Author: Staff

SideCar, a San Francisco-based ride-sharing startup, has acquired the assets of Heyride Inc., an Austin-based ride-share company. The deal extends SideCar’s reach, and the company will immediately begin rides in Philadelphia, Austin and Los Angeles. SideCar is backed by Lightspeed Venture Partners, Google Ventures, Spring Ventures, Huron River Ventures, SV Angel, and Lerer Ventures.

PRESS RELEASE
SideCar (www.side.cr), the leading on-demand rideshare community, announced today it has acquired the assets of Heyride, Inc, an Austin-based rideshare community. SideCar uses smartphones to connect everyday drivers with a car with people nearby who need a ride. The acquisition immediately builds out SideCar’s operational presence in Austin in time for SXSW 2013. Already popular in San Francisco and Seattle with more than 100,000 connected rides, SideCar will begin rides in Philadelphia, Austin and Los Angeles this weekend and is actively recruiting drivers in New York, Chicago, Washington, DC and Boston.

“We’ve heard from people across the country and around the world that they want the SideCar community to take root in their cities and towns,” said Sunil Paul, CEO of SideCar. “Heyride’s talented team has developed a unique design and experience that will help take the rideshare movement we started here in San Francisco nationwide. We are thrilled to welcome Heyride to the SideCar family.”

SideCar and Heyride have a shared vision for empowering communities to solve transportation problems. Heyride’s world-class user experience and design team will join SideCar’s product team to focus on creating an outstanding experience for SideCar drivers and riders. Heyride’s assets include its critically acclaimed iPhone application for ridesharing available at Heyride.com. Founded in 2012, Heyride was born out of the team’s frustration with the limited transportation options during the city’s SXSW festival.

During its initial launch phase SideCar will be available for drivers and riders Friday and Saturday nights from 5pm – 3am in West LA, Venice, Santa Monica and Culver City in Los Angeles; and downtown Austin and Philadelphia. Expanded hours and days will follow as the community grows. SideCar is actively recruiting drivers in New York, Chicago, Boston and Washington, DC. Drivers can sign up to be part of the community at www.side.cr/drive. SideCar’s free mobile application is available for download for riders via the App Store for iPhone and GooglePlay for Android users.

How SideCar works
SideCar matches everyday drivers with a car with people nearby who need a ride. It’s like getting a ride from a friend or a neighbor when you want it. Riders place a request to share a ride by setting a pick-up and drop off location using the SideCar app. Once the request is accepted, drivers can be viewed approaching in real-time. Riders can make a voluntary donation at the end of the ride.

SideCar has many features in place to keep riders and drivers safe. All SideCar drivers are pre-vetted for safety. All rides are tracked and passengers can share their progress and ride status in text, email and social media. Donations are made through the app, so the entire experience is cashless and hassle-free. The SideCar community sets and enforces high standards for safety and quality. Drivers and riders rate one another and people with low ratings are removed from the SideCar community. SideCar’s safety features can be found at www.side.cr/safety

About SideCar
SideCar (Side.cr), the leading on-demand rideshare community, uses smartphones to connect everyday drivers with a car with people nearby who need a ride. It’s a safe, affordable, convenient and fun way to get around the city. Founded in San Francisco in 2012. The company’s investors include Lightspeed Venture Partners, Google Ventures, Spring Ventures, Huron River Ventures, SV Angel, Lerer Ventures and others. The free mobile application is available for download for riders via the App Store for iPhone and GooglePlay for Android users.

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Opera Software is buying Skyfire Labs, a Mountain View, Calif.-based maker of software for mobile video optimization. The deal includes a mix of cash and stock and potential earn-out payments that could bring the total deal size to $155 million.

PRESS RELEASE
Opera Software announced today that it has acquired Silicon Valley based Skyfire Labs, a leader in mobile video optimization and cloud solutions for mobility.

Skyfire, headquartered in Mountain View, California, is known for its Rocket Optimizer™ software. This allows mobile operators to leverage cloud computing to optimize virtually any video and other multimedia on crowded cell towers, including 3G and 4G LTE networks. Rocket Optimizer on average provides mobile networks a 60 percent boost in capacity by reducing the size of video and other multimedia content as needed to fit the available bandwidth. Skyfire can detect when specific users are facing poor quality of experience or connections that need assistance, and intervene in milliseconds. This can minimize the long start times, rebuffering, and stalls on video and audio streams that frustrate mobile users around the world. The approach aligns with the trend toward SDN (software-defined networking) and NFV (network function virtualization) among telecommunications operators, thanks to its elastic and virtualization-friendly cloud architecture.

Skyfire also offers Skyfire Horizon™, a mobile browser extension and toolbar platform that allows users to personalize their smartphone browser and operators to gain new monetization opportunities. Skyfire has honed its technology through a variety of top-selling consumer applications, which have more than 20 million worldwide downloads to date.

Skyfire currently counts three large U.S. mobile operators as customers for its Rocket Optimizer and Skyfire Horizon solutions, and is in trials with ten other operators around the world.

“Opera and Skyfire are a natural fit,” said Lars Boilesen, CEO, Opera Software. “Both companies have evolved far beyond their browser roots. Skyfire adds capabilities to our portfolio around video, app optimization, smartphones and tablets, and strength in North America. With video expected to consume over two-thirds of global mobile bandwidth by 2015, and as time spent on Android and iOS apps explodes, we are excited to extend Opera’s solutions for operators.”

