Author: Staff

  • Investcorp Exits IPH Group

    Investcorp has completed its sale of IPH Group to Paris-based buyout shop PAI Partners. IPH Group is a distributor of industrial supplies in Europe. Investcorp acquired the company in June 2006. Investcorp said the deal generated some “210 million euros of realization proceeds.”

    PRESS RELEASE

    Investcorp, a global provider and manager of alternative investment products, announced today that it has completed the sale of IPH Group, a leading distributor of industrial supplies in Europe, to PAI Partners, a Paris-based European private equity firm in a deal that generated in excess of EUR 210 million of realization proceeds for Investcorp and its clients.

    During the period of ownership by Investcorp, IPH Group tripled its sales from EUR 293 million to EUR 860 million and grew EBITDA from EUR 12 million to over EUR 62 million in 2012.

    Maud Brown, Principal in Investcorp’s corporate investment team, commented: “IPH Group is an excellent example of how we can add value in our portfolio companies and transform a business from being a domestic champion to a successful pan-European leader. From the outset, we worked closely with the management team to build IPH Group’s presence in France. Since its acquisition of IPH Group in June 2006, Investcorp has supported three major add-on acquisitions by the company enabling it to build its leadership position and expand its international footprint. To achieve such growth despite the challenging economic conditions experienced across Europe is testament to the strength of our corporate investment team.”

    IPH Group distributes a large range of industrial supply products and is represented in Europe by strong national networks, namely Orexad and Anfidis in France, Zitec in Germany, Biesheuvel Techniek in the Netherlands, D’hont in Belgium, and Novotech in Romania. The strength of these networks, which comprise over 250 outlets across Europe, has enabled the IPH Group to become recognised as a valued supplier for its industrial clients.

    About InvestcorpInvestcorp is a leading provider and manager of alternative investment products. Investcorp has offices in New York, London and Bahrain and is publicly traded on the Bahrain Bourse (INVCORP). Investcorp has three business areas: corporate investment in the US, Europe and the Gulf, real estate investment in the US and global hedge funds. As at December 31, 2012, Investcorp had $11.5 billion in assets under management.

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  • Pierpont Securities Completes Cortview Acquisition

    Pierpont Securities, a boutique broker-dealer, has completed its acquisition of Cortview Capital Holdings Inc. Pierpont is backed by Stone Point Capital and General Atlantic.

    PRESS RELEASE

    Pierpont Securities LLC (“Pierpont”), after receiving final approval from FINRA, today completes the final phase of its acquisition of Cortview Capital Holdings Inc. (“Cortview”). The Cortview and Pierpont trading businesses are now combined within Pierpont. The legacy Cortview broker dealer will be dedicated to the continued expansion of its Capital Markets Activities under the new name, Pierpont Capital Advisors LLC.

    Pierpont Securities, a boutique broker-dealer, fulfills the liquidity, structuring and distribution needs of institutional and middle market fixed income investors.

    Since closing on the purchase of Cortview in October 2012, Pierpont has expanded its sales and trading teams in NY, Stamford, Charlotte, and Salt Lake City, and established a presence in Santa Barbara, Calif. and Houston, Texas.

    Recent hires include: Ramesh Anantha, a CLO/CDO trader from Cross Point Capital; S. Richard Baker, in High Yield Sales from GMP Securities; Mike Cardaci joined from Morgan Stanley to direct the securities lending effort; Yingwei Chen, a senior MBS sales specialist most recently with Brean Capital; Peter Dallow joined in MBS sales from CRT; Sanjeev Khurana, an MBS and structured products salesperson joined from Keybanc; Brian Kustrup, an agency/CMBS trader from KBW; Rich Park, an agency derivatives trader most recently at Knight Capital; Karl Pierce, a senior municipal trader joined to lead and build the municipal business; Paul Stokes, a senior high yield trader, formerly with UBS and Wachovia; and John Williamson joined as a salesperson from Century Securities.

    “Our clients have already experienced meaningful synergies from this acquisition,” said CEO Mark B. Werner. “The addition of more than a dozen established and skilled professionals, many who have joined to lead key functions, further strengthens the expansion of our fixed income product suite. We continue to reinforce our position in the market and with our clients as a preferred liquidity provider.”

    Pierpont has more than 150 employees in 13 regional offices across the U.S. Since inception, Pierpont has raised $225 million from its founders and strategic investors – Stone Point Capital LLC and General Atlantic LLC.

    About Pierpont Securities
    Pierpont Securities is a self-clearing, SEC-registered broker-dealer established in 2009. Pierpont acts as principal in the U.S. Treasury, federal agency, mortgage-backed securities, credit and financing markets, and serves institutional and middle market fixed income clients. For more information, see www.pierpontsecurities.com. Pierpont is a member of FINRA and SIPC.

    About Stone Point Capital
    Stone Point Capital LLC is a global private equity firm based in Greenwich, Connecticut, that has a 25-year record of making successful investments in the financial services industry. Stone Point Capital serves as the manager of the Trident Funds, which have raised more than $9 billion in committed capital to make investments in lending, banking, insurance, asset management, broker-dealer and other financial services companies. For further information about Stone Point Capital, see www.stonepoint.com.

    About General Atlantic
    General Atlantic (GA) is a leading global growth equity firm providing capital and strategic support for growth companies. GA combines a collaborative global approach, sector specific expertise, long-term investment horizon, and a deep understanding of growth drivers to partner with great management and build exceptional businesses worldwide. Established in 1980, GA manages approximately $17 billion in capital and has more than 75 investment professionals based in Greenwich, New York, Palo Alto, London, Munich, Hong Kong, Beijing, Singapore, Mumbai and Sao Paulo.

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  • US HealthVest Inks $36M

    US HealthVest has raised $36 million in new financing. Investors include Polaris Partners; Richard Kresch; Fidelity Biosciences; George Conrades, chairman of Akamai Technologies; Trevi Health Ventures; Jonathan Bush, CEO of athenahealth; and Carl Byers, former CFO of athenahealth. The company is a provider of specialized psychiatric care.


    PRESS RELEASE

    US HealthVest, LLC announced today that it has raised $36 million through co-founders Richard Kresch, MD and Polaris Partners to acquire and develop psychiatric facilities with a focus on specialized, high-quality patient care. Co-investors include Fidelity Biosciences; George Conrades, Chairman of Akamai Technologies; Trevi Health Ventures; Jonathan Bush, CEO of athenahealth; Carl Byers, former CFO of athenahealth; and members of the US HealthVest management team.

    US HealthVest is headed by Richard Kresch, who previously led Ascend Health, one of the largest private psychiatric hospital providers in the United States. Before its acquisition in 2012, Polaris-backed Ascend Health operated nine freestanding behavioral health facilities with nearly 900 beds.

    “The need for quality psychiatric care is increasing rapidly. US HealthVest has the experience and resources to expand access to care by developing new facilities and acquiring existing facilities with untapped potential,” said Richard Kresch, MD, President and CEO of US HealthVest. “Through our past work, we have developed a strong reputation for working closely with local communities to meet unmet needs by creating important and impactful patient-focused facilities.”

    “A new model for mental health services is needed to improve patient care,” said Brian Chee, US HealthVest board member and partner at Polaris Partners. “Polaris Partners is excited to back Richard and his strong team again as they make important contributions in this area of great need.”

    “The US HealthVest team has a track record of combining high-quality mental health care with specialized programs and sound cost-structures,” said Jon Lim of Fidelity Biosciences. “We look forward to partnering with Dr. Kresch and Polaris in this new venture.”

    About US HealthVest, LLC

    We will provide specialized, high quality psychiatric care, including substance abuse treatment, through a broad range of inpatient and outpatient programs. With the development of new facilities and the acquisition of existing facilities, we will expand access to care with a patient-centric approach.

    About Polaris Partners

    We are multistage investors with proven experience in Healthcare, Technology and Consumer sectors. Our partnership invests across all company lifecycle stages as lead or co-lead investor. Many of our companies have achieved great success. In 2012 alone, ten of our companies realized important partnership acquisitions, including Ascend Health (acquired by Universal Health Services) Avila Therapeutics (acquired by Celgene); deCODE Genetics (acquired by Amgen); and Mark Monitor (acquired by Thomson Reuters). For more information on the firm, its mission and its portfolio companies visit www.polarispartners.com

    About Fidelity Biosciences

    Fidelity Biosciences invests venture capital in biopharmaceutical, medical technology, healthcare information technology and healthcare service companies. The firm is a subsidiary of FMR LLC, the parent company of Fidelity Investments, one of the world’s leading providers of financial services. For more than 40 years, Fidelity has been a significant presence in the venture capital and private equity industry.

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  • PartyCity Plans to Buy iParty

    Private equity-backed Party City Holdings Inc. is buying publicly traded iParty Corp. for $0.45 per share. The price represents a 200% premium over the closing price of iParty common stock on February 28. Thomas H. Lee Partners acquired a majority stake in Party City in June 2012.

    PRESS RELEASE
    iParty Corp. (nyse mkt:IPT – news), a leading party goods retailer with a strong presence in New England, and Party City Holdings Inc., North America’s largest party supply retailer today announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Party City will acquire iParty for $0.45 per share of iParty Common Stock and the greater of liquidation preference or conversion value for each share of iParty Preferred Stock, in cash. The purchase price for iParty Common Stock represents a 200% premium over the closing price of iParty Common Stock as of February 28, 2013.

    “Party City is a leading player in our industry and we could not be more pleased with this outcome of the strategic review we initiated last year and the return it affords to all of our stockholders, both Common and Preferred,” said Sal Perisano, iParty’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “The Party City network with their Amscan distribution platform will benefit our stores and products by significantly increasing our scale and broadening our geographic presence. We look forward to working with Party City and its management team as we integrate our companies.”

