wear industry with stores extending from California to Florida and from the Dakotas to Texas.

Based in Houston, Baskins opened its first store in the small town of Trinity, Texas in 1972. Through the years they have demonstrated an enduring commitment to the local communities in which they operate by focusing on small town values of friendliness, fairness and honesty. “Adding Baskins to the Boot Barn family enables us to bridge our West Coast and East Coast presence and provides us with immediate entry into the core markets of Texas and Louisiana with a critical mass of store locations. We are extremely respectful of Jack Gunion and his talented management team, along with the Company they have created. Baskins is a terrific fit in terms of geographic footprint, merchandise offering and, most importantly, our shared philosophy toward customer satisfaction,” said Jim Conroy, CEO of Boot Barn. “I would also acknowledge all of the ongoing efforts of the Boot Barn management team, who continue to work tirelessly to grow our business through both organic growth and new store acquisitions. Together, the combined team of Baskins and Boot Barn will continue to deliver the best brands, exceptional value and a superb customer experience across the country,” Jim added.

“Over recent years, we have transformed Baskins from a general merchandise store to a leading specialty retailer focused on the western consumer,” said Jack Gunion, CEO of Baskins. “Successfully completing that transition positioned us well to be competitive in the important Texas market. By joining the Boot Barn family, we will now be able to offer our Guests an even broader product offering with the same values they have come to expect.”

With the addition of Baskins, Boot Barn will operate 147 stores in 23 states including Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming, as well as online shopping available via our websites. The acquisition is expected to close in the second quarter.

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Spectrum Equity has put more than $50 million into video platform Extreme Reach Inc., taking a minority stake in the company. The money will go toward expansion and acquisitions. Extreme Reach is headquartered in Needham, Mass.

PRESS RELEASE
Extreme Reach, Inc., the leading video platform for integrated TV, online and mobile advertising, announced today a significant investment by Spectrum Equity, a leading growth equity firm focused on the information economy. Spectrum Equity’s investment is in excess of $50 million for a minority stake in Extreme Reach. The financing will support the company’s rapid growth and expansion through acquisitions.

“The convergence of video advertising across multiple screens creates both challenges and opportunities for advertisers. Our platform is the industry’s first to enable advertisers to execute and measure video campaigns across every screen,” said John Roland, Chairman and CEO of Extreme Reach. “We are on an extraordinary growth path as we continue to expand the cross-media capabilities of our platform for our rapidly growing roster of advertising clients. We are very pleased to welcome Spectrum Equity as a partner as we take Extreme Reach to the next level.”

“Extreme Reach is a highly profitable growth platform which we believe is well positioned to address the rapid expansion and convergence of TV and online video advertising,” commented Jim Quagliaroli, Managing Director at Spectrum Equity. “We are excited by the opportunity to work with the Extreme Reach team to build upon their success in bringing transformative change to the fragmented ad industry.”

“Spectrum has followed the success of this talented, proven management team over the last few years as they’ve consistently grown and attracted the world’s most influential advertisers and agencies,” added Jake Heller, Vice President at Spectrum Equity. “They’ve created a unique culture focused on category leadership and innovation. We believe they have the platform and the experience to compete and win on a global scale.”

Extreme Reach, which today has 225 employees across ten North American offices, is one of America’s fastest growing private companies. The company more than doubled its annual revenue in 2012 and is on track to exceed an annual revenue run rate of $100 million by the end of this year. Extreme Reach provides integrated advertising solutions to more than 3,000 advertisers and ad agencies, including the world’s largest retail, beverage and automotive brands.

In connection with the investment, Quagliaroli and Heller have joined the Board of Directors. Specific details and financial terms of the investment were not disclosed.

About Extreme Reach
Extreme Reach is the leading provider of cross-media video advertising solutions that span TV, Web, Mobile and all other video media. The Extreme Reach video platform enables the seamless management, delivery and measurement of multi-screen advertising campaigns. The company’s cross-media video ad delivery network is the largest in the industry. The company is headquartered in Needham, Mass., with offices in New York, Chicago, Burbank, Detroit, San Francisco, Dallas, Seattle, Louisville and Toronto. For more information on Extreme Reach, visit extremereach.com.

About Spectrum Equity
Spectrum Equity is a leading growth equity firm that provides capital and strategic support to innovative companies in the information economy. Spectrum is an active investor in Software & Information Services and Internet & Digital Media businesses including Ancestry.com (ACOM, acquired by Permira), Demand Media (DMD), iPay Technologies (acquired by Jack Henry), lynda.com, NetQuote (acquired by BankRate), Passport Health Communications, Pictometry, RiskMetrics Group (RISK, acquired by MSCI), Seamless, SurveyMonkey, and World-Check (acquired by Thomson Reuters). Founded in 1994 with offices in Boston and Menlo Park, Spectrum has raised $4.7 billion in capital across six funds.

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Video game developer OUYA has raised $15 million in new funding from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Mayfield Fund, NVIDIA, Shasta Ventures, and Occam Partners. Kleiner led the round. KPCB General Partner Bing Gordon will join the company’s board.

PRESS RELEASE
Video game startup OUYA today announced $15 million in new funding led by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB), with participation from the Mayfield Fund, NVIDIA, Shasta Ventures, and Occam Partners. The company intends to use the additional funding to support OUYA’s growing game development community, and meet increased demand for the upcoming retail launch. KPCB General Partner Bing Gordon will join the company’s board of directors, which also includes Julie Uhrman, OUYA founder and CEO, and Roy Bahat , chairman of the Board.