“Opera practically invented cloud compression to improve mobile user experience, and the team at Skyfire is proud to join forces and advance cloud solutions together,” said Jeffrey Glueck, CEO of Skyfire. “Opera’s over 100 carrier relationships, global sales team, and delivery organization can accelerate the global commercialization of Skyfire’s technology. Opera´s Mediaworks advertising unit with AdMarvel, Mobile Theory and 4th Screen Advertising will strengthen Skyfire Horizon by offering mobile operators a complete turnkey solution including ad optimization, ad sales, and rich analytics. The synergies across all the product lines for both companies are tremendous.”

After the deal closes, Glueck will assume the role of EVP of the Operator Business for Opera, as well as CEO of Skyfire, and will oversee the joint offerings for Opera across Opera Mini co-brand solutions for Operators and Skyfire’s product lines. Skyfire will remain an independent entity as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Opera, and will continue to develop and support the Skyfire browser.

The two companies envision a powerful new set of joint products to be released over the coming year by combining their talents and know-how. In particular, they look to expand on Opera’s Web Pass offering, which allows consumers to purchase innovative data plans such as an unlimited ‘day pass’ of popular apps and web sites for an affordable price, thanks to video and data optimization. WebPass can enable new business models for operators, such as toll free data, ad-supported data, and more.

“The market opportunity for video/media optimization solutions geared towards operators and consumers is significant. After a thorough evaluation of this market, we strongly believe Skyfire is the clear leader for the future in this space”, said Erik Harrell, CFO/CSO of Opera.

The acquisition price includes a mix of cash and stock, with an upfront consideration of US$50 million (including US$8 million of cash on the Skyfire balance sheet) and performance based earn-out payments over three years, including US$26 million in cash held in escrow and funded upfront, that can bring the total deal size to $155 million.

The Opera acquisition of Skyfire is expected to close before March 15, 2013.

Mobile operators are invited to meet Opera and Skyfire at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona the 25-27th of February, at Hall 5, Booth 5C90.

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Investment bank Gleacher & Co Inc. said it agreed to sell its mortgage lending unit ClearPoint to Ocwen Financial Corp. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter, Reuters reported.

(Reuters) – Investment bank Gleacher & Co Inc said it agreed to sell its mortgage lending unit ClearPoint to Ocwen Financial Corp and ended its search for a potential capital infusion or a buyer.

Gleacher, which did not disclose ClearPoint’s sale price, said it expects the deal to close in the first quarter.

The company, founded by merger and acquisition veteran Eric Gleacher, said last year it was exploring strategic alternatives, including raising more capital or a sale.

“Although we did not believe any proposal we received during the process adequately reflected Gleacher’s value, we will, as before, be opportunistic in considering value-building strategic initiatives,” Chief Executive Thomas Hughes said in a statement.

Eric Gleacher, who founded the company in 1990, stepped down as its chairman last month. He created the mergers and acquisitions department at Lehman Brothers in 1978 and ran global M&A at Morgan Stanley from 1985 to 1990.

During his time at Morgan Stanley, he advised private equity giant Kohlberg Kravis Roberts in its famous takeover battle for RJR Nabisco and featured in the bestselling book on the deal, “Barbarians at the Gate”.

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Ameresco Inc., a publicly traded renewable energy company, has acquired Ennovate Corporation, an energy service company. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

PRESS RELEASE
Ameresco, Inc. AMRC -1.08% , a leading energy efficiency and renewable energy company, announced today that it has completed the purchase of substantially all of the assets of Ennovate Corporation, an energy service company active throughout Colorado, Nebraska, Montana and Wyoming. Ennovate is currently serving customers that include schools, higher education facilities, municipalities and counties.

“We are delighted the acquisition of Ennovate has been completed, and we are happy to have the team join the Ameresco family,” said George P. Sakellaris, President and Chief Executive Officer, Ameresco. “Ennovate’s industry experience and strong customer commitment closely aligns with Ameresco’s. With the additional talent and resources in our Central Region, we not only increase our footprint and penetration in the Rocky Mountain area, but continue to focus on delivering outstanding results and innovative, energy-saving solutions for our customers while welcoming all of those joining us through Ennovate.”

“The entire Ennovate team is very excited to be part of the Ameresco family,” said Jeff Schuster, President, Ennovate Corporation. “The synergies between the companies are remarkable and will offer incomparable value to both existing and future clients. We have great expectations for introducing our building commissioning and engineering services to Ameresco’s customers and Ameresco’s renewable energy services to our customers.”

“It is a pleasure to welcome Jeff Schuster, President of Ennovate, and his organization to Ameresco’s Central Region,” said Louis P. Maltezos, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Central Region, Ameresco. “In his new role as Ameresco Vice President of the newly combined Ameresco/Ennovate Regional Office, I look forward to Jeff’s continued leadership and commitment in expanding the customer base and serving customers.”

The Ameresco and Ennovate Colorado offices will be combined at the current Ennovate location in Aurora, Colorado, and operating together as Ameresco, the team will be responsible for leading Ameresco’s efforts in the Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. Ennovate’s employees will join Ameresco’s current workforce of more than 900.