    “We are excited to add iParty’s strong platform of retail stores to our vertically integrated business model,” said Gerald C. Rittenberg, Party City’s Chief Executive Officer. “By joining forces, we enhance our leadership position and accelerate our growth throughout New England, a densely populated region where we currently do not have a market presence. We have maintained a relationship with iParty for many years and have long admired their strong management team and well-recognized brand. We look forward to working together to expand our combined geographic footprint and brand presence on a national scale.”

    The transaction, which is currently expected to close during the second quarter of 2013, is subject to customary closing conditions, including approval by iParty’s shareholders.

    Under the Merger Agreement, iParty will actively solicit superior proposals from third parties for a period of 30 days continuing through March 31, 2013. iParty does not intend to disclose developments with respect to this solicitation process unless and until its Board of Directors has made a decision regarding any superior proposals that may be made. There can be no assurances that this solicitation will result in a superior proposal. For further information regarding all items and conditions contained in the definitive merger agreement, please see iParty’s Current Report on Form 8-K, which will be filed with the SEC in connection with this transaction.

    In connection with the Merger Agreement, the directors, certain executive officers and the Estate of Robert Lessin, Robert H. Lessin Venture Capital, LLC and Boston Millennia Partners, LP, each significant stockholders, have signed agreements with Party City to vote their shares in favor of the Merger.

    Thomas H. Lee Partners acquired a majority stake in Party City in June 2012. Ropes & Gray LLP acted as legal advisor to Party City on this transaction.

    Raymond James & Associates, Inc. acted as financial advisor to iParty on this transaction and Posternak Blankstein & Lund LLP acted as legal advisor.

    About Party City

    Party City Holdings Inc. designs, manufactures, contracts for manufacture and distributes party goods, including paper and plastic tableware, metallic balloons, accessories, novelties, gifts, stationery and Halloween costumes, and is North America’s No. 1 party retailer with more than 750 company-owned and franchise locations throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Headquartered in Rockaway, N.J., Party City became part of the Amscan Holdings, Inc., family in 2005. With Amscan’s worldwide facilities in Asia, Europe and Australia, as well as distribution centers in the Americas, the merger has made it possible to design, manufacture and distribute products in the United States and overseas. The vision of providing more party for less has made Party City the largest specialty party retailer and premiere Halloween destination in North America. Please visit our site at www.partycity.com.

    About iParty Corp.

    Headquartered in Dedham, Massachusetts, iParty Corp. is a party goods retailer that operates 54 iParty retail stores in New England and Florida and an internet site (www.iparty.com) for costume and related goods and party planning. iParty’s aim is to make throwing a successful event both stress-free and fun. With an extensive assortment of party supplies and costumes in our stores and available at our online store, iParty offers consumers a sophisticated, yet fun and easy-to-use, resource to help them customize any party, including birthday bashes, Easter get-togethers, graduation parties, summer barbecues and, of course, Halloween. In addition to the extensive assortment of costume and related merchandise available through iParty’s internet site our web site focuses on increasing customer visits to our retail stores by highlighting the ever changing store product assortment for all occasions and seasons and featuring sales flyers, enter-to-win contests, monthly coupons and ideas and themes offering consumers an easy and fun approach to any party. iParty aims to offer reliable, time-tested knowledge of party-perfect trends, and superior customer service to ensure convenient and comprehensive merchandise selections for every occasion. Please visit our site at www.iparty.com.

    Additional Information and Where You Can Find It

    In connection with the proposed transaction, iParty will file a proxy statement and other relevant documents concerning the proposed transaction with the SEC. Investors and security holders of iParty are urged to read the proxy statement and any other relevant documents filed with the SEC when they become available, because they will contain important information about iParty and the proposed transaction that should be considered before making a decision about the merger.

    The proxy statement (when it becomes available) and any other documents filed by iParty with the SEC may be obtained free of charge at the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov. In addition, investors and security holders may obtain free copies of the documents filed with the SEC by iParty by contacting David Robertson, iParty ‘s Chief Financial Officer, at 781-355-3770.

    iParty and its directors and certain executive officers may, under SEC rules, be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from iParty’s shareholders in connection with the transaction. Information regarding the directors and executive officers and their respective interests in the Company by security holdings or otherwise is included in the Company’s proxy statements and Annual Reports on Form 10-K, previously filed with the SEC, and information concerning all of iParty’s participants in the solicitation will be included in the proxy statement relating to the proposed transaction when it becomes available.

    Safe harbor statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

    This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 as contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. You can identify these statements by the fact that they use words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “project,” “plan,” “outlook,” and other words and terms of similar meaning. These statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the potential results discussed in the forward-looking statements. Among the factors that could cause actual results and outcomes to differ materially from those contained in such forward-looking statements are the following: conditions to the closing may not be satisfied and the transaction may involve unexpected costs, liabilities or delays any of which could cause the transaction not to be consummated and those risks and uncertainties set forth in iParty’s filings with the SEC. For a more detailed discussion of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see Item 1A, “Risk Factors” of iParty’s most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011 and our other periodic reports filed with the SEC. iParty is providing this information as of this date, and does not undertake to update the information included in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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  • OPIS Buys GasBuddy

    Oil Price Information Service has acquired mobile app and website GasBuddy. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. GasBuddy is an app that helps consumers find cheap gas prices.

    PRESS RELEASE

    Oil Price Information Service (OPIS) has acquired GasBuddy, the mobile app and website relied on by more than 26 million motorists to pinpoint the most comprehensive and accurate gasoline prices at service stations and convenience stores across the U.S. and Canada.

    “Through our combined resources, consumers will have the very best retail fuel prices, tools and information to save money at the pump,” said OPIS CEO Brian Crotty. “I look forward to working shoulder-to-shoulder with Dustin Coupal and Jason Toews, co-founders of GasBuddy, and their talented staff,” he added.

    “We are excited to gain access to OPIS’s enormous database of spot and wholesale gasoline prices and OPIS’ award-winning daily news wire,” said GasBuddy co-founder Jason Toews. “That access will further enhance GasBuddy’s ability to alert consumers to retail gasoline and diesel price changes in the marketplace.”

    OPIS will also accelerate investment in GasBuddy’s “OpenStore” software, which enables convenience stores to reach their customers with highly targeted value offerings. “Expanding the couponing features of this platform will provide discounts to consumers for a host of products and services sold at service stations and convenience stores,” Crotty added.

    Horizon Partners served as financial advisor to GasBuddy / OpenStore in this transaction. To learn more, visit www.horizonpartners.com.

    About GasBuddy
    GasBuddy is a leading consumer app and website to help consumers find cheap gas prices. People use the website and app to share the gas prices that they see on their daily commutes. Through the efforts of millions of consumers, GasBuddy makes it easy to find cheap gas prices. The GasBuddy app is available to download for free at: www.gasbuddy.com/GasBuddyMobileApps.aspx.

    (www.gasbuddy.com)

    About OpenStore

    OpenStore is the industry leading multi-channel marketing solution that brings mobile app, website, email, SMS, and social media marketing to convenience store companies. Through its marketing solution, convenience stores deliver content and digital coupons, which build customer loyalty and increase sales. More than 6,000 convenience stores rely on OpenStore’s multi-channel marketing solution (www.OpenStoreLoyalty.com).

    About OPIS

    OPIS, a subsidiary of UCG, is a leading source for worldwide petroleum pricing and news information and has offices in Gaithersburg, MD; Wall, NJ; St. Paul, MN; Gothenburg, Sweden and Singapore. Every day, OPIS publishes spot prices for all refined products, more than 30,000 wholesale gasoline and diesel rack prices and more than 110,000 retail fuel prices (www.opisnet.com). Through its subsidiary, Axxis Software, OPIS also provides leading-edge software solutions for petroleum marketers looking to automate price collection, data storage and repricing of dealer and commercial accounts. (www.axxispetro.com)

    About UCG

    Founded in 1977, UCG is one of America’s leading, privately held providers of specialized business-to-business information. UCG’s portfolio is composed of companies serving the information and software needs of decision makers in health care, oil and energy, technology, telecommunications, banking and finance, and the mortgage industry. The company has received many awards for journalistic excellence and was voted one of D.C.’s 50 Best Places to Work by Washingtonian Magazine.

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  • Prospect Capital Backs Cinedigm Recap

    Prospect Capital provided a a $70 million term loan to support the recapitalization of subsidiaries of Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp., the company announced. New York-based Cinedigm makes digital cinema distribution and exhibition software.

    PRESS RELEASE

    Prospect Capital Corporation PSEC -0.13% (“Prospect”) announced today that Prospect has provided a $70 million term loan to support the recapitalization of subsidiaries of Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp. CIDM +9.49% (“Cinedigm”).

    Headquartered in New York, New York, Cinedigm is a leader in the digital entertainment revolution. Cinedigm’s pioneering digital cinema deployment and servicing efforts, and its state-of-the-art distribution and exhibition software, are cornerstones of the digital cinema transformation. Cinedigm is also the leading digital aggregator of independent content in the world, providing end-to-end digital content delivery to theaters, digital and on-demand platforms, and DVD/Blu-ray. Through partnerships with iTunes, Netflix, Amazon, Google, Hulu, Vudu, Xbox, Playstation, and others, Cinedigm reaches a global digital audience. Cinedigm’s library of over 18,000 movies and television episodes includes award-winning documentaries from Docurama Films(R), next-generation independents from Flatiron Film Company(R), and acclaimed independent films and festival picks through partnerships with the Sundance Institute and Tribeca Film.