OUYA’s vision for a new kind of game console, open to all game developers, was brought to life through the support of early backers who crowdfunded the initial product development on Kickstarter. The crowdfunding effort set Kickstarter records, and delivered $8.6 million – almost nine times the target raise – signaling strong consumer demand for the console. Venture funding validates the business strategy.

“We want OUYA to be here for a long time to come,” said Uhrman. “The message is clear: people want OUYA. We first heard this from Kickstarter backers who provided more than $8 million to help us build OUYA, then from over 12,000 developers who have registered to make an OUYA game, next from retailers who are carrying OUYA online and soon on store shelves, and now from top pioneering investors.”

Before joining KPCB where Gordon is focused on digital investments, he was a long-time executive at Electronic Arts, beginning with EA’s founding in 1982 which had initial funding from KPCB. As an OUYA board member, Gordon will advise the company as it scales its development community and executes its retail strategy and product development plans. Gordon also serves on the board of directors of Amazon, Klout, Lockerz, MEVIO, Zazzle and Zynga.

“OUYA’s open source platform creates a new world of opportunity for established and emerging independent game creators and gamers alike,” said Gordon. “There are some types of games that can only be experienced on a TV, and OUYA is squarely focused on bringing back the living room gaming experience. OUYA will allow game developers to unleash their most creative ideas and satisfy gamers craving a new kind of experience.”

OUYA’s appeal lies in its unique philosophy within the console market. On OUYA, every game is free to try, and any developer can publish a game. OUYA is powerful enough to run 3D games in beautiful 1080p HD with its NVIDIA Tegra-3 processor, and open enough to invite game developers to bring their most creative inventions back to the television. More than 12,000 game creators worldwide have registered to make an OUYA game, from AAA studios to new entrants, including Square Enix, Inc., Double Fine Productions, Tripwire Interactive, Vlambeer, Kim Swift ‘s Airtight Games, Mighty Rabbit Studios, nWay, Polytron Corporation, and many others.

OUYA is now shipping exclusively to early backers as part of a preview program. On June 25th, OUYA will be available for purchase in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. through retailers Amazon, Best Buy, GAME, GameStop, and Target, and on OUYA.tv for $99.99. Additional controllers will retail for $49.99. Through these retailers, consumers can pre-order OUYA today.

About OUYA
OUYA is building a new kind of video game experience for the television. Created in 2012 by video game industry veteran Julie Uhrman, OUYA is bringing the most exciting, creative, and inventive free-to-try game play experiences to life – in 1080p HD – for $99. Uhrman and an initial team of game developers and industry advisors brought the concept to life with the help of award-winning designer Yves Behar . OUYA is currently available for pre-order at retailers in the U.S., U.K. and Canada, and will be on store shelves on June 25, 2013. Visit ouya.tv for more information.

About Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB)
Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB) has backed entrepreneurs in more than 700 ventures leading to nearly 200 IPOs, over 375,000 jobs and a deep strategic network. The firm has helped build pioneering companies like Align, Amazon, Electronic Arts, Genentech, Genomic Health, Google, Intuit, Juniper Networks, Netscape, Symantec, VeriSign and WebMD. KPCB partners serve on the boards of Amazon, Apple, Bloom Energy, Flipboard, Foundation Medicine, Google, Hewlett-Packard, Nest, Square, Tesaro and Zynga, among others. KPCB accelerates the success of entrepreneurs with a team of partners delivering company-building services including strategy, operational scaling, recruiting, business development, product delivery and marketing communications. The firm invests in all stages from seed and incubation to growth companies. KPCB operates from offices in Menlo Park, San Francisco, Shanghai and Beijing.

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Altus Capital Partners, an investment firm focused on middle market manufacturing companies, is buying Rocla Concrete Tie Inc., a maker of pre-stressed concrete railroad ties. Terms were not disclosed. The sellers were AH Belco S.A., a Belgian holding company and were advised by CoView Capital Inc. Rocla Concrete is based in Denver.

PRESS RELEASE
Altus Capital Partners, an investment firm focused on middle market manufacturing companies in the U.S., announced today the acquisition of Rocla Concrete Tie, Inc., the leading US manufacturer of pre-stressed concrete railroad ties. Altus, along with the company’s senior management team, made this investment to support Rocla’s continued participation as the U.S. leader in producing concrete ties for freight, transit and high speed rail requirements as well as its expansion into select foreign markets. The financial terms of the investment were not disclosed. The sellers were AH Belco S.A., a Belgian holding company and were advised by CoView Capital, Inc.

Rocla Concrete Tie, Inc. (“Rocla”) is headquartered in Denver, Colorado and has manufacturing plants in Pueblo, Colorado; Amarillo, Texas; and Bear, Delaware. Rocla, which was founded in 1986, manufactures pre-stressed concrete railroad ties and turnout ties for Class I railroads, commuter passenger operations, transit authorities and industrial operations. Concrete ties are increasingly seen within the U.S railroad industry as a superior product because of their durability, uniform quality, reduced maintenance and prolonged rail life.

Peter Urquhart, Rocla’s Chief Executive Officer, said, “We are extremely excited about the opportunity of working with Altus Capital Partners to accelerate growth and create additional value through expansion both in the United States and internationally. Combining our history, assets and people with the investment and energy of Altus Capital Partners gives all of us at Rocla a great feeling of optimism for our future.”