As a result, Ennovate’s customers can benefit from Ameresco’s comprehensive energy services including energy efficiency, energy savings performance contracts, energy supply and risk management, energy infrastructure services, renewable energy and carbon management, and Ameresco’s data and invoice management platforms.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

About Ameresco, Inc.

Founded in 2000, Ameresco, Inc. AMRC -1.08% is a leading independent provider of comprehensive services, energy efficiency, infrastructure upgrades, asset sustainability and renewable energy solutions for facilities throughout North America. Ameresco’s services include upgrades to a facility’s energy infrastructure and the development, construction and operation of renewable energy plants. Ameresco has successfully completed energy saving, environmentally responsible projects with federal, state and local governments, healthcare and educational institutions, housing authorities, and commercial and industrial customers. With its corporate headquarters in Framingham, MA, Ameresco provides local expertise through its 63 offices in 34 states and five Canadian provinces. Ameresco has more than 900 employees. For more information, visit www.ameresco.com .

About Ennovate

Ennovate is a full service energy engineering firm dedicated to providing performance contracting, freelance energy engineering, facility infrastructure improvements and many other services to improve clients’ facilities. Since inception in 1997, Ennovate has focused on development, implementation and commissioning of energy projects. Ennovate’s experience in the Rocky Mountain and Great Plains Regions is predicated on Ennovate’s long-standing knowledge of local contractors, participation in client associations, and unsurpassed expertise in the region.

Safe Harbor Statement

Any statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects for Ameresco, Inc., including statements about the expected benefits of the acquisition and estimated future results, as well as other statements containing the words “projects,” “believes,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “expects,” “will” and similar expressions, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including: Ameresco may be unable to successfully operate the acquired business to achieve the expected financial results; Ameresco may be unable to retain and maintain relationships with key employees, customers and other strategic partners of the acquired business, as well other factors discussed and detailed from time to time in reports filed by Ameresco with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Forms 10-K and 10-Q. In addition, the forward- looking statements included in this press release represent Ameresco’s views as of the date of this press release. Ameresco anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause its views to change. However, while Ameresco may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, it specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Ameresco’s views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.

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Charlesbank Capital Partners and Webster Capital have acquired OneStopPlus Group. Terms of the deal were not released. New York City-based OSP is a catalog retailer and online marketplace for plus-size consumers. The deal was originally announced in December.

PRESS RELEASE
Charlesbank Capital Partners and Webster Capital announced today that they have acquired OneStopPlus Group (“OSP”), a transaction first announced in December. OSP was a subsidiary of Redcats, owned by Paris-based luxury and sport & lifestyle group PPR. Charlesbank partnered with Webster Capital on the transaction, which was funded with both equity and debt. The OSP management team will also co-invest in the transaction.

New York City-based OSP is a catalog retailer and online marketplace for plus-size consumers. The company includes four women’s apparel lines, Woman Within, Roaman’s, Jessica London and fullbeauty, as well as men’s line King Size, home goods brand BrylaneHome, the OneStopPlus.com online fashion mall and a clearance apparel website. Known for its focus on the plus-size customer and the breadth of its merchandise offering, OSP carries more than 10,000 products and 70 sizes.

Andrew Janower, Charlesbank Managing Director, said, “We are delighted to have closed this transaction and look forward to working with OSP’s management team to continue building the leading direct-to-consumer platform for the plus-size customer. We are excited by the opportunity to expand OSP’s business through both organic growth and strategic acquisitions.”

“Webster believes that OSP has a strong management team and a compelling position in the marketplace,” said Don Steiner, Managing Partner of Webster Capital. “We are enthusiastic about our continued partnership with Charlesbank and confident that we can help provide resources and expertise to grow OSP.”

Sylvain Desjonquères, Chief Executive Officer of the OSP Group, said, “We are very pleased to have found partners who share our vision of the growth opportunities available to the OSP Group. We look forward to doing even more to provide the plus-size customer with the best product, fit, selection, shopping experience and customer service in the market.”

Consensus Advisors acted as financial advisor and Goodwin Procter acted as legal advisor to Charlesbank and Webster in the transaction. For PPR, Peter J. Solomon Company acted as financial advisor and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz acted as legal advisor.

About Charlesbank Capital Partners
Based in Boston and New York, Charlesbank Capital Partners is a middle-market private equity investment firm managing more than $2 billion of capital. Charlesbank focuses on management-led buyouts and growth capital financings, typically investing $50 million to $150 million per transaction in companies with enterprise values of $100 million to $750 million. The firm seeks to partner with strong management teams to build companies with sustainable competitive advantages and excellent prospects for growth. For more information, visit www.charlesbank.com.

About Webster Capital
Founded in 2003, Webster Capital is a private equity partnership with over $200 million in capital under management which invests in healthcare services, branded consumer and business to business companies. Webster focuses on companies with EBITDA of between $3 million to $15 million and transaction values of less than $100 million. Webster Capital provides equity financing, expertise and a broad contact network for management buyouts and growth capital.

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Liazon Corp., a private benefits exchange for businesses, has named David Finkel as its chief operating officer. Finkel joins Liazon from Inovalon, a healthcare data analytics firm, where he served as chief operating officer. Liazon has offices in Buffalo, N.Y., New York City and Waltham, Mass.