    “We appreciate Prospect’s creativity with this complex transaction, which positions Cinedigm for growth in the digital entertainment marketplace,” said Adam Mizel, COO and CFO of Cinedigm.

    “With our deep expertise in media and technology industries, as well as other verticals, Prospect is pleased to support Cinedigm, a market leader in its industry,” said Ted Fowler, Managing Director of Prospect Capital Management LLC. “We are interested in pursuing other large financing and investment opportunities with small-cap public companies like Cinedigm, closely held private companies, and private equity owned companies.”

    ABOUT PROSPECT CAPITAL CORPORATION
    Prospect Capital Corporation (www.prospectstreet.com) is a closed-end investment company that lends to and invests in private and microcap public businesses. Our investment objective is to generate both current income and long-term capital appreciation through debt and equity investments.

    We have elected to be treated as a business development company under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (“1940 Act”). We are required to comply with a series of regulatory requirements under the 1940 Act as well as applicable NASDAQ, federal and state rules and regulations. We have elected to be treated as a regulated investment company under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. Failure to comply with any of the laws and regulations that apply to us could have an adverse effect on us and our shareholders.

    This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, whose safe harbor for forward-looking statements does not apply to business development companies. Any such statements, other than statements of historical fact, are highly likely to be affected by other unknowable future events and conditions, including elements of the future that are or are not under our control, and that we may or may not have considered; accordingly, such statements cannot be guarantees or assurances of any aspect of future performance. Actual developments and results are highly likely to vary materially from any forward-looking statements. Such statements speak only as of the time when made, and we undertake no obligation to update any such statement now or in the future.

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  • KKR Bolsters Japan Team

    Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. announced the appointments of Hiro Shimizu and Sakae Suzuki as directors for KKR Japan. Shimizu joined from Goldman Sachs Japan, where he served as Managing Director and Head of the Financial Institutions Group within the Financing Group. Suzuki joins from McKinsey & Company, where he most recently served as a principal.

    PRESS RELEASE
    Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P. (together with its affiliates, “KKR”) today announced the appointment of Hiro Shimizu and Sakae Suzuki as Directors for KKR Japan. Mr. Shimizu joined KKR Capital Markets from Goldman Sachs Japan, where he most recently served as Managing Director and Head of the Financial Institutions Group within the Financing Group. Mr. Suzuki joins KKR Capstone from McKinsey & Company, where he most recently served as a Principal with particular expertise in telecom, media & technology, and operations.

    In their new roles, Mr. Shimizu and Mr. Suzuki will work alongside KKR’s team in Tokyo led by Shusaku Minoda, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of KKR Japan. This increases KKR Japan’s team to 12 people based in Tokyo.

    “The addition of directors for both KKR Capital Markets and KKR Capstone in Tokyo evidences KKR’s optimism for and commitment to the Japan market,” said Joseph Y. Bae, Managing Partner of KKR Asia. “Hiro and Sakae will increase KKR’s ability to bring value-add to Japanese companies as they increase their global competitiveness.”

    “We are pleased to welcome world-class talent like Hiro and Sakae to the KKR Japan team,” said Shusaku Minoda. “Hiro will use his extensive experience to expand the presence of KKR Capital Markets in Japan, while supporting and expanding our large and growing base of Japanese investors. As a member of the global KKR Capstone team, Sakae will apply his skills in operational improvement across a wide range of industries to support the growth of KKR investments in Japan and worldwide.”

    Mr. Shimizu spent 14 years at Goldman Sachs, where he held various positions during his tenure, including Head of Credit and Alternative Sales within FICC as well as Head of Distribution for Japan within the Special Situations Group. He has extensive experience in marketing alternative products across a broad spectrum of credit, equity and real estate products, which he marketed to institutional clients. Mr. Shimizu holds a BA in Economics from Vassar College.

    Mr. Suzuki began his career at McKinsey & Company, where he worked for three years before moving to Gateway Japan, where he served as Senior Manager Business Planning and Online Sales. He then joined Global Freight Exchange (GF-X), where he held the titles of Senior Vice President of GF-X and President of GF-X Japan. Following GF-X, he moved to ZS Associates, where he served as Senior Manager, overseeing sales force effectiveness improvement at medical diagnostic and medical device companies, before returning to McKinsey. Mr. Suzuki holds a BA from Reed College, and a PhD from California Institute of Technology in Physical Chemistry.

    About KKR

    Founded in 1976 and led by Henry Kravis and George Roberts, KKR is a leading global investment firm with US$75.5 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2012. With offices around the world, KKR manages assets through a variety of investment funds and accounts covering multiple asset classes. KKR Japan, established in 2006, is an integral part of KKR’s Asia Pacific team, which consists of more than 90 executives in seven offices across the region. KKR Japan’s experienced team of executives has established itself as a key player in Japan’s evolving private equity marketplace. In 2010, KKR completed an investment in a leading recruitment services firm Intelligence Ltd. from Usen Corporation. In 2011, KKR and Itochu Corporation were co-investors in Samson Investment Company, one of the largest private exploration and production companies in the United States. Also that year, KKR, Google and Recurrent Energy, a U.S. subsidiary of Sharp Corporation, formed a venture to invest in solar projects in the US. KKR has pan-Asian pool of capital of more than US$5 billion invested in 28 companies across the region. KKR’s portfolio is mixed by country, industry and sector and includes both minority and control investments. KKR seeks to create value by bringing operational expertise to its portfolio companies and through active oversight and monitoring of its investments. KKR complements its investment expertise and strengthens interactions with investors through its client relationships and capital markets platform. KKR & Co. L.P. is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange KKR +0.38% , and “KKR,” as used in this release, includes its subsidiaries, their managed investment funds and accounts, and/or their affiliated investment vehicles, as appropriate. For additional information on KKR, please visit KKR’s website at www.kkr.com.

    KKR Capital Markets (KCM) has a platform of more than 30 investment professionals globally across debt and equity capital markets. KCM supports our firm, our portfolio companies and select third-party clients by providing tailored capital markets advice and by developing and implementing both traditional and non-traditional capital solutions for investments and companies seeking financing. Our capital markets services include arranging debt and equity financing for transactions, placing and underwriting securities offerings, structuring new investment products and providing capital markets services.

    KKR Capstone is a team of more than 60 operating executives across North America, Europe, and Asia who work exclusively with KKR portfolio companies to drive operational improvements. KKR Capstone is dedicated to delivering management expertise in functional areas such as pricing, organizational design, sales force effectiveness, and operational efficiency. This integrated, global team is one of the most experienced in the private equity industry. KKR Capstone is a consulting firm owned and controlled by their senior management and is not a subsidiary of KKR.

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  • Condé Nast Leads $20M Round for farfetch

    Magazine publisher Condé Nast International has led a $20 million investment round for farfetch, an e-commerce marketplace for independent fashion boutiques. Existing investors Advent Venture Partners, Index Ventures and e.ventures also participated in the fundraising.


    PRESS RELEASE
    Condé Nast International has led a $20m investment in farfetch – www.farfetch.com -, the world’s leading e-commerce marketplace for independent fashion boutiques; it was announced today by Jonathan Newhouse, Chairman and Chief Executive. Existing investors Advent Venture Partners, Index Ventures and e.ventures also participated in the fundraising.

    “This investment will fuel our entry to new markets while assisting our growth in existing ones. Our goal to build a unique curated global franchise in online designer fashion is brought several steps closer through the exciting involvement of Condé Nast.”

    “farfetch has a unique position, connecting boutiques around the world by e-commerce to sophisticated fashion customers like our magazine readers and website users. It’s a natural for Condé Nast,” commented Newhouse.

    José Neves, Founder and Chief Executive of farfetch, remarked “This investment will fuel our entry to new markets while assisting our growth in existing ones. Our goal to build a unique curated global franchise in online designer fashion is brought several steps closer through the exciting involvement of Condé Nast.”

    James Bilefield, President of Condé Nast International Digital, adds “As the leading multimedia publisher connecting people to the fashion brands they love, this investment underlines our commitment to extend the scope of our activities and back great entrepreneurs. It follows the recent news of our involvement with the e-commerce businesses Monoqi and Renesim in Germany, plus the investment activity of our parent company Advance Publications in the USA.” As part of the investment, James Bilefield will join the farfetch board.

    farfetch launched in 2008 and brings together luxury brands from over 250 of the world’s most respected independent fashion boutiques for men and women. With 82,000 highly curated products from over 2,000 of the world’s best brands, farfetch currently has 150,000 customers in over 140 countries. farfetch is backed by Advent Venture Partners, Index Ventures, e.ventures and Condé Nast International.

    Editor’s note:

    Condé Nast International, a division of Advance Publications, sets the benchmark for multimedia publishing excellence. Condé Nast currently operates in 25 markets, publishing 139 magazines, over 100 websites and over 170 tablet and Smartphone apps under iconic brands such as Vogue, GQ, Glamour, Wired, Condé Nast Traveller, and Vanity Fair. Recent launches include Condé Nast Traveller in India and Russia, GQ in Brazil and Turkey, Allure in Russia, AD in China and India, Glamour in Brazil, and Vogue in Thailand and Ukraine.

    farfetch is the curated online marketplace that brings together over 250 of the best independent global fashion stores, making their 82,000 highly curated products available at the click of a button. With its head office in London and satellite offices in Portugal, L.A and Brazil, farfetch forms the hub of a global fashion community that unites independent boutiques with fashion lovers. This pioneering concept brings together the collections of Europe and North America’s most influential, multi-brand designer boutiques, and so provides customers with an unrivalled range of labels and products in one easy-to-shop website.

    farfetch facts and figures

    250 boutiques globally
    82,000 highly curated products from over 2,000 of the world’s best brands
    4.3 million site visits per month
    150,000 customers in over 140 countries spending on average $638 per order
    The top farfetch customer to date spent nearly $320,000 since launch on over 280 orders including 51 sandals, 48 pairs of boots and 39 pairs of pumps
    $129m annual sales with current growth rate of over 145%
    The biggest single farfetch order so far was for 36 items from 15 different boutiques at a value of over $34,400
    Sales are spread around the globe, with 65% of sales coming from markets outside the UK and US
    The farfetch boutiques occupy a total of 844,500 square feet of retail space, the size of 11 football fields

    Advent Venture Partners is one of Europe’s most successful venture capital investors with a track-record of partnering with the most ambitious entrepreneurs building tech-driven businesses. We invest in proven, highly differentiated businesses with exceptional capital efficient growth, in areas where we have both expertise and high conviction. Recent successes include the sale of Zong to ebay, the sale of Qype to Yelp, the sale of Vitrue to Oracle, the sale of Dailymotion to Orange.