Russell J. Greenberg, Managing Partner of Altus Capital Partners, commented, “Altus is pleased to partner with the Rocla management team in acquiring the leading producer of concrete railroad ties in the United States. We recognize and value management’s depth of capabilities, which has earned Rocla its industry leadership position. We look forward to working with and supporting management to expand both within its existing customer base as well as to take advantage of international opportunities that are available.”

About Rocla Concrete Tie, Inc.
Rocla is the leading producer of pre-stressed concrete rail ties in the United States. Major customers for its products include Amtrak, Burlington Northern and Union Pacific, as well as other Class I railroads, light rail/transit projects, high speed corridors and industrial/ports all around the country. Rocla began producing ties in the United States in 1987 and now has manufacturing plants in Pueblo, Colorado; Amarillo, Texas; and Bear, Delaware. For more information on Rocla, please visit www.roclatie.com.

About Altus Capital Partners
Headquartered in Wilton, CT with offices in Lincolnshire, IL, Altus Capital Partners invests alongside management in profitable small to medium-sized manufacturing companies domiciled in the U.S. that have proprietary technologies, processes and products. The Altus investment team is led by three partners, who, in 17 years of investing together, have acquired 24 platform companies.

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Hearthside Food Solutions, a company backed by Wind Point Partners, is selling its Golden Temple business, which makes cereals and granola. The buyer is publicly traded Post Holdings Inc. Terms were not released. Hearthside is based in Downers Grove, Illinois.

PRESS RELEASE
Hearthside Food Solutions (“Hearthside”), a Wind Point Partners portfolio company, announced today that it has reached an agreement to sell its Golden Temple business, a manufacturer of all-natural ready-to-eat cereals and granola, to Post Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:POST). The transaction is expected to close after required regulatory approvals are received.

Hearthside, headquartered in Downers Grove, Ill., is a full service contract manufacturer of high quality grain-based food and snack products. Wind Point acquired the Hearthside platform in April 2009, in addition to three subsequent acquisitions, including the Golden Temple business in 2010. During Wind Point’s ownership, Hearthside has grown into the largest independent bakery in the U.S.

Wind Point invested in Hearthside in partnership with Rich Scalise, who joined as CEO at the time of Wind Point’s investment. Rich is a 35-year veteran of the food industry who most recently served as President of Ralcorp Frozen Bakery Products, a division of Ralcorp Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:RAH). Rich previously spent 18 years with ConAgra Foods (NYSE:CAG) in a number of roles including his last position as President and COO of ConAgra’s $3 billion Refrigerated Foods Division.

Mark Burgett, a managing director at Wind Point, said, “In addition to providing an attractive return on our investment in Golden Temple, the divestiture will allow Rich and his team to focus exclusively on Hearthside’s core business of contract manufacturing.”

Rich Scalise, CEO of Hearthside, commented, “Golden Temple performed very well over the past three years, and we grew both revenue and EBITDA significantly. Golden Temple products have a strong market position within all-natural cereals, and we think they will be an excellent addition to Post’s product portfolio.”

Wind Point’s other investments in the food industry include Shearer’s Foods (acquired in October 2012), Rupari Foods (acquired in July 2011), Nonni’s Biscotti (acquired in February 2011), Ryt-way Industries (acquired in August 2008), Santa Maria Foods (sold to Sofina Foods in 2012), and Bakery Chef (sold to Ralcorp in 2003).

About Wind Point Partners
Wind Point Partners is a private equity investment firm that manages commitments of approximately $2.5 billion. Wind Point focuses on partnering with top caliber CEOs to acquire middle market businesses where we can establish a clear path to value creation. Additional information about Wind Point is available at www.windpointpartners.com.

About Hearthside Food Solutions
Hearthside Food Solutions, headquartered in Downers Grove, IL, is the nation’s largest independent bakery and a full service contract manufacturer of high quality grain-based food and snack products for some of the world’s leading premier brands. Hearthside operates 13 food manufacturing facilities in six states with a workforce in excess of 5,000.

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Lux Capital has named Bilal Zuberi as a partner in its Palo Alto, Calif., offices. Bilal joins from General Catalyst Partners, where he was a Principal in the firm’s Boston office.

PRESS RELEASE
Lux Capital, a leading venture capital firm, today announced that Bilal Zuberi was joining the firm as a Partner in its Palo Alto office. Bilal joins from General Catalyst Partners, where he was a Principal in the firm’s Boston office, making investments in transformative technology companies including Gridco Systems, Arc Energy, SunBorne, CleaResult, SynapDx, and CyPhy Works. He will focus on identifying and leading early-stage investments across the Energy, Technology and Healthcare sectors, and will also work with existing Lux portfolio companies.

“I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Bilal for a number of years and working together as a co-investor,” said Peter Hebert, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Lux Capital. “At Lux we continue to believe the combination of brilliant entrepreneurs and scientific innovation will drive immense industry shifts, leading to the creation of extraordinary companies. With Bilal’s track record of investing in and helping to build deep technology businesses, he will be a instrumental part of executing upon our strategy.”

“Lux isn’t afraid to think differently and invest in unconventional spaces where others aren’t looking, but outsized returns can be harvested,” said Zuberi. “I’ve seen firsthand how they roll up their sleeves and do the hard work necessary to help build a great company. They aren’t just investors, they are entrepreneurs first and foremost – this helps them attract innovators and game-changers, and why it’s a team I am so proud to join.”