PRESS RELEASE
Liazon Corporation, operator of the market-leading private benefits exchange for businesses, today announced the appointment of David Finkel as its chief operating officer, effective immediately. Finkel is a dynamic leader who brings 26 years of operations and business development experience in the health care and employee benefits market to Liazon. His objective is to scale the company’s operations to support its rapid growth and services to brokers, carriers and employers.

“Liazon is on a strong growth trajectory and David’s established track record of managing expansion for companies both large and small makes him a valuable addition to the leadership team,” said Ashok Subramanian, co-founder and CEO.

Finkel joins Liazon from Inovalon, a healthcare data analytics firm, where he served as chief operating officer responsible for managing day-to-day operations of all business units. Earlier he held senior positions at WellPoint, Coventry Health Care, CIGNA, Deloitte & Touche and Oxford Health Plans. Finkel earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Community Health at the University of Rochester and an M.B.A. in Health Care Administration from Baruch College/Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York.

“When I looked for my next opportunity, I wanted to be part of a company that understood the power of consumerism, choice and empowerment within the health care industry. Liazon stood out as the clear leader in building a new marketplace and experience for health care consumers,” said Finkel.

Liazon’s award winning Bright Choices® exchange is a benefits marketplace where employers use a defined contribution funding strategy to provide each employee with a set amount of money to shop for coverage that fits their individual needs. Through the exchange, employees get access to an array of benefit choices, including a variety of health care plans, health savings and flexible spending accounts, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance, as well as wellness, telemedicine, legal plans, and pet insurance. The Bright Choices Exchange educates employees about coverage options and guides them with decision-support technology to make smarter and more economical benefits selections.

About Liazon
Founded in 2007, Liazon Corporation operates the market-leading private benefits exchange for businesses. Its flagship product, the Bright Choices® Exchange, is an online benefits store that is changing the way employers and employees buy benefits. Bright Choices helps employers save money on their healthcare costs by setting predictable budgets while guiding employees to purchase better coverage of health, dental, vision, life, disability and other benefits. Liazon works with top national and regional insurance providers and supports more than 2,000 businesses nationwide through a distribution network of leading broker partners. Liazon has offices in Buffalo, N.Y., New York City and Waltham, MA.

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Biopharma startup BioAegis Therapeutics has raised $3 million in new funding. The company did not disclose details of the round, but said the money will be used for continued development of its products focused on the repletion of human plasma gelsolin.

PRESS RELEASE
BioAegis Therapeutics (privately held) announced that it has completed its initial funding of over $3 million. The Company will now seek to open a US IND and initiate a biomarker-driven Phase 2b/3 pivotal trial to demonstrate that repletion of human plasma gelsolin (pGSN) can prevent the spread of inflammation leading to Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrome (MODS) in the ICU. Separately, BioAegis Therapeutics is planning to advance this biologic in relevant Orphan Indications and initiate an effort to commercialize a plasma gelsolin biomarker diagnostic.

With eleven animal models of efficacy and two previous human trials, repletion of plasma gelsolin has demonstrated strong scientific rationale for human efficacy testing at this time. The evidence strongly suggests that Plasma Gelsolin Deficiency (PGD) may account for adverse outcomes in a variety of diseases in both chronic and acute conditions.

As the fourth most prevalent plasma protein and one of the main scavengers of toxic actin, pGSN is also known to bind with high affinity to multiple inflammatory mediators and to work as a systemic backstop to keep inflammation local. Furthermore, recent breakthrough findings in studies conducted at the Harvard School of Public Health have also shown that unlike previously known modulators of inflammation, pGSN is part of the body’s innate immune system and works to boost the body’s response to pathogens.

Dr. Thomas Stossel, BioAegis’s founding scientist and discoverer of gelsolin, commented, “I am very pleased to be moving forward toward our goal of bringing plasma gelsolin into the clinic where it has enormous potential to save lives and drastically reduce health care expenditures.”

Dr. Stossel is the Director of Translational Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and American Cancer Society Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. BioAegis Therapeutics was founded by a group of highly experienced pharmaceutical, diagnostic and financial executives. Its mission is to harness the body’s innate immune system to address serious outcomes in diseases driven by inflammation.

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Waupaca Foundry Inc., a portfolio company of KPS Capital Partners, has completed a recapitalization. The recap was funded by a $200 million upsizing of the company’s term loan, and used to fund a $200 million cash distribution to stockholders. KPS acquired the company in June 2012.

PRESS RELEASE
KPS Capital Partners, LP (“KPS”) announced today that its portfolio company Waupaca Foundry, Inc. (“Waupaca” or the “Company”) has completed a successful recapitalization. The proceeds of the recapitalization, funded by a $200 million upsizing of the Company’s term loan, were used to fund a $200 million cash distribution to stockholders.

Following the recapitalization, Waupaca remains conservatively capitalized and will have the continued support of KPS, its majority shareholder, to pursue continuous improvement and growth initiatives. KPS is a private equity firm with $2.5 billion of assets under management.

KPS acquired ThyssenKrupp Waupaca, Inc., which was renamed Waupaca Foundry, Inc., from ThyssenKrupp Budd Company, through a newly formed, wholly owned affiliate, in June 2012.