    Since its inception in the early 1990s, Index Ventures has been dedicated to building world-class information technology and life sciences companies. As one of the early venture firms in Europe, they are committed to the development of the venture capital industry across the continent and UK.

    Founded in 1998 e.ventures is a venture capital firm with global scale. The firm invests out of dedicated funds in five geographies, namely BV e.ventures (U.S.), e.ventures Europe, e.ventures Russia, Infinity e.ventures (China and Japan) and Redpoint e.ventures (Brazil and Latin America).

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  • STELLAService Raises $15M Series B

    STELLAService Inc., a provider of customer service ratings for online retailers, has raised $15 million in Series B financing. Norwest Venture Partners led the round, which included existing STELLAService investors including Battery Ventures, DFJ Gotham Ventures, RRE Ventures and Forerunner Ventures. As a result of the round, Josh Goldman, General Partner at Norwest Venture Partners, has joined the company’s board.

    PRESS RELEASE
    STELLAService, Inc. today announced it has raised $15 million in Series B funding led by Norwest Venture Partners (NVP), a global multi-stage investment firm. STELLAService joins NVP’s retail and ecommerce portfolio that includes such companies as Gemvara, Gilt Groupe, ModCloth, Quirky and WhaleShark Media (RetailMeNot). Existing STELLAService investors including Battery Ventures, DFJ Gotham Ventures, RRE Ventures and Forerunner Ventures also participated in the round.

    STELLAService’s new round of financing caps a year of success and expansion. Over the past 12 months the company has:

    • Built and developed STELLA Metrics, the first data platform dedicated to monitoring and benchmarking every touch point of the online customer experience
    • Deployed STELLA Metrics to charter partners that include some of the largest U.S. retailers
    • Increased retailer adoption and consumer awareness of the STELLAService Seal, the Web’s only trustmark that objectively signals companies with great customer service
    • Produced positive case studies with more than 15 retailers that showed a significant increase in sales achieved by prominently displaying the STELLAService seal
    • Launched Happy Customer, an online publication for the ecommerce operator focused on customer service
    • Produced 3,982,253 million data points on the service performance of online retailers

    “STELLAService is on a mission to create a world with better service – we help consumers find it and we help businesses achieve it,” STELLAService Chief Executive Jordy Leiser said. “Each day, for the largest retailers in the country, we stress test their fulfillment and operations by ordering and returning real products; calling, emailing and live chatting customer service questions; and monitor customer service efforts via social media. We leverage our rigorous methodology for collecting data and measuring the speed and quality of every customer touch point. For the first time, major retailers now have a window into their service efforts and can objectively compare performance against any of their competitors on an ongoing basis, across every service channel. This new round of funding will help us expand and deepen our coverage of retailers and invest in a research team that is working closely with clients to identify competitive advantages and opportunities for high-impact improvement in the customer experience.”

    STELLAService operates a nationwide team of analysts and highly trained mystery shoppers dedicated to stress testing the customer service performance of online retailers. The measurement process is audited by global auditing and accounting firm KPMG.
    Through the STELLA Metrics online portal, retailers can monitor and manage performance across phone, email, chat, Twitter, shipping and returns. STELLA Metrics also allows retailers to analyze specific performance of their closest competitors, something that has never before been available.

    “Not only does STELLAService capture how we are performing against the customer service targets we’ve set for ourselves, the greatest value has been the benchmarking data,” said Eddie Bauer’s senior vice president of sales and services. “With STELLAService, we know where we stand amongst the leading retailers and where the best in class perform across key customer service metrics. This insight pushes Eddie Bauer to continually make improvements to be the best.”

    STELLAService also announced that Josh Goldman, General Partner at Norwest Venture Partners, joined the company’s Board of Directors. At NVP, Josh focuses on investments in consumer-facing Internet products and services including search, e-commerce, social networking and digital media. His current investments and board seats include ModCloth, Quirky, Lumosity, Gilt Groupe, Sojern, and WhaleShark Media (RetailMeNot), and he also holds board observer or advisory roles with Retrevo, Apigee, Sabre Holdings, and JiWire.
    Goldman’s first executive leadership role was as president and CEO of mySimon, Inc., a pioneer in online comparison shopping services. Josh oversaw all aspects of the company’s growth culminating in its acquisition by CNet Networks in early 2000 for $703 million.

    “There is no other objective, third-party rating system or reliable measurement of merchant quality in the online retail sector today that accurately evaluates customer service. STELLAService is the first and only company to utilize a consistent, bottom-up approach to rate businesses,” said Goldman. “As the first-mover in a vast market, STELLAService has already established critical relationships with the leading retailers, comparison shopping engines, and top academic and thought leaders in the customer service industry. The company’s proprietary data offering provides valuable, objective insight for measuring, benchmarking and improving customer service, and it has already proven to increase sales conversion for merchants. We look forward to partnering with STELLAService at a time when customer service is emerging as an increasingly important decision factor for the growing number of online shoppers in the U.S.”

    With this Series B financing, STELLAService has now raised a total of $22 million.

    About STELLAService
    STELLAService is dedicated to customer service – helping consumers find it and helping businesses achieve it. STELLAService is the first and only independent provider of customer service ratings for online retailers. The company leverages a nationwide network of full-time mystery shoppers to evaluate each site undercover, ensuring findings that are unbiased and true to the shopping experience. Based in New York City, the company also builds STELLA Metrics, a platform for monitoring and benchmarking customer service performance across hundreds of metrics. In addition, the company publishes reports and other research to help companies worldwide improve their service operations.

    About Norwest Venture Partners
    Norwest Venture Partners (NVP) is a multi-stage investment firm that has partnered with entrepreneurs to build great businesses for more than 50 years. The firm manages over $3.7 billion in capital and has funded more than 500 companies since inception. Headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif., NVP has subsidiaries in Mumbai and Bengaluru, India and Herzelia, Israel. NVP makes early to late-stage venture and growth equity investments across a wide range of sectors including: technology, information services, business services, financial services, consumer products/services and healthcare. For more information, please visit www.nvp.com Follow NVP on Twitter @NorwestVP

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  • CoBe Capital Buys Furniture Biz of Gorenje

    Investment firm CoBe Capital is acquiring the furniture division of Gorenje, which includes Gorenje Kuhinje and Gorenje Notranja oprema. Terms of the deal were not released. The Gorenje furniture division is a Slovenian manufacturer of kitchen and home interior cabinetry.

    PRESS RELEASE
    Velenje, Slovenia – CoBe Capital, a global private investment firm focused on operation of non-core and underperforming business units, announced today it has signed an agreement to acquire Gorenje Kuhinje and Gorenje Notranja oprema, collectively the furniture division of Gorenje, d.d. (LJSE:GRVG). The transaction is expected to close on March 1, 2013.

    The Gorenje furniture division is a Slovenian manufacturer of kitchen and home interior cabinetry. The furniture division has nearly 400 employees across its three productions locations in Velenje, Nazarje and Maribor, Slovenia.

    Gorenje had implemented several measures in recent years to improve the performance of the furniture division, however the desired results remained elusive and Gorenje decided to look for a strategic partner and divest the business.

    Neal Cohen, CoBe Capital’s founder and Managing Director, stated, “We are extremely honored to have the trust and faith of Gorenje to be a brand partner going forward. We see tremendous opportunity to grow the furniture division of Gorenje through its quality craftsmanship, design and efficient production facilities offering quite competitive cost structures. We couldn’t be more pleased with our first acquisition in Slovenia.”

    Dr. Henning Walf, CoBe Capital’s Managing Director for Northern Europe, stated, “Gorenje needed a strategic partner who was committed to maintaining the high standard of quality that the Gorenje brand represents. We view the Gorenje furniture division as a highly complementary operation to Warendorf in terms of process capabilities, market presence and breadth of product range.”

    Dr. Walf will work closely with the existing management teams at Gorenje Kuhinje and Gorenje Notranja oprema to strengthen the company’s operational and financial fundamentals, as well as drive expansion across Europe and into other markets around the world.

    Dr. Walf and Mr. Darren Chaffee led the transaction on behalf of CoBe Capital. This is Dr. Walf’s third transaction with CoBe Capital, following the acquisition of Warendorfer Küchen and the assets of Kornmüller GmbH & Co KG. This transaction represents CoBe Capital’s first investment in Slovenia. Within 60 days of closing the acquisition of Warendorfer Küchen, CoBe Capital has now added two high-quality, low-cost European kitchen cabinetry manufacturers to complement Warendorf and deliver cost synergy to the operation. With the addition of Gorenje Kuhinje and Gorenje Notranja oprema, CoBe Capital will have operations in France, Germany, Austria and Slovenia, in addition to its satellite offices in Paris, France and Cologne, Germany.

    CoBe Capital was represented by Markus Bruckmüller, WolfTheiss.