“Bilal is extremely bright, widely networked and passionate about supporting entrepreneurs,” said Naimish Patel, Co-founder and CEO of Gridco Systems. “I believe these are among the most valuable attributes a venture investor can provide to founders. He is a magnet for great people and opportunities, and I’m excited to continue to work with him at Lux Capital.”

Zuberi spent the last 10 years as an entrepreneur and investor in early-stage technology companies. Prior to joining General Catalyst, Bilal was a co-founder of GEO2 Technologies, an advanced materials technology company, and a management consultant with the Boston Consulting Group. Bilal was born and grew up in Karachi, Pakistan, and holds a Ph.D. from MIT. At General Catalyst, Bilal also co-founded RoughDraft.vc, an initiative to invest in early stage student startups, and the annual University Research and Entrepreneurship Symposium.

Lux Capital recently announced that it had begun investing from Lux Ventures 3, with total commitments of $245 million.

About Lux Capital
Lux Capital is a leading venture firm focused on founding, seed and early stage investments in emerging technologies. Lux takes an active role in helping entrepreneurs build successful businesses in Energy, Life Sciences and Technology. The Lux investment team has founded more than 20 companies from scratch, including Caliper, Genocea, Illumina, Kala, Kurion, Lux Research, Nanosys, Neurocrine Biosciences, and Vertex Pharmaceuticals.

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Darby Private Equity, the private equity arm of Franklin Templeton Investments, has put $15 million into Alta Rail Technology, a supplier of technology products and services to railroads. The firm invested out of Darby Latin American Mezzanine Fund II, L.P. Other terms of the deal were not disclosed.

PRESS RELEASE
Darby Private Equity (“Darby”), the private equity arm of Franklin Templeton Investments, announced that Darby Latin American Mezzanine Fund II, L.P. (“DLAMF II”) completed an investment of US$15 million in Alta Rail Technology (“ART”), a leading supplier of technology products and services to railroads worldwide. Transaction details were not disclosed.

ART combines the business of three Brazilian rail technology providers: ALL Rail Technology, previously belonging to publicly traded Brazilian railroad ALL – América Latina Logística, Daiken Ferroviária and Engesis Engenharia e Sistemas. ART is a leading global provider of rail technology services, with 100 employees and one of the broadest product suites in the industry, with offices in Curitiba and Vitória in Brazil and Johannesburg in South Africa. Its clients include large railroads in the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania.

Richard Frank, Jr., Darby’s Managing Director responsible for DLAMF II, commented, “We are very pleased to have concluded this investment in ART as it reinforces Darby’s longstanding commitment to investing in the region and specifically in Brazil. We are attracted to ART because of its strong industry leadership in emerging markets, its successful track record of developing innovative solutions for its clients in Brazil and abroad, as well as the favorable outlook for the rail sector worldwide.”

Carlos Henrique Correa, ART’s Chairman and CEO who led the formation of the new company, commented, “Darby’s investment allowed us to consolidate ART as an integrated rail technology provider with a global client base. The capital we received will be used to develop new technologies for our clients and expand our product offering to new markets.”

The investment in ART adds to Darby’s long history of successful investments in Latin America and follows the success of the Darby Latin American Mezzanine Fund I with 12 investments, all of which have been realized. Darby has played a pioneering role in bringing private equity and mezzanine—a hybrid of both debt and equity—to emerging market regions, initially Latin America, then to Asia and most recently to Central and Southeastern Europe.

Darby Overseas Investments, Ltd. was founded in 1994 by The Honorable Nicholas F. Brady, who served as U.S. Secretary of the Treasury between 1988 and 1993. Richard Frank joined the firm as CEO in 1997 after his career at the International Finance Corporation (IFC)/World Bank. In 2003, Darby became a fully owned subsidiary of Franklin Resources, Inc. [NYSE:BEN], a global investment management organization operating as Franklin Templeton Investments. For more information please visit darbyoverseas.com.

Franklin Templeton Investments provides global and domestic investment management solutions managed by its Franklin, Templeton, Mutual Series, Bissett, Fiduciary Trust, Darby, Balanced Equity Management and K2 investment teams. The San Mateo, CA-based company has more than 65 years of investment experience and over US$823 billion in assets under management as of March 31, 2013.

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Zalicus Inc., a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company, announced that it has entered into a stock purchase agreement with Lincoln Park Capital Fund. Under the terms of the deal, Zalicus has the right to sell up to $25 million in shares of its common stock to Lincoln Park.

PRESS RELEASE
Zalicus Inc. (Nasdaq Capital Market: ZLCS), a biopharmaceutical company that discovers and develops novel treatments for patients suffering from pain, today announced that it has entered into a stock purchase agreement with Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC (“Lincoln Park”) an institutional investor. Under the terms of the agreement, Zalicus has the right to sell up to $25,000,000 in shares of its common stock to Lincoln Park subject to certain limitations and conditions set forth in the purchase agreement.

Upon executing the agreement, Lincoln Park made an initial purchase of $2.0 million in shares of Zalicus common stock at a purchase price of $0.605 per share. Zalicus has the right, at its sole discretion, over a period of two years to sell up to an additional $23.0 million in shares of its common stock to Lincoln Park under the terms set forth in the agreement. Zalicus will control the timing and amount of any common stock sales to Lincoln Park. The agreement may be terminated by Zalicus at any time, at its sole discretion, without any cost or penalty. Proceeds from any sales of stock will be used for general corporate purposes, including ongoing research and development, and may also be used to repay outstanding indebtedness or to acquire or invest in complementary businesses, products and technologies. A more detailed description of the purchase agreement is set forth in Zalicus’s current report on Form 8-K recently filed with the SEC.