Gary Gigante, Chief Executive Officer of Waupaca, said, “Waupaca is now a thriving independent company under KPS’ ownership, and we are pleased to return capital to our stockholders. This recapitalization validates the successful transformation of Waupaca that was achieved in a very short period of time. Our conservative capital structure and the financial support of our stockholders provide us with the resources to support our customers and grow aggressively, both organically and through acquisitions.”

Financing for the transaction was provided by a syndicate of banks and institutional investors with GE Capital Markets, Inc. acting as Lead Arranger. RBC Capital Markets acted as special advisor to KPS.

About Waupaca Foundry, Inc.

Waupaca Foundry, Inc. (“Waupaca”) the largest iron foundry company in the world, produces gray and ductile iron castings using state-of-the-art technology. Waupaca is North America’s leading supplier of iron castings to the automotive, truck, agriculture, construction, hydraulics and commercial vehicle markets. Headquartered in Waupaca, Wisconsin, the Company operates six manufacturing facilities, located in Waupaca, Wisconsin (3), Marinette, Wisconsin, Tell City, Indiana, and Etowah, Tennessee. Waupaca employs approximately 3,700 associates. For more information about Waupaca, please visit www.waupacafoundry.com

About KPS Capital Partners, LP

KPS Capital Partners, LP is the manager of the KPS Special Situations Funds, a family of private equity funds with $2.5 billion of assets under management focused on constructive investing in restructurings, turnarounds and other special situations. The KPS investment strategy targets manufacturing and industrial companies with strong market positions that are going through a period of transition or experiencing operating or financial difficulties. For over two decades, the partners of KPS have worked with the management teams and associates of its portfolio companies to improve operating and financial performance by focusing on cost reduction, efficiency, operational excellence and strategic growth initiatives. KPS Portfolio Companies, as of September 30, 2012, have aggregate annual revenues of approximately $6.8 billion, operate 85 manufacturing plants in 25 countries, and employ over 29,000 associates, directly and through joint ventures worldwide.

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Energy Investors Funds and Midstream Capital Partners have partnered to identify and develop investment opportunities in the energy midstream space in the United States, the firms announced Wednesday. Financial terms were not disclosed. The firms will initially focus on natural gas gathering systems.

PRESS RELEASE
Energy Investors Funds (“EIF”) announced today it has formed an exclusive partnership with Midstream Capital Partners, LLC (“MCP”). The primary focus of the partnership will be to identify and develop investment opportunities in the energy midstream space in the United States, with an initial focus on natural gas gathering systems. Financial terms of the partnership were not disclosed.

Midstream Capital Partners was formed by Lou Pai, Richard Kieval and Dale Miller, each of whom has decades of experience in the natural gas infrastructure space. Through the partnership, MCP will work with EIF to identify midstream investments through partnerships, acquisitions and greenfield development.

“We’re excited to announce this partnership with MCP, which we believe has some of the brightest minds in the midstream space,” said Terence Darby, Managing Partner at EIF. “With the shale boom that is currently underway in the United States, we believe there will be numerous opportunities to invest in the physical infrastructure used to transport natural gas.”

“We see this partnership with EIF as a validation of our business model and the high level of opportunity in the midstream space,” said Lou Pai, Managing Partner at Midstream Capital Partners. “We’ve known EIF for many years and believe their investment model and executive team to be one of the best in the industry.”

About Energy Investors Funds
EIF was founded in 1987 as one of the first private equity fund managers dedicated exclusively to the independent power and electric utility industry. Its consistent, proven investment strategy is to create geographically and technologically diversified portfolios of electric power-related assets that provide superior risk-adjusted equity returns with current cash flow and capital appreciation. EIF has raised over $5 billion in equity capital and currently manages multiple private equity funds from its offices in Boston, New York, and San Francisco. These funds have made over 100 diversified investments with an underlying asset value greater than $15 billion. EIF-managed funds own approximately 4,000 MW of capacity in facilities that are currently operating or under construction and an additional 6,000 MW in facilities that are in various stages of development. EIF closed on its latest fund, EIF United States Power Fund IV, L.P., in October 2011, with $1.713 billion in capital commitments.

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SAFE Security, a company backed by ICV Partners, has acquired 24,000 security alarm monitoring subscriber accounts from Utah-based Pinnacle Security. Terms were not disclosed.

PRESS RELEASE
ICV Partners, a leading investment firm focused on lower middle market companies, announced today that its portfolio company SAFE Security has acquired approximately 24,000 security alarm monitoring subscriber accounts from Utah-based Pinnacle Security. The newly acquired accounts represent $1.1 million of Recurring Monthly Revenue.

“This is an exciting and important addition to SAFE’s portfolio,” said Paul Sargenti, SAFE’s President and CEO who founded the company in 1988. “The transaction fits very nicely into our national footprint. The acquisition, in conjunction with SAFE’s robust dealer program, provides cash flow to optimize and execute SAFE’s growth strategy.”

Cory D. Mims, a Managing Director of ICV, said, “We have been working closely with SAFE Security’s founder and CEO Paul Sargenti and his management team to build on the company’s historically strong record of performance. A part of that includes supporting SAFE Security with the capital necessary to back management’s vision for growth. These new accounts add significant revenue to the company and we continue to review high quality acquisition targets.” ICV acquired SAFE Security in 2012.