    About Gorenje Kuhinje and Gorenje Notranja oprema

    Gorenje Kuhinje and Gorenje Notranja oprema, together comprising the furniture division of Gorenje, are Slovenian manufacturers of kitchen and home interior cabinetry. Their product range includes modern, classic and rustic designs that allow for unlimited customization of color, surface and measurement with a highly engineered production process for both solid wood and veneer kitchens that ensures furniture of the highest quality.

    About Gorenje, d.d. (LJSE:GRVG)

    Gorenje Group is a leading European home appliance manufacturer with a tradition spanning over 60 years. The offer of home appliances branded Gorenje, Gorenje+, Asko, Atag, Pelgrim, Mora, Etna, Upo, and Körting is extended with HVAC equipment, other home appliances and kitchen furniture. Gorenje Group, with worldwide annual revenue of EUR 1.34 billion, exports home appliances and other home products to over 70 countries.

    About CoBe Capital

    CoBe Capital, a global private investment firm with a permanent capital base, specializes in the acquisition and operation of non-core and underperforming business units in the Americas and Europe from leading global corporations. CoBe Capital owns and operates a diversified portfolio of companies and strives to achieve long-term growth based on lean management and continuous improvement business philosophies. CoBe Capital was founded by Neal Cohen in 1994.

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  • Verdesian Life Sciences Buys Northwest Agricultural

    Verdesian Life Sciences has acquired Northwest Agricultural Products, a provider of specialty agricultural products. Terms were not disclosed. Verdesian Life Sciences focuses on investments in plant health and nutrition.

    PRESS RELEASE

    Verdesian Life Sciences, LLC (“Verdesian”), a Paine & Partners, LLC (“Paine & Partners”) company, today announced that it has acquired Northwest Agricultural Products, LLC (“NAP”), a world-class provider of specialty agricultural products. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

    NAP specializes in eco-friendly products designed to meet the diverse needs of the agricultural community through advanced chemical and biological innovation, with a focus on enhanced plant health, optimized crop yields and overall quality. The company’s strong portfolio of products is highlighted by Sterics�, which enhance the absorption of phosphorous, and PolyAmines, which deliver essential micronutrients. It also produces biostimulants and biopesticides, with its Intracept and Bloomtime FD product lines. NAP’s technical strengths include plant pathology and physiology, advanced fermentation, bioprocess development and chemical, biochemical and environmental engineering. As a subsidiary of Verdesian, NAP will continue to operate independently out of Pasco, WA, through the 2013 season.

    JJ Grow, Chief Executive Officer of Verdesian Life Sciences, said, “We are excited about our transaction with NAP, which is an important next step in Verdesian’s growth strategy. The acquisition of NAP underscores Verdesian’s strategic focus on plant technologies that enhance the uptake of key nutrients using multiple modes of action as well as aligning plant health nutritional technologies with agronomic practices. NAP’s differentiated products – its bioscience lines, in particular – are highly complementary to Biagro Western’s, which Verdesian acquired in 2012. NAP has built a strong position in its markets, and Verdesian will leverage its international platform to expand NAP’s customer base to take it to a new level of growth. We look forward to working with NAP’s employees and we welcome them to the Verdesian family.”

    David Bergevin, Founder of NAP, said, “We are excited to team up with Verdesian – a strong platform that offers the experience and resources necessary to help a highly specialized company like NAP to grow and develop. We are confident that NAP can use the Verdesian platform to expand its business and energize its sales and marketing capabilities so that its products can enhance plant health and nutrition in markets where they are needed most.”

    Verdesian focuses on investments in plant health and nutrition and was established in September 2012 by Paine & Partners, a global private equity investment firm that specializes in the food and agribusiness industry globally. Verdesian acquired Biagro Western Sales, LLC, a leader in protected technologies for developing plant health and plant nutrition products, in September 2012. Further information about Verdesian is available at www.VLSci.com.

    About Northwest Agricultural Products, LLCEstablished in 1989 by David Bergevin in Pasco, WA, Northwest Agricultural Products, LLC is a world-class provider of specialty agricultural products. The eco-friendly products are designed to meet the diverse needs of the agricultural community through advanced chemical and biological innovation, with a focus on enhanced plant health, optimized crop yields and overall quality. Its strong portfolio of products is highlighted by Sterics� and PolyAmines. Northwest Agricultural Products also produces biostimulants and biopesticides, with its Intracept and Bloomtime FD product lines. The Company’s technical strengths include plant pathology and physiology, advanced fermentation, bioprocess development and chemical, biochemical and environmental engineering.

    About Verdesian Life Sciences, LLCVerdesian Life Sciences focuses on investments in plant health and nutrition. Verdesian’s strategy is geared towards plant technologies that enhance the uptake of key nutrients using multiple modes of action as well as aligning plant health nutritional technologies with agronomic practices. In September 2012, Verdesian acquired Biagro Western Sales, LLC, which focuses on protected technologies for developing plant health and plant nutrition products. Further information about Verdesian is available at www.VLSci.com.

    About Paine & Partners, LLCPaine & Partners provides equity capital for management buyouts, going private transactions, and company expansion and growth programs. Paine & Partners engages exclusively in friendly transactions developed in cooperation with a company’s management, board of directors and shareholders. The firm currently makes investments through its $1.2 billion fund, Paine & Partners Capital Fund III, L. P. and related entities.

    Paine & Partners focuses on the food and agribusiness industry globally, and its principals, through a predecessor fund, have made successful strategic investments in Seminis, then the world’s leading global developer, producer and marketer of vegetable and fruit seeds; and Advanta Netherlands Holdings BV, at the time, the largest independent agronomic seed company in the world. Paine & Partners also invested in Icicle Seafoods, a leading producer, harvester and processer of salmon, pollock, halibut, cod, crab and other seafood products with operations in North and South America and sales globally. Paine & Partners’ most recent investments include Eurodrip, a global manufacturer and supplier of drip irrigation solutions; Verdesian Life Sciences, LLC, a U.S.-based plant health and nutrition investment platform; Scanbio Marine Group, a leading Norwegian producer of fish protein concentrate, fish meal, and fish oil; and Costa Group, Australia’s largest integrated grower, packer and marketer of fresh fruits and vegetables. The complex investment opportunities in today’s rapidly evolving agribusiness environment play to the strengths of Paine & Partners’ differentiated approach. For further information, see www.painepartners.com.

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  • Seacoast Capital Managers Closes $150M Fund

    Seacoast Capital Managers has closed its third mezzanine fund, Seacoast Capital Partners III, L.P., with $150 million in commitments. The firm has offices in Boston and San Francisco.

    PRESS RELEASE

    Seacoast Capital Managers, LLC (“Seacoast”) announced today that it has held a final close on its third mezzanine fund, Seacoast Capital Partners III, L.P. (“Seacoast III”), with over $150MM of capital commitments. Seacoast, with offices in Boston, MA and San Francisco, CA, is an investment partnership that was founded in 1994 to make non-controlling subordinated debt and equity investments in privately-held lower middle market companies. Seacoast III is a registered Small Business Investment Company (“SBIC”), a program created by Congress in 1958 to help U.S.-based lower middle market businesses meet requirements for growth and working capital not available through banks or other private capital sources. As part of the SBIC program, Seacoast III will have access to over $100MM in debenture funding from the United States Small Business Administration.

    “We’re very much looking forward to deploying Seacoast III” Seacoast Partner Jeff Holland noted, “the landscape for mezzanine capital in the lower middle market remains very attractive, and we’re seeing a lot of interesting opportunities. While a number of other private equity firms have come and gone in the lower middle market over the years, we’ve chosen to stick to what we’ve been doing for over 20 years – providing mezzanine and equity capital to support the management teams of smaller businesses in a historically underserved segment of the market.” Seacoast Partner Tom Gorman added, “We’re lucky to have a diverse base of Limited Partners in Seacoast III, which includes family offices, funds of funds, national and regional banks, and high net worth individuals who understand that the opportunity to drive attractive risk-adjusted returns in the lower middle-market is tremendous.”

    In addition to the final close on Seacoast III, Seacoast announced the completion of the first two investments for Seacoast III, which totaled approximately $15MM of invested capital.

    Mountain Alarm
    Fire Protection Service Corp. (d/b/a Mountain Alarm), based in Ogden, UT, specializes in the design, installation, service and monitoring of security and fire alarm systems for the commercial and residential markets. With operations in five states – Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Utah and Washington – Mountain Alarm is one of the largest alarm companies in the Mountain West region, and among the top 50 largest alarm companies in the U.S. In early December, Seacoast provided a combination of subordinated debt with warrants and convertible preferred stock to Mountain Alarm as part of a debt recapitalization.

    FAPS
    FAPS, Inc., based in Newark, NJ is the only non-OEM provider of automotive port processing services in the Port of New York and New Jersey. The company provides value-added import, export, domestic remarshaling and rail processing services to major domestic and foreign automotive OEMs. With a processing capacity of over 400,000 vehicles annually, FAPS is one of the largest automotive port processors in the U.S. In late December, Seacoast provided subordinated debt with warrants to FAPS to recapitalize existing debt and provide capital for growth.

    In addition to its final close, Seacoast has added Patrick Gengoux as an Associate in the firm’s San Francisco office. Having recently received an MBA from the Anderson School of Management at the University of California Los Angeles where he received the J. Fred Weston Award for Academic Excellence in Finance, Patrick will be responsible for new deal evaluation, analysis, financial modeling, due diligence and structuring as well as portfolio company monitoring. Prior to UCLA, Patrick worked at Pacific Capital Bank, where he was a generalist working with distressed and underperforming middle market companies. He also worked with Signature Capital Advisers, a special situations private equity fund. Patrick received a B.A. in Economics and International Relations in 2001 from Claremont McKenna College.