“We remain committed to the advancement of our promising ion channel research and development programs, including our clinical candidates Z160, Z944 and our Nav 1.7 discovery program. This arrangement with Lincoln Park is an attractive financing alternative for Zalicus at this time because it provides us with flexible access to capital on an as-needed basis as we work to obtain the results from the clinical trials of our lead product candidates Z160 and Z944 later this year,” commented Mark H.N. Corrigan, MD, President and CEO of Zalicus.

About Zalicus

Zalicus Inc. (Nasdaq Global Market: ZLCS) is a biopharmaceutical company that discovers and develops novel treatments for patients suffering from pain. Zalicus has a portfolio of proprietary clinical-stage product candidates targeting pain such as Z160 and Z944 and has entered into multiple revenue-generating collaborations with large pharmaceutical companies relating to other products, product candidates and drug discovery technologies. Zalicus applies its expertise in the discovery and development of selective ion channel modulators and its combination high throughput screening capabilities to discover innovative therapeutics for itself and its collaborators in the areas of pain, inflammation, oncology and infectious disease. To learn more about Zalicus, please visit www.zalicus.com.

About Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC (“LPC”)

LPC is an institutional investor headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. LPC’s experienced professionals manage a portfolio of investments in public and private entities. These investments are in a wide range of companies and industries emphasizing life sciences, specialty financing, energy and technology. LPC’s investments range from multiyear financial commitments to fund growth to special situation financings to long-term strategic capital offering companies certainty, flexibility and consistency. For more information, visit www.lpcfunds.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 concerning Zalicus, its product candidates, their potential, and its plans for clinical development, its financial condition and financial plans, and other business plans. These forward-looking statements about future expectations, plans, objectives and prospects of Zalicus and its product candidates may be identified by words like “believe,” “expect,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “seek,” “plan,” “project” or “could” and similar expressions and involve significant risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including risks related to the risks related to the formulation and clinical development of its product candidates Z160 and Z944, the unproven nature of the Zalicus ion channel drug discovery technology, Zalicus’s ability to obtain additional financing or funding for its research and development, and those other risks that can be found in the “Risk Factors” section of Zalicus’ annual report on Form 10-K on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission and the other reports that Zalicus periodically files with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may differ materially from those Zalicus contemplated by these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect management’s current views and Zalicus does not undertake to update any of these forward-looking statements to reflect a change in its views or events or circumstances that occur after the date of this release except as required by law.

This press release does not and shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of any offer to buy any of the securities, nor shall there be any sale of the securities, in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state.

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Fifth Street Finance Corp. is acquiring Healthcare Finance Group, the firm announced Wednesday. HFG is a specialty lender providing asset-based lending and term loan products to the healthcare industry.

PRESS RELEASE
Fifth Street Finance Corp. FSC +0.27% (“Fifth Street”) today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Healthcare Finance Group, LLC (“HFG”) as a portfolio company. HFG is a specialty lender providing asset-based lending and term loan products to the healthcare industry. Since its founding, HFG has financed in excess of $21 billion in receivables.

To effect the acquisition, Fifth Street anticipates investing approximately $110 million and intends to finance the purchase with available liquidity, including operating cash and borrowings under Fifth Street’s existing credit facilities. HFG’s senior management team has an average of 24 years of healthcare finance or related industry experience and will provide continuing leadership to HFG going forward. Fifth Street expects that the HFG acquisition will be accretive to net investment income.

HFG’s total outstanding loan portfolio, as of May 6, 2013, consisted of 57 loans with a value of approximately $270 million. Fifth Street believes that HFG’s niche focus in the healthcare industry offers the potential for strong asset quality and attractive yields, even during challenging economic or debt capital market conditions. HFG has a quality track record of managing credit risk since inception in 2000.

“Healthcare Finance Group is the oldest, continuously operating stand-alone healthcare asset-based lender in the U.S. We believe that a strategic investment in HFG will provide exceptional opportunities to grow the company’s platform,” stated Leonard M. Tannenbaum, Fifth Street’s Chief Executive Officer, adding, “This investment fits well within Fifth Street’s successful track record for investments in the healthcare sector.”

“Fifth Street is the ideal partner to take what we have built at HFG to the next level,” said Isaac Soleimani, Chairman and CEO of HFG, adding, “The combination of Fifth Street’s access to capital, entrepreneurial culture and savvy professionals, as well as HFG’s expertise, reputation and track record in the healthcare industry, will create a potent force in the marketplace that will accelerate HFG’s growth going forward. We are very excited about Fifth Street’s acquisition of HFG.”

“We believe that the return profile of this portfolio company investment is compelling for Fifth Street,” commented Bernard D. Berman, President of Fifth Street. “We expect our HFG investment to enhance net investment income while maintaining our disciplined underwriting philosophy and sophisticated approach to investment structuring.”

“We are delighted to enter into a strategic relationship with Fifth Street and excited by the prospects for growth it presents,” said Dan Chapa, President of HFG, adding, “The ongoing independence of our business operations will help us stay true to a culture of excellence that has allowed us to cultivate a deep and loyal client base.”

Customary closing conditions, including the expiration of the applicable waiting period under the Hart Scott Rodino Act, apply to the acquisition, which is expected to close by June 30, 2013. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc. and UBS Investment Bank are acting as financial advisors and Kaye Scholer LLP is acting as legal advisor to HFG. Greenhill & Co. is acting as financial advisor and Proskauer Rose LLP is acting as legal advisor to Fifth Street for the transaction.