About SAFE Security
SAFE Security® ranks among the largest security alarm companies in the United States, with operations in 44 states. SAFE Security (Security Alarm Financing Enterprise, L.P.), headquartered in San Ramon, CA is one of the nation’s leading security alarm companies engaged in the business of purchasing, financing and servicing residential and commercial security alarm monitoring contracts. SAFE Security actively markets and installs alarm systems and monitoring to homeowners across the nation in addition to growing a robust dealer account acquisition program. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.safesecurity.com.

About ICV Partners
Founded in 1998, ICV Partners is a leading private investment firm that supports management leaders of strong companies at the lower end of the middle market. The principals of ICV have crafted a strong track record of helping companies improve performance over the long term and across a variety of industries. ICV seeks to make control investments in market leading businesses with $25 million to $250 million in revenue. Additional information is available at www.icvpartners.com.

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Mark DeNatale and Scott Bynum have joined CVC Credit Partners, the firm announced. DeNatale joins the firm’s operating board as a partner and will be a senior portfolio manager and global head of trading. Bynum joins as a managing director and portfolio manager.

PRESS RELEASE
CVC Credit Partners (“CVC Credit”) today announced that Mark DeNatale and Scott Bynum have joined the firm. Mark joins the Firm’s Operating Board as a Partner and will be a Senior Portfolio Manager and Global Head of Trading. Scott joins as a Managing Director and Portfolio Manager.

Mark DeNatale spent 17 years at Goldman Sachs where he was a Managing Director and Head of Loan Trading, managing risk across distressed, stressed and performing credit. Mark actively invested and traded across the capital structure including loans, bonds, equities and derivatives; he was also instrumental in developing a European loan trading platform. Mark is a former member of the Board of Directors of the LSTA and is a graduate of Boston College.

Scott Bynum spent 7 years at Goldman Sachs where he was a Vice President in the Bank Loan Distressed Investing business. In that capacity, Scott managed research coverage for a variety of sectors and led investments across the capital structure in both public and private companies. Scott also led the hedging effort for the investing portfolio consisting of loans, bonds, equities, derivatives, trade claims, and private financings. Scott graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University with a degree in engineering.

Commenting on these appointments, Steve Hickey, Partner and Chief Risk Officer, said: “I am delighted to be working with both Mark and Scott again. Mark has a truly global perspective and brings extensive management experience as well as sourcing, investing and trading expertise to our growing platform. Scott is rejoining his former colleagues and will add valuable sourcing and investment experience across the credit spectrum. I look forward to working with them as we expand the product offerings at CVC Credit Partners.”

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Apollo Global Management LLC-backed payment processor Evertec Inc. filed with U.S. regulators to raise up to $100 million in an initial public offering of its common shares. In a regulatory filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the San Juan, Puerto Rico-based company named Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Securities as the underwriters to the offering.

(Reuters) – Apollo Global Management LLC-backed payment processor Evertec Inc filed with U.S. regulators to raise up to $100 million in an initial public offering of its common shares.

In a regulatory filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the San Juan, Puerto Rico-based company named Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Securities as the underwriters to the offering.

The company did not reveal the number of shares it planned to sell or their expected price. The company is yet to decide the stock exchange it intends to list on.

Apollo Global Management, which acquired Evertec from Puerto Rican lender Popular Inc in September 2010, owns a 51 percent stake in the company. Popular retains 49 percent and is Evertec’s largest customer.

The company processes over 1.2 billion transactions annually, and manages the electronic payment network for over 4,900 automated teller machines and over 107,000 point-of-sale payment terminals, Evertec said in the filing.

The company earned $3.8 million on revenue of $250.7 million in the nine months ended Sept. 30.

The amount of money a company says it plans to raise in its first IPO filing is used to calculate registration fees. The final size of the IPO could be different. (Reporting by Ashutosh Pandey in Bangalore; Editing by Maju Samuel)

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Corinthian Capital Group has acquired Sierra Engineering and Sierra Petroleum Services Ltd. Sierra provides engineering and consulting services to the oil and gas industry. Terms were not disclosed. ORIX Mezzanine & Private Equity Investments announced the deal.

PRESS RELEASE
ORIX Mezzanine & Private Equity Investments announced today a mezzanine and private equity investment for the acquisition of Sierra Engineering and Sierra Petroleum Services, Ltd. (“Sierra”) by Corinthian Capital Group, LLC and its management. Sierra provides engineering and consulting services to the oil and gas industry and specializes in wellbore-construction project management. Sierra gives its clients the expertise necessary to develop, evaluate, and execute projects ranging from a single well to entire fields. Headquartered in Midland, Texas, the company operates throughout the continental U.S. as well as internationally.

C. Kenneth Clay, senior managing director of Corinthian Capital said, “Sierra has emerged as a leading provider of oil and gas engineering and consulting services and has a very strong brand. I am confident that, with Sierra’s impressive management team, we can help position the company to expand and grow domestically as well as abroad.”

Jeff Sangalis, managing director of ORIX Mezzanine and Private Equity Investments said, “We are pleased to be partnering once again with Corinthian Capital professionals and look forward to working with Sierra and its management team.”