    About Seacoast
    Seacoast was founded in 1994 to make non-controlling subordinated debt and equity investments in privately-held lower middle market companies. Seacoast specializes in “sponsorless” transactions, preferring to deal directly with company owners or management teams, although it will selectively consider investments led by professional investor groups. Seacoast typically provides between $3MM and $12MM of debt and equity capital for acquisitions, growth, shareholder buyouts, management buyouts, and leveraged recapitalizations to provide shareholder liquidity. While industry agnostic, Seacoast broadly invests in the specialty manufacturing, value-added distribution, and business services sectors. Seacoast generally targets investments in companies with a minimum of $10MM in revenue and $2MM of EBITDA. With offices in Boston and San Francisco, Seacoast has the ability to invest in businesses across the U.S. – having invested over $245MM in over 20 states since 1994.

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  • Lone Star Recaps Trinity Forge

    Lone Star Investment Advisors has recapped Trinity Forge Inc., a manufacturer of closed die forgings and machined parts. The company is based in Mansfield, Texas. Lone Star is a Dallas-based private equity firm.

    PRESS RELEASE
    Westlake Securities, LLC, a Texas based middle-market investment bank, is pleased to announce that Trinity Forge, Inc. (“Trinity Forge” or the “Company”) has completed a leveraged recapitalization with Lone Star Investment Advisors LLC (“Lone Star”).

    Established in 1955, Trinity Forge is a leading independent manufacturer of closed die forgings and machined parts based in Mansfield, Texas. The Company’s products are used across many industry sectors including oil & gas, mining, handtools, power generation and industrial equipment. The quality of its products along with renowned customer service has resulted in phenomenal long-term growth and customer retention.

    Lone Star is a Dallas-based private equity firm that specializes in leveraged acquisitions and recapitalizations of strategically viable middle-market businesses with strong potential for growth. Lone Star invests in a wide variety of industry sectors including manufacturing/industrial, distribution, business services and energy. Lone Star has a dual mission of for-profit private equity investing in low-income areas of the state.

    Westlake Securities served as exclusive financial advisor to Trinity Forge on the transaction, led by Westlake’s Dallas-based Managing Directors Brad Purifoy and Terry Fick. Senior facilities were provided by Comerica Bank- Middle Market Banking Division. Robert R. Kibby, of Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C served as Trinity Forge counsel. Baker & McKenzie LLP represented Lone Star in the transaction, led by Ted Schweinfurth.

    Mr. Purifoy commented “The transaction was a win for all parties, providing the Company’s shareholders with an excellent exit result, while Lone Star’s vision for and commitment to Trinity paired with the Company’s seasoned management team will ensure continued growth of the Company’s high quality operation to the benefit of its customers and employees.”

    “The management team at Trinity Forge is pleased to join forces with Lone Star,” commented Dick Johnston, President of Trinity Forge. “We are eager to pursue new avenues of growth while preserving the pillars of our success: value, service, and integrity.”

    “We were very impressed with Westlake’s team of Brad Purifoy and Terry Fick, and their skilled leadership throughout all stages of the preparation, marketing, and sale process. They remained steadfastly committed to representing our shareholders’ interests and guiding us through to an excellent end result with Lone Star,” stated Dennis Withers, Trinity Forge CEO Emeritus.

    Mr. Purifoy said “Westlake sees an active M&A transaction environment for 2013 due to generally improved economic conditions, and an over abundance of corporate and institutional investor liquiditysearching for high quality companies in which to invest.”

    Ends

    About Westlake Securities, LLC:

    Westlake Securities, LLC is an investment banking firm serving middle-market companies, with offices in Austin, Dallas, Houston and Lafayette. Westlake’s clients include family-owned businesses, privately held companies, publicly traded companies, and private equity and venture capital funds. Services include merger and acquisition advisory, equity capital and debt placement, fairness opinions, valuations and research. Westlake is a member of FINRA and SIPC. For more information, please visit the Westlake website at www.westlakesecurities.com

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  • Armor5 Launches with $2M in Seed Funding

    Citrix Startup Accelerator, Nexus Venture Partners and Trinity Ventures have contributed $2 million in seed financing for security technology startup Armor5. The company is based in Santa Clara, Calif.

    PRESS RELEASE

    SANTA CLARA, CA, Feb 27, 2013 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) — Armor5 emerged from stealth mode today and announced $2 million in seed funding from Citrix Startup Accelerator, Nexus Venture Partners and Trinity Ventures, to redefine data security and compliance for the mobile enterprise. Founded by security, mobility and cloud computing experts from Adobe, Motorola and Yahoo, Armor5 is the first zero touch service to safeguard intranet, cloud data and applications by ensuring content from these systems never actually resides on the end-users’ devices. A beta version of the Armor5 service is available on its website today.

    How Armor5 works

    Most BYOD security services focus on individual mobile device management. As the use of these devices grows dramatically, new approaches are required to help IT balance the needs between user productivity vs. maintaining security and compliance. According to Osterman Research, annual IT costs for managing smartphones rose 48% from 2011 to 2012. Armor5 has taken an entirely different approach to solving the BYOD security problem. Its service connects to a company’s network via VPN, virtualizes intranet data and cloud applications, and generates a secure URL that mobile workers can use to access content and applications safely from any device — personal or company issued. The entire provisioning process, from IT sign-up to end-user productivity, takes just a few minutes.

    “Our vision is to create a completely self-service, cloud-based answer to the security problems posed by today’s explosive growth in enterprise mobility,” said Suresh Balasubramanian, CEO at Armor5. “We solve immediate pain in the areas of mobility, network security and regulatory compliance. And we do so in a way that provides end-users immediate access to the apps, data and content they need from any device they’re using, without sacrificing data security.”

    “Zero touch” deployment

    In launching its service, Armor5 is introducing a radically simple concept it calls “zero touch” BYOD security. Simply, Armor5 can be deployed without mobile client software installation; without mobile security agents; without any configuration on the part of IT; and without intranet data or enterprise cloud applications ever downloaded to the end-user device. “Zero touch means faster time to deployment, better security and compliance, improved mobile user productivity, and a substantially lower cost for BYOD security,” commented Balasubramanian.

    For additional security, Armor5 offers dynamic watermarking and the disabling of downloading, forwarding and printing of documents. Using the cloud-based Armor5 dashboard, IT can easily monitor and manage end-users, devices and documents, and ensure BYOD policies and compliance standards are being met while providing analytics to speed auditing and reporting.

    Industry support

    “We have been evaluating the Armor5 solution for our data security and compliance needs,” said Keith Phillips, Chief Information Officer, CPP, Inc. “We have been impressed by the simplicity, elegance and ease of setup and use of this novel, 100% cloud-based solution, requiring no agents to install on any device. Their dashboard gives us exposure to detailed activity information that has the potential to evolve into an integral part of our compliance and risk management strategy,” said Phillips.

    “IT must manage compliance in an increasingly BYOD world, without negatively impacting the user experience,” said Michael Osterman, principal and founder at Osterman Research. “Armor5′s unique and interesting approach accomplishes both and should be seriously considered by anyone struggling with BYOD in their organization.”

    “CIOs are understandably concerned with data security given the rise of smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices inside their organizations,” said Fred Wang, general partner at Trinity Ventures. “Armor5 is the first vendor to address the BYOD security problem without requiring software installation on the mobile device. Its singular focus on the intersection of data security and BYOD, and its unique approach to solving the problem, is the reason we are investing.”

    “Corporate asset management, compliance and enterprise security are critical concern areas as the global workforce becomes more flexible and mobile,” said Naren Gupta, co-founder and managing director at Nexus Venture Partners. “We are excited about Armor5′s innovative approach to address these opportunities simply and seamlessly.”

    “Armor5 has tremendous potential to complement Citrix technologies in addressing BYOD challenges,” said Dr. Michael Harries, Senior Director and Chief Technologist at the Citrix Startup Accelerator, which has incubated Armor5. “The service is ideal for CIOs who need an immediate solution to enterprise data security and compliance challenges with the growth of BYOD.”

    About Armor5 Armor5, Inc. is a cloud service provider that’s solving the problem of secure mobile access to enterprise data and applications in a new way. The company serves enterprises, cloud solution providers and any organization struggling to secure network access for mobile users. Armor5 offers the only zero touch, 100% cloud service that accesses a client’s network, virtualizes enterprise data and applications, and provisions secure and compliant access for every end user using any mobile device. Founded in 2011 by former executives from Adobe, Motorola and Yahoo, the company is privately held with patent-pending technology and investment from leading venture capital firms.

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  • Kickboard Raises $2M

    Kickboard, a web-based school analytics platform, has raised $2 million in Series A financing. New Markets Venture Partners and Two Sigma Ventures led the round. The company, based in New Orleans, has raised a total of $2.8 million to date.


    PRESS RELEASE

    Kickboard, a web-based school analytics platform that allows educators and school leaders to capture, analyze and securely share critical student performance data, announced today that it has received $2 million in Series A funding led by New Markets Venture Partners and Two Sigma Ventures, with participation from several angel investors. The new round adds to $800,000 from previous seed and angel rounds, bringing the total amount raised to $2.8 million.

    “Today’s announcement signals the start of an exciting period of growth for Kickboard,” said Jennifer Medbery, founder and CEO of Kickboard. “With this funding we plan to expand our team and invest in further product development, particularly enhanced dashboards that offer new ways to visualize student performance, including shared information from other tools teachers and school leaders use. In a performance-based culture, it is imperative that teachers, students and families have greater visibility into all elements of student performance so that they can take informed, decisive action and improve student outcomes.”