About Fifth Street Finance Corp.

Fifth Street Finance Corp. is a specialty finance company that lends to and invests in small and mid-sized companies, primarily in connection with investments by private equity sponsors. Fifth Street Finance Corp.’s investment objective is to maximize its portfolio’s total return by generating current income from its debt investments and capital appreciation from its equity investments.

About Healthcare Finance Group, LLC

HFG is a specialty lender dedicated exclusively to providing secured debt financing to healthcare companies. HFG strives to custom-tailor its products to meet the specific needs of its clients. HFG is headquartered in New York City and has business offices in California, North Carolina, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements, including statements with regard to the future performance of Fifth Street Finance Corp. Words such as “believes,” “expects,” “projects,” “anticipates,” and “future” or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to the inherent uncertainties in predicting future results and conditions. Certain factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in these forward-looking statements, and these factors are identified from time to time in Fifth Street Finance Corp.’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Fifth Street Finance Corp. undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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Silver Oak Services Partners closed its latest fund, Silver Oak Services Partners II, L.P., with $206 million. Forum Capital Partners served as placement agent and fundraising advisor to the firm. Silver Oak focuses on control investments in target sectors of the business services, consumer services, and healthcare services industries in the United States.

PRESS RELEASE
Forum Capital Partners (“Forum”) is delighted to congratulate Silver Oak Services Partners (“Silver Oak”) on the successful fundraising for Silver Oak Services Partners II, L.P. (“Fund II”), which held its final closing on April 30, 2013. Fund II closed on total commitments of $206 million, exceeding its target. Forum served as placement agent and fundraising advisor to Silver Oak and helped raise commitments from a diverse group of investors, including leading corporate pension plans, family offices, funds of funds, insurance companies and a sovereign entity. Fund II received strong support from both existing and new investors.
“We are pleased by the market’s reception of Silver Oak’s second fund, which exceeded its target despite a challenging fundraising environment,” said Robert Schwabe, Managing Partner of Forum Capital. “The successful fundraising campaign is directly attributable to the strength and experience of Silver Oak’s team and differentiated investment approach.”

Silver Oak will continue to execute its disciplined investment strategy, which is focused exclusively on control investments in target sectors of the business services, consumer services, and healthcare services industries in the United States. Silver Oak’s unique approach is characterized by a proactive, research-led investment process to identify attractive services sectors and related actionable investment opportunities which will benefit from Silver Oak’s industry expertise, relationships and disciplined value creation methodology. Silver Oak has already completed two platform investments on behalf of Fund II: the September 2011 acquisition of Directravel Holdings, a provider of outsourced corporate travel management services, and the April 2012 acquisition of Physical Rehabilitation Network, a physical therapy clinic platform in the Western United States.

About Forum Capital Partners:
Forum Capital Partners (www.forumcp.com), through its SEC-registered broker-dealer, Forum Capital Securities LLC, serves as an advisor and placement agent to experienced private equity, real estate and real asset managers worldwide. Founded in 2001 by Jeffrey Stern and Robert Schwabe, Forum advises and raises institutional capital for buyout, growth equity, real estate, infrastructure, secondary and other private investment funds worldwide.

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Cambridge, Mass.-based Good Start Genetics Inc., a molecular diagnostics company, has closed a non-dilutive loan facility for up to $28 million of capital from Capital Royalty L.P. The company will use the money for growth initiatives, among other efforts.

PRESS RELEASE
Good Start Genetics®, Inc., an innovative molecular diagnostics company that has developed the new gold standard in carrier screening, today announced that it has closed a non-dilutive loan facility for up to $28 million of capital from Capital Royalty L.P. Good Start Genetics will use the proceeds to support its long-term corporate growth initiatives for the company’s next-generation sequencing (NGS) based carrier screening platform.

“Our investment in Good Start Genetics is consistent with our focus on providing flexible financing solutions for innovative companies with commercial technologies,” said Charles Tate, chairman and founder of Capital Royalty L.P. “We are excited about the significant long-term growth potential of Good Start given the combination of its unique next-generation sequencing based technology, applicability of GoodStart Select™ in large and growing markets, and very capable management team.”

Good Start Genetics is a leading provider of carrier screening for the in vitro fertilization (IVF) market. Since its April 2012 commercial launch targeting the 460 IVF centers in the United States, Good Start Genetics’ high-complexity, CLIA- and CAP-accredited laboratory has processed tens of thousands of test orders. The GoodStart Select carrier screening service provides testing for all 23 diseases recommended by major medical societies and detects both common disease-causing mutations, as well as rare pathogenic mutations that would go undetected by laboratories using older, traditional genotyping-based technologies.

“We’re proud to have the support of Capital Royalty through this investment and under very attractive, non-dilutive terms,” said Don Hardison, president and chief executive officer of Good Start Genetics. “These funds further position us to continue growing our NGS-based GoodStart Select carrier screening presence within the IVF community, while evaluating potential opportunities to expand our reach into other areas, including global carrier screening markets. We are now in a strong financial position with sufficient capital to take us far beyond our projected 2013 profitability and cash flow operating goals.”

About Good Start Genetics, Inc.