About ORIX Mezzanine & Private Equity Investments

ORIX Mezzanine & Private Equity (OMPE) provides mezzanine debt and/or equity capital to lower middle market and middle market companies throughout the United States. As a business unit of Dallas-based ORIX USA, OMPE makes investments from $5-25 million in a wide variety of businesses and geographic areas for buyouts, mergers and acquisitions, recapitalizations and refinancings, and growth and expansions situations. Investments are with companies owned by equity sponsor groups, fundless sponsors, family owned companies, and directly with management teams. If you are interested in learning more about ORIX’s value-added mezzanine and equity products, please contact Jeff Sangalis at 214.237.2059 or visit www.orixmpe.com or www.orixpe.com.

About ORIX USA:

ORIX USA is a Dallas-based financial services conglomerate with more than 1,400 employees and primary offices in Dallas, New York, Los Angeles, Columbus and Minneapolis. ORIX USA holds approximately $6 billion of assets and manages an additional $25 billion. ORIX USA is a wholly owned subsidiary of ORIX Corporation, a Tokyo-based, publicly owned international financial services company with operations in 28 countries worldwide. ORIX Corporation is listed on the Tokyo (8591) and New York Stock Exchange (IX). For more information visit www.orix.com.

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Marlin Equity Partners acquired the optical networking business of Sycamore Networks Inc., the firm announced. Sycamore is publicly traded and based in Chelsmford, Mass. No financial terms were disclosed.

PRESS RELEASE
Marlin Equity Partners has acquired the optical networking business of Sycamore Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:SCMR), a Chelsmford, MA-based provider of intelligent optical networking and multiservice access solutions deployed in fixed-line and mobile networks around the world. Its solutions improve utilization of network capacity, increase operational efficiencies and cost-effectively transition from circuit to packet services, while ensuring the highest degree of service availability. The new Marlin entity will be called Sycamore Networks Solutions. No financial terms were disclosed.

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Parthenon Capital Partners has put an undisclosed amount of money into Envysion Inc., a provider of managed video as a service. The money will be used for growth. Parthenon Capital is based in Boston and San Francisco.

PRESS RELEASE
Envysion®, Inc., (www.envysion.com) the leading Managed Video as a Service (MVaaS) provider, today announced Parthenon Capital Partners, a growth oriented private equity firm with offices in San Francisco and Boston, has completed an investment in Envysion. Proceeds from the transaction will be used to provide growth capital for the company.Envysion’s CEO, Matt Steinfort, explained the decision to raise capital, saying, “Envysion has a tremendous opportunity to extend our leadership position in the video-driven business intelligence industry. Over the past several years we have continued to experience remarkable growth, have expanded into new vertical markets and have added numerous marquee national customers. We sought additional capital to enable us to further accelerate this growth and to meet the growing demand from our customers for new and differentiated services to support their cross functional uses of our application. We are thrilled to team with Parthenon, who shares our passion and excitement about this opportunity and will help us accelerate our business.”Envysion will work with Parthenon to advance the shared goal of delivering material profit improvement for the company’s customers. Parthenon brings deep expertise in business services, corporate strategy and operations that will help Envysion expand its platform and value proposition for customers, as well as improve operational efficiencies.”We are thrilled to partner with Matt and the Envysion team,” said Andrew Dodson, partner at Parthenon Capital Partners. “Having spent years in and around the security and video surveillance industries, we believe that video-driven business intelligence is revolutionizing how owners and operators manage retail and restaurant locations. With cloud-based solutions like Envysion’s, operators can dramatically enhance their loss prevention efforts, improve operational efficiency and increase profitability by combining data with video. We believe Envysion is the clear industry leader providing these capabilities.” David Ament, a managing partner at Parthenon, added, “Since its founding, Envysion has partnered with some of the largest, most sophisticated operators within the retail, restaurant and cinema industries. By providing these customers with powerful, easy-to-use, cloud-based solutions, Envysion has substantially increased the profitability of these customers, reduced losses, increased operational efficiency and driven the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. Parthenon is excited to partner with the Envysion team to build upon its track record of growth and lead the industry into its next phase of expansion.”Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. served as Envysion’s financial advisor in the fund raising process.About Envysion
Envysion enables large, national retail, restaurant, cinema and convenience store operators to increase profitability 10-15% by putting easy-to-use, video-driven business intelligenceTM into the hands of the entire organization. Envysion created the Managed Video as a Service (MVaaS) model, which transforms video surveillance into a strategic management tool that provides instant and unfiltered business insights to users across operations, loss prevention, marketing and human resources. The MVaaS model enables Envysion to accelerate innovation by rapidly responding to market opportunity and making new capabilities immediately available to all users. Envysion’s platform quickly scales to 1,000s of locations and 10,000s of users without straining the IT department or network. For more information, visit www.envysion.com or call 877.258.9441.About Parthenon Capital Partners
Parthenon Capital Partners is a leading mid-market private equity firm based in Boston and San Francisco. Parthenon utilizes niche industry expertise and a deep execution team to invest in growth companies in service industries. Parthenon seeks to be an active and aligned partner to management, either through recapitalization transactions or by backing new executives. Parthenon has particular expertise in business services, financial and insurance services and healthcare, but seeks any service, technology or delivery business with a strong value proposition and proprietary know-how. Parthenon’s investment team has deep experience in corporate strategy, capital markets and operations, enabling the firm to pursue complex, multi-faceted value creation opportunities.