    Kickboard enables schools to complement the deficiencies of their student information system by going beyond the gradebook to develop richer profiles of student progress that include multiple assessments, standards mastery, 21st century skills, reading growth and, most uniquely, student behavior, character strengths and personal interests. The platform’s dashboards provide real-time visibility into student performance in and across classrooms so that teachers have the information they need to make meaningful adjustments to instruction and interventions. With Kickboard, schools are able to improve data-driven teaching, increase collaboration among educators, better facilitate family communication and advance a culture of performance school-wide.

    “We believe the answers to K-12 quality, innovation and scaled efficacy are born in authentic data at the classroom and, moreover, end user levels,” said Elizabeth Chou of New Markets Venture Partners. “Kickboard has created a unique and powerful platform that makes it possible for teachers and school leaders to easily and efficiently collect, analyze and act on student behavior and academic data. We recognize the wide-reaching and positive impact Kickboard can have on students’ lives and we look forward to helping the company expand and grow.”

    Currently more than 200 schools nationwide have implemented Kickboard school-wide to support their performance-based culture and increase alignment, consistency and real-time visibility of student performance information. Additionally, due to demand from teachers requesting to use Kickboard in their classroom without waiting for school-wide adoption, Kickboard recently began offering free starter accounts to individual educators and teams of up to three teachers per school. The Kickboard starter accounts include most of the same features and functionality as the enterprise platform, allowing teacher leaders to use student data to advance a culture of performance in their school directly by fostering a more transparent, collaborative, growth-minded and results-driven environment in their classrooms.

    “In many industries, thoughtful, user-conscious analytics and visualization of data can be incredibly powerful,” said Colin Beirne of Two Sigma Ventures. “Kickboard puts actionable real-time data at the fingertips of teachers and school administrators to better enable them to fine-tune their instruction and management, and ultimately better fulfill their school’s mission. As strong believers in the power of data to drive insight and results, Two Sigma Ventures is proud to support Kickboard’s efforts to build strong, healthy schools where teachers and students thrive.”

    For more information about Kickboard, visit www.kickboardforteachers.com.

    About Kickboard
    Kickboard is a web-based school analytics platform that allows educators and school leaders to capture, analyze and securely share critical student performance data. The platform’s features include simple yet powerful dashboards that increase the real-time visibility of student performance across classrooms, traditional and standards-based grading, one-click behavior data capture, easy to read charts and graphs and immediate performance reporting, including customizable report cards. With Kickboard, schools are able to improve data-driven teaching, increase collaboration among educators, better facilitate family communication and advance a culture of performance school-wide. Delivered as an on-demand solution, Kickboard can be easily integrated with a school’s SIS, and deployed in a single classroom or across an entire district. For more information, visit kickboardforteachers.com.

    About New Markets Venture Partners
    New Markets Venture Partners is a venture capital firm that invests in and actively assists innovative education, information technology and business services companies. The New Markets Team has decades of experience investing in and building high growth companies, maintains proprietary relationships with centers of innovation and has particular domain expertise around technology and education. It prides itself on working to add value before, during and after the investment process. Visit newmarketsvp.com for more information.

    About Two Sigma Ventures
    Two Sigma Ventures is a division of Two Sigma Investments, a leading technology company that applies a rigorous, scientific method-based approach to investment management. Since its founding in 2001, Two Sigma Investments’ vision has been to develop technological innovations that intelligently analyze the world’s data to consistently deliver value for its clients.

    Two Sigma Ventures invests the proprietary capital of Two Sigma in innovative companies that harness technology, computing, mathematics or data to tackle problems in a new way. The firm invests in companies in various stages of growth and across a wide variety of industry segments, with a focus on companies that utilize technologies and competencies in which Two Sigma has expertise and that can potentially benefit from the firm’s deep expertise in research and technology.

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  • Nexenta Systems Scores $24M Series D

    Nexenta Systems, a developer of software-defined storage technology, has closed a $24 million Series D round. The company also named Mark Lockareff as chief executive officer. Four Rivers Group led the round, with participation by existing investors Menlo Ventures, TransLink Capital, Javelin Ventures, Sierra Ventures, Razor’s Edge Ventures, and West Summit Capital. In addition to Four Rivers, new strategic investors Presidio Ventures and UMC Capital participated.


    PRESS RELEASE

    Nexenta® Systems, the world leader in Software-defined Storage, today announced that it closed out 2012 with business growth that exceeded the company plan in terms of revenue, partner growth, partner sales, and customer adoption. Faced with this growth and opportunity, the company has secured $24 million in Series D financing. Nexenta also announced the appointment of Mark Lockareff as chief executive officer, with former CEO Evan Powell assuming the new role of chief strategy officer. With 25 years’ experience growing, leading, and investing in disruptive technology companies, Mark Lockareff will drive Nexenta’s next stage of growth as Software-defined Storage rapidly changes the dynamics of the IT technology market.

    Nexenta’s over-subscribed Series D financing is being led by new investor Four Rivers Group, with participation by existing Nexenta investors Menlo Ventures, TransLink Capital, Javelin Ventures, Sierra Ventures, Razor’s Edge Ventures, and West Summit Capital. In addition to Four Rivers, new strategic investors Presidio Ventures and UMC Capital participated.

    This round of investment is testament to the momentum and growth that the company has experienced in the last 12 months and to the company’s leadership of the transformation of the storage industry. Key highlights include:

    The number of Nexenta-powered storage deployments of one petabyte or greater grew by a factor of 10.
    Revenue growth doubled year-over-year; the company has experienced triple digit growth for three consecutive years.
    Adoption of NexentaStor exceeded the 5,000 customer deployment milestone, while follow-on sales to existing customers expanded by 475 percent.
    Total storage under management now exceeds 660PB and Nexenta has enabled an estimated $400 million in hardware storage sales for its reseller partners.
    The company’s global reach continues to expand with active partners growing by 75 percent since January 2012. Nexenta has established official subsidiaries and teams in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, China, South Korea, and Japan.
    Nexenta expanded its product portfolio with the launch of NexentaVSA for View for managing and deploying virtualized environments.

    New CEO Lockareff has led or invested in a number of enterprise infrastructure, software and internet companies during their key growth stages including: ParAccel, Agiliance, Softricity, Model N, Riverbed, Acopia, ProofPoint, and Facebook.

    In addition to Lockareff’s appointment, Bridget Warwick is joining Nexenta as chief marketing officer. Warwick previously held senior marketing positions at BlueArc Corporation (acquired by Hitachi Data Systems) and NetApp. These strategic additions to the executive team follow the October 2012 appointment of Rick Martig as CFO, and reflect Nexenta’s transition from a disruptive and explosive start-up to the trusted and innovative storage partner for thousands of companies all over the world.

    “Nexenta provides the ideal storage to support Hosting.com’s cloud hosting services and our customers’ mission-critical applications. No other technology can match Nexenta’s price-to-performance, which has helped us offer competitive and differentiated services to companies all over the world. We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship between our two companies,” said Hosting.com CTO Matt Ferrari.

    “Our task at Nexenta is simple: we must build a company that is up to meeting the enormous opportunity of leading the transformation of the storage industry. The transition to Software-defined Storage is accelerating because customers must have greater flexibility, performance, and savings in their storage if they are to compete. I’m confident that Mark and Bridget will help us do an even better job for our customers, resellers, and strategic partners,” said Powell.

    About Nexenta Systems
    Nexenta Systems is the world leader in Software-defined Storage. Its flagship software platform, NexentaStor, delivers high-performance, ultra-scalable, cloud- and virtualization-optimized storage solutions. Built upon ZFS technology and running on a broad choice of industry-standard hardware, NexentaStor eliminates vendor lock-in and provides open, unified storage management at significantly less cost than legacy systems.

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  • Nautic Partners Exits Big Train

    Nautic Partners has exited Big Train Inc., selling the company to Kerry Group plc. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Lake Forest, Calif.-based Big Train is a manufacturer of liquid and powdered beverage concentrates.

    PRESS RELEASE

    Nautic Partners, LLC (“Nautic”) announced today that it has completed the sale of Big Train, Inc. (“Big Train” or the “Company”) to Kerry Group plc. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

    Headquartered in Lake Forest, CA, Big Train is a manufacturer and marketer of liquid and powdered beverage concentrates used for blended ice coffee, fruit smoothies, chai tea, cocoa drinks and various syrups. The company distributes its products through multiple channels, including independent coffeehouses, large retail chains, and international distributors. Big Train serves its approximately 14,000 coffeehouse customers directly, as well as through distributors. Coffeehouses sell the Company’s product under the “Big Train” brand as well as under private label.

    “Our experience working alongside the Big Train management team has been excellent,” said Bernie Buonanno, Managing Director of Nautic. “The strength of the Company’s leadership and the high quality of its products are reflected in its double-digit growth over the last few years.”

    “Our partnership with Nautic was a tremendously positive experience,” said Robyn Hawkins, former Chief Executive Officer of Big Train. “With Nautic we expanded our relationships with multiple key customers, acquired substantial new business, and positioned the Company for strong growth in the coming years.”

    Edwards Wildman Palmer acted as legal counsel for the Company.

    The Big Train sale was Nautic’s fourth liquidity event since November 2012. The three other exits were GCA Services Group to The Blackstone Group, Aavid Thermalloy to Audax Private Equity, and Agilex Fragrances to MidOcean Partners.

    About Nautic Partners

    Founded in 1986, Nautic Partners is a middle-market private equity firm with over $2.5 billion of equity capital under management. The firm has completed 114 platform investments in partnership with management and delivered successful results to investors over three decades. Nautic targets equity investments of $25-$75 million, representing majority ownership in niche businesses with strong market share and growth potential, identified value enhancement opportunities and strong management teams. Areas of focus include business services, manufacturing, and healthcare.