Good Start Genetics has developed the new gold standard in carrier screening by making testing for the most comprehensive set of known and novel disease-causing mutations accessible for routine clinical practice. After years of development and rigorous validation, Good Start Genetics has harnessed the power of next-generation sequencing and other best-in-class technologies to provide highly accurate, actionable and affordable tests for all disorders recommended for genetic testing by ACOG and ACMG. For these reasons, fertility specialists and their patients can have a high degree of confidence in their carrier screening results, and no longer have to compromise accuracy for price. For more information, visit www.goodstartgenetics.com.

About Capital Royalty L.P.
Capital Royalty L.P. is a market pioneer and innovator in healthcare investing focused on intellectual property investments in approved products through structures including royalty bonds, secured debt, revenue interests and traditional royalty monetizations. Capital Royalty works directly with leading healthcare companies, research institutions and inventors to provide customized solutions to meet their unique financing needs. The value of each investment is based on the future revenue of commercialized biopharmaceutical products and medical technologies. Capital Royalty is actively making investments through its managed investment funds.

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e.Bricks Digital, a Brazilian digital media and technology investment firm, has launched a $100 million fund for strategic investments in mobile, e-commerce and digital media early-growth stage companies. The fund will invest in Brazilian companies and U.S. companies aiming to reach Latin American markets, the firm said.

PRESS RELEASE
e.Bricks Digital, the digital media and technology investment firm, announces today the launch of the Early Stage Fund and their debut in to the U.S. market. Through strategic investments in mobile, e-commerce and digital media early-growth stage companies, e.Bricks Digital’s unique development model combines hands-on support and top talent enabling strong, sustainable and scalable growth. The idea is to invest in Brazilian companies and U.S. companies aiming to reach Latin American markets.

“We are expanding our scope of investments in order to act on initiatives and early growth stages because they have different characteristics of maturity and different needs. Our appointed teams are extremely specialized, dedicated and allocated for each operation while respecting the independence of each strategy”
As the brainchild of RBS Group, one of the largest media groups in Latin America, and with much support from the industry’s top leadership, partners, distributors and vendors, e.Bricks Digital’s new fund, with capital over $100 million, intends to make 12-15 investments per year. E.Bricks growth stage current portfolio includes Predicta, Wine.com.br, Grupo.Mobi and Hi-Mídia.

Targeting companies with large market potential, annual pre-revenue turnover of $10 million, and a scalable business model, e.Bricks Digital approaches business as an active participant during the critical high-growth stage. Their hands-on methodology provides more than just capital and incorporates their deep-rooted digital expertise, business experience and access to top market-leading talent, which together cultivate fast and sustainable growth.

“It is essential that every company has strong entrepreneurs with the ability to execute plans for growth. We created e.Bricks Digital specifically to look for companies in solid markets and have the business models to build efficiencies in the value chain in addition to being open to business models with co-investors,” says Eduardo Sirotsky Melzer, CEO of RBS Group.

e.Bricks Digital is quickly positioning itself as one of the most important hubs of technology investments.

“We are expanding our scope of investments in order to act on initiatives and early growth stages because they have different characteristics of maturity and different needs. Our appointed teams are extremely specialized, dedicated and allocated for each operation while respecting the independence of each strategy,” says Fabio Bruggioni, CEO of e.Bricks Digital.

About e.Bricks Digital

e.Bricks Digital is dedicated to business development in the digital sector of the RBS Group, targeting innovative, high-growth stage, leaders in their areas of expertise and entrepreneurial excellence. Investing in three main sectors: e-commerce targeted, mobile and digital media and technology, the company leads with a rich portfolio of many successful breakout companies. Based in São Paulo, the company was established in October 2012 from the spin-off of the digital business unit of the RBS Group. Technology and scalability are at the core of its strategy. The company is active in a market that could reach R$ 66 billion in revenue by 2015.

About RBS
The RBS Group is one of the largest media business groups in Brazil. In traditional media, with its TV and radio stations and newspapers, it is the market leader in Rio Grande do Sul, and Santa Catarina, in all segments in which it operates. Through its independent digital company, e.Bricks Digital, RBS operates a portfolio of digital leaders in their industries and high growth sectors with innovative models and management excellence.

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Darby Private Equity, the private equity arm of Franklin Templeton Investments, announced that its Darby Converging Europe Mezzanine Fund will exit its holdings in Sirma, a Turkish bottled water and beverage manufacturer. The firm is selling a majority interest in Sirma to Danone. Darby made a mezzanine investment in Sirma in 2010, and a follow-on equity and mezzanine investment in 2011. Terms of the deal were not released.

PRESS RELEASE
Darby Private Equity (“Darby”), the private equity arm of Franklin Templeton Investments, announced that its Darby Converging Europe Mezzanine Fund (“DCEMF”) signed an agreement to exit its equity and mezzanine holdings in Sirma, one of the leading Turkish bottled water and beverage manufacturers, in connection with a strategic sale of a majority interest in Sirma to Danone. DCEMF’s exit is subject to the closing of the transaction with Danone. The transaction terms were not disclosed.

DCEMF made a mezzanine investment in Sirma in 2010 to provide long-term funding for the growth of the company. DCEMF made a follow-on equity and mezzanine investment in 2011 to finance Sirma’s new factory .

Robert Graffam, Darby’s Senior Managing Director for Europe, commented: “We are the first and leading mezzanine and equity fund with a dedicated presence in Turkey. This transaction reinforces our track record in supporting middle-market companies with long-term growth capital in the region.”

Nicholas Kabcenell, Darby Managing Director commented: “During our involvement Sirma has strengthened its position as a leading company in its sector through new products, new factory investments and successful branding. We look forward to seeing the company continue to prosper in the future.”