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  • CoBe Capital Adds Shuja Haque as Director of Operations

    Shuja Haque has joined investment firm CoBe Capital as a director of operations for North America. Haque was previously a global manufacturing manager with Federal Mogul as well a value stream manager for Pace Industries, a die casting manufacturer.

    PRESS RELEASE
    CoBe Capital, a global private investment firm focused on the acquisition and management of non-core business units from large corporations, is pleased to announce the hiring of Shuja Haque as a Director of Operations for North America.

    Mr. Haque is a seasoned executive with a strong track record of conceiving and executing successful strategic and operational transformation programs across a broad range of different industries. Prior to joining CoBe, he was a Global Manufacturing Manager with Federal Mogul as well a Value Stream Manager for Pace Industries, a global, high pressure die casting manufacturer. Earlier in his career he held positions of increasing responsibility in operations and engineering with Henry Technologies, Universal Manufacturing S.A. de C.V. and Rock-Ola Manufacturing.

    Mr. Haque received his B.S. in Electronic Engineering from Karachi University – Pakistan and is fluent in English, Spanish, Urdu, Hindi and Arabic.

    “Shuja Haque joins our firm at a time of unprecedented growth and value creation. We welcome Shuja into our family where he will contribute as a financial and operational executive across our diversified portfolio of businesses – from diligence through integration and long-term operations improvement,” said Neal Cohen, Founder and Managing Director of CoBe Capital.

    About CoBe Capital

    CoBe Capital, a global private investment firm with a permanent capital base, specializes in the acquisition and operation of non-core and underperforming business units in the Americas and Europe from leading global corporations. CoBe Capital owns and operates a diversified portfolio of companies strives to achieve long-term growth based on lean management and continuous improvement business philosophies. CoBe Capital was founded by Neal Cohen in 1994.

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  • TPG Buys Publicly Traded Assisted Living Concepts

    TPG is buying Assisted Living Concepts Inc., a Wisconsin-based operator of housing for senior citizens. Assisted Living’s Class A shareholders will get $12 per share while Class B shareholders will get $12.90 per share, according to the agreement. The transaction values Assisted Living at about $278 million according to the number of Class A and Class B shares the company had on Oct. 31.

    PRESS RELEASE
    Assisted Living Concepts, Inc. (NYSE:ALC) (“ALC”), a Wisconsin-based operator of 210 senior living residences in 20 states, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by TPG, the global private investment firm.

    Under the terms of the agreement, ALC stockholders will receive $12.00 in cash for each share of Class A common stock. In accordance with the ALC charter, based on the Class A per share merger consideration, holders of ALC’s Class B common stock will receive $12.90 in cash per share. The agreement was unanimously approved by ALC’s Board of Directors and a Special Committee of the Board of Directors formed in connection with the exploration of strategic alternatives.

    “We are very pleased with the transaction,” stated Mr. Mel Rhinelander, chairman of the Special Committee. “The acquisition represents a significant premium for our shareholders, and we also believe that TPG will help continue ALC’s focus on high quality service and care for our residents.”

    The closing of the transaction is conditioned upon, among other things, affirmative votes of ALC’s stockholders, including a majority of the holders of its Class A common stock (excluding certain affiliated holders), the receipt of customary regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. The transaction is not subject to a financing condition.

    Citigroup Global Markets, Inc. acted as financial advisor to the Special Committee, and Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP acted as independent legal counsel to the Special Committee. Goldman, Sachs & Co. acted as financial advisor to TPG, and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP acted as legal advisor to TPG.

    About ALC

    Assisted Living Concepts, Inc. and its subsidiaries operate 210 senior living residences comprising 9,313 resident units in 20 states. ALC’s senior living residences typically consist of 40 to 60 units and offer a supportive, home-like setting. Residents may receive assistance with the activities of daily living either directly from employees or through our wholly owned home health subsidiaries. ALC employs approximately 4,600 people.

    About TPG

    TPG is a leading global private investment firm founded in 1992 with $54.5 billion of assets under management and offices in San Francisco, Fort Worth, Austin, Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, London, Luxembourg, Melbourne, Moscow, Mumbai, New York, Paris, São Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo. TPG has extensive experience with global public and private investments executed through leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, spinouts, growth investments, joint ventures and restructurings. The firm’s investments span a variety of industries including real estate, healthcare, financial services, travel and entertainment, technology, energy, industrials, media and communications, retail and consumer. For more information, visit www.tpg.com.

    Important Information and Where to Find It

    ALC plans to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and mail to its stockholders a proxy statement regarding the proposed acquisition of ALC by TPG. Investors and security holders are urged to read the proxy statement relating to such acquisition carefully and in its entirety, including any other relevant documents filed with the SEC and incorporated by reference in the proxy statement, when they become available because they will contain important information. Investors and security holders may obtain a free copy of the proxy statement and other documents that ALC files with the SEC (when available) from the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and ALC’s website at www.alcco.com. In addition, the proxy statement and other documents filed by ALC with the SEC (when available) may be obtained from ALC free of charge by directing a request to Assisted Living Concepts, Inc., c/o Investor Relations, W140 N8981 Lilly Road, Menomonee Falls, WI 53051-2325.

    Certain Information Regarding Participants

    ALC, its directors, executive officers and certain employees may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of ALC’s security holders in connection with the proposed acquisition of ALC by TPG. Security holders may obtain information regarding the names, affiliations and interests of such individuals in ALC’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011, which was filed with the SEC on March 12, 2012, and its definitive proxy statement for the 2012 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which was filed with the SEC on March 23, 2012 and amended on June 22, 2012. Additional information regarding the interests of such individuals can also be obtained from the proxy statement relating to the proposed acquisition of ALC by TPG when it is filed with the SEC. These documents (when available) may be obtained free of charge from the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and ALC’s website at www.alcco.com. This announcement does not constitute an offer or any solicitation of any offer, to buy or subscribe for any securities.

    Safe Harbor Statement

    Statements about the expected timing, completion and effects of the proposed merger, and all other statements made in this news release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In some cases, these forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as “may”, “will”, “should”, “expect”, “plan”, “anticipate”, “continuing”, “believe” or “project”, or the negative of those words or other comparable words. Any forward-looking statements included in this news release are made as of the date hereof only, based on information available to ALC as of the date hereof, and, subject to any applicable law to the contrary, ALC undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Such forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance and are subject to a number of risks, assumptions and uncertainties that could cause ALC’s actual results to differ from those projected in such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include: any conditions imposed on the parties in connection with consummation of the transaction described herein; approval of the merger by ALC’s stockholders; the ability to obtain regulatory approvals of the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement on the proposed terms and schedule; the failure of ALC’s stockholders to approve the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement; ALC’s ability to maintain relationships with customers, employees or suppliers following the announcement of the merger agreement; the ability of the parties to satisfy the conditions to closing of the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement; the risk that the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement may not be completed in the time frame expected by the parties or at all; and the risks that are described from time to time in ALC’s reports filed with the SEC, including the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011, filed with the SEC on March 12, 2012, in other of ALC’s filings with the SEC from time to time, including Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, and on general industry and economic conditions.

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  • Seattle-based Lighter Capital Adds Molly Gregg

    Lighter Capital has named Molly Gregg Otter as vice president. Otter was previously a vice president at AEA Investors. Lighter Capital is based in Seattle.

    PRESS RELEASE

    Lighter Capital, a pioneer of the revenue-based financing model, today announced the appointment of Molly Gregg Otter as Vice President.

    Prior to joining Lighter Capital, Otter was a Vice President at AEA Investors LP, one of the oldest private equity investment firms in the United States with more than $5 billion in assets under management, where she played a key role in closing the first mezzanine fund and worked to establish the organization’s four mezzanine and senior debt funds investing directly in middle market companies. She evaluated lending to hundreds of companies and was directly involved in over 25 portfolio investments while serving as a member of the team.

    Earlier in her career, Otter worked as an Associate at American Capital Strategies, a business development corporation. Prior to American Capital Strategies, she was at GSC Partners where she worked as a generalist, evaluating and making investments in their private equity, collateralized debt obligations, and distress debt funds.

    “Molly is a rare financial talent who will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our lending practices,” said BJ Lackland, CEO of Lighter Capital. “She will have a strong influence on how we manage and scale our high volume, next-generation credit evaluation systems and processes. I’m looking forward to working closely with Molly to build upon our early success and to provide small businesses rapid access to the capital they need.”

    Lighter Capital and Revenue-Based Financing is intended for early-stage businesses that have established success and are primed for growth, but are cash-constrained and need access to capital with no loss of control and no fixed repayment schedule. Lighter Capital has developed a software platform to automate the investment application and evaluation process, accelerating the loan process for entrepreneurs, while also improving Lighter Capital’s scale and investment returns.

    “Lighter Capital is not only forging an alternative funding option for small businesses, but it’s also disrupting the traditional investment methodology by ushering in the Capital-as-a-Service approach,” Otter said. “I’m excited to be part of the Lighter Capital team and for the opportunity to introduce new technologies and much needed change to the small business financing industry.”

    About Lighter Capital

    At Lighter Capital, we’re breaking down the barriers to small business growth funding. Our revenue-based finance model exchanges growth capital for a fixed percentage of the company’s revenues. This structure is more flexible, easier, and faster than traditional lenders, making us “lighter” than the marble and mahogany of the antiquated banks. Since late 2010, Lighter Capital has funded a range of businesses – from goat-milk ice cream to Software-as-a-Service – all excellent businesses that have been overlooked by traditional banks and venture capitalists. Lighter Capital is a venture-backed, non-bank investor of its own funds, not a broker or intermediary.

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