Burak Dalgin, Darby Managing Director added: “We have done six investments to date in Turkey and Sirma will be our third exit in Turkey. Two of these new investments and two of the exists, including the potential Sirma exit, happened over the past twelve months.”

The Darby Converging Europe Mezzanine Fund is focused on providing growth capital to middle-market companies in Central and Eastern Europe. Sirma will be the eighth exit for the Fund.

Darby has been a pioneer in providing mezzanine products – a hybrid of both debt and equity – to various emerging market regions, including Latin America, Asia, and more recently Central and Eastern Europe. The firm has been managing mezzanine and equity funds in Latin America since the close of its first Latin American private equity fund in 1994.

Darby was founded in 1994 by The Honorable Nicholas F. Brady, who served as U.S. Secretary of the Treasury between 1988 and 1993. Richard Frank joined the firm as CEO in 1997 after his career at the International Finance Corporation (IFC)/World Bank. In 2003, Darby became a fully owned subsidiary of Franklin Resources, Inc. [NYSE:BEN], a global investment management organization operating as Franklin Templeton Investments. For more information please visit darbyoverseas.com.

Franklin Templeton Investments provides global and domestic investment management solutions managed by its Franklin, Templeton, Mutual Series, Bissett, Fiduciary Trust, Darby, Balanced Equity Management and K2 investment teams. The San Mateo, CA-based company has more than 65 years of investment experience and over US$823 billion in assets under management as of March 31, 2013.

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Green Courte Partners, a private equity real estate investment firm, has promoted Braden Rudolph to vice president, asset management. Rudolph joined Green Courte as a Senior Associate in June 2011.

PRESS RELEASE
Green Courte Partners, LLC (“Green Courte”), a private equity real estate investment firm targeting parking assets and land-lease/manufactured housing communities, announced today the promotion of Braden L. Rudolph to Vice President, Asset Management.

Since joining Green Courte as a Senior Associate in June 2011, Mr. Rudolph has been involved in Green Courte’s acquisitions and asset management efforts. Mr. Rudolph was actively involved in Green Courte’s acquisition of The Parking Spot, one of the nation’s leading owner/operators of near-airport parking properties, with 35 locations and over 60,000 parking spaces. Most recently, Mr. Rudolph has been involved with implementing strategic initiatives at American Land Lease, Inc., an owner/operator of 50 land-lease communities with over 18,500 home sites. As a Vice President, Mr. Rudolph will continue his involvement in the firm’s asset management efforts, primarily focusing on the near-airport and urban parking sectors.

Mr. Rudolph graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 2003 with a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering and from Northwestern University’s J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management in 2010 with a Masters of Business Administration.

About Green Courte Partners, LLC

Green Courte Partners, LLC is a Chicago-based private equity real estate investment firm targeting niche real estate sectors, including parking assets and land-lease/manufactured housing communities. The firm combines focused investment strategies with a disciplined approach to transaction execution and asset management. Green Courte’s goal is to invest in high quality assets that will generate attractive risk-adjusted returns over a long-term holding period. For additional information, please visit www.GreenCourtePartners.com.

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Infinio, a provider of downloadable storage performance software, named entrepreneur Steve Papa chairman of the Infinio board of directors. Papa is best known as the founder of Endeca Technologies, acquired by Oracle in 2011 for $1.1 billion. Infinio is based in Cambridge, Mass., and is backed by investors including Highland Capital Partners, Bessemer Venture Partners, and Lightspeed Venture Partners.

PRESS RELEASE
Infinio, innovative provider of downloadable storage performance software, today announced that well-known investor and entrepreneur Steve Papa has agreed to chair the Infinio board of directors.

Papa is best known as the successful founder and CEO of Endeca Technologies, acquired by Oracle in 2011 for $1.1 billion. Several members of the Infinio executive team helped build Endeca, including Infinio Vice President, Engineering Fritz Knabe as well as Infinio co-founder and CEO Arun Agarwal.

“We’re honored to have Steve as our board chairman, and are excited about the value he brings as an advisor,” Agarwal said. “Steve has been a mentor and friend for many years, and his success speaks for itself. His counsel will be invaluable as we scale and grow.”

Papa founded Endeca in 1999 and was CEO until its acquisition by Oracle in 2011 – at the time, Oracle’s 6th largest acquisition. Endeca enjoyed five consecutive years of 100%+ growth, culminating in $750M in cumulative worldwide revenue and 700 customers.

Prior to Endeca, Papa was part of the original MIT $50K team that created Akamai, a member of the early team at Inktomi in charge of creating the company’s infrastructure caching business, and spent time at Teradata and also at Venrock, the Rockefeller Family’s venture capital arm.

“Infinio is in its early days, but I believe the company is poised to disrupt the storage industry with an easy-to-try, easy-to-buy downloadable storage performance product for virtualized environments,” Papa said. “The first product launch will be later this year, and I look for great things from this team.”

Infinio is developing software solutions to address the most expensive bottleneck in virtual environments: storage performance. Those interested in joining the company should email [email protected].

About Infinio Infinio Systems, Inc. is building solutions that improve the data storage performance of virtualized environments. Based in Cambridge, Mass., with offices in New York, the company enjoys strong financial backing from tier-one venture capitalists including Highland Capital Partners, Bessemer Venture Partners, and Lightspeed Venture Partners. Infinio is an Elite-level member of the VMware Technology Alliance Partner program.

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