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Clearwire Corp. said on Friday that it was still evaluating an offer from Dish Network Corp to buy the company for $3.30 per share even as it recommended that shareholders vote for a rival offer from Sprint Nextel Corp. Clearwire, which agreed in December to a $2.97-per-share buyout by Sprint, also said it would not draw on a $80 million offer of financing from Sprint Nextel in February because it is still evaluating the Dish offer, Reuters reported.

(Reuters) – Clearwire Corp said on Friday that it was still evaluating an offer from Dish Network Corp to buy the company for $3.30 per share even as it recommended that shareholders vote for a rival offer from Sprint Nextel Corp.

Clearwire, which agreed in December to a $2.97-per-share buyout by Sprint, also said it would not draw on a $80 million offer of financing from Sprint Nextel in February because it is still evaluating the Dish offer.

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Real estate investment manager Clarion Partners has promoted four to directors at the firm. Gary Rufrano focuses on acquisition and development opportunities in the Northeast, Midwest and Texas, and joined the firm in 2001. Richard Schaupp is a Portfolio Manager, and also supports investment activities in Brazil. Schaupp joined Clarion Partners in 2000. Tim Wang is head of the Clarion Partners Investment Research Group, and joined Clarion in 2006. Douglas Wolski is the assistant portfolio manager of a $6.8 billion portfolio invested in 147 assets across the United States. He joined the firm in 2006.

PRESS RELEASE
Clarion Partners, LLC, a leading real estate investment manager, announced today that it has named four of its senior professionals as Directors of the firm.
Gary E. Rufrano is a member of the Clarion Partners Acquisition Group, with responsibilities for acquisition and development opportunities in the Northeast, Midwest and Texas. He joined Clarion Partners in 2001.
Richard H. Schaupp is a Portfolio Manager, with a focus on value-added and opportunistic investment activities at the firm. He also supports Clarion Partners’ investment activities in Brazil. Schaupp, who leads the firm’s Sustainability program, joined Clarion Partners in 2000.
Tim Wang, Ph.D., is head of the Clarion Partners Investment Research Group, responsible for advising on investment strategy utilizing proprietary analytics and econometric forecasting. He oversees the research function at Clarion Partners and is also a member of the firm’s Investment Committee. Wang joined Clarion in 2006.
Douglas F. Wolski is the Assistant Portfolio Manager of a $6.8 billion portfolio invested in 147 assets across the United States. He joined the firm in 2006.
“We believe strongly in recognizing the contributions of the accomplished professionals at Clarion,” said Stephen J. Furnary, Chairman and CEO of Clarion Partners. “These individuals have consistently demonstrated superior performance, outstanding leadership, and exceptional initiative. We are pleased to welcome them to our senior management team.”

Press Contact: Mike MacMillan/Chris Sullivan
MacMillan Communications (212) 473-­‐4442, [email protected]

About Clarion Partners LLC
Clarion Partners has been a leading U.S. real estate investment manager for over 30 years. Headquartered in New York, the firm has offices in major markets throughout the U.S., in S͠ ão Paulo, Brazil and London, England as well as a presence in Mexico. With more than $25 billion in total assets under management, Clarion Partners offers a broad range of real estate strategies across the risk/return spectrum to its more than 200 domestic and international institutional investors.
More information about the firm is available at www.clarionpartners.com.
Disclaimer
Some information contained herein is derived from selected third party sources believed by Clarion Partners to be reliable, but no representation or warranty is made regarding its accuracy or completeness. Opinions and forecasts expressed reflect the current judgment of Clarion Partners’ Investment Research Group and may change without notice. Nothing herein constitutes an offer or solicitation of any product or service to any person or in any jurisdiction where such offer or solicitation is not authorized or is prohibited by law. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results.

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Crosslink Capital has added David Courtney as general partner and chief operating officer. He will be based in San Francisco. Previously, he served as Chief Executive Officer of JiWire Inc.

PRESS RELEASE
Crosslink Capital, a leading venture capital and growth equity firm, today announced that David Courtney has joined the firm as General Partner and Chief Operating Officer. His responsibilities include direct oversight of Operations, Finance, Compliance and Human Resources. He reports to Michael Stark, Founder and General Partner of Crosslink Capital, and is based in the firm’s San Francisco headquarters.

“The Chief Operating Officer is an important component of our leadership team at Crosslink,” said Mr. Stark. “We have known David for many years. He has exceptional operational and leadership skills, as well as a strong background in compliance that will further strengthen the team we have in place today.”

Prior to joining Crosslink Capital, Mr. Courtney served in several executive roles in the technology and digital media industry. Most recently, he served as Chief Executive Officer of JiWire, Inc., where he led the company through a period of rapid growth and oversaw its entry into new markets. Prior to JiWire, Mr. Courtney served as President and COO of Adify Corp. and as CFO and Board Member of TiVo TIVO +6.63% . In both of those roles, he had responsibility for operations, accounting and reporting, finance and planning, investor relations, human resources, as well as all legal activities. In addition to his role with the TiVo Board of Directors, he has previously served on the Boards of numerous public and private technology companies, often as the head of the audit committee.

Mr. Courtney is also a veteran of the financial services industry. Most recently, he served as an Executive-in-Residence at Venrock, assisting the venture capital firm with its portfolio companies and assessing needs for both people and funding. He also has over 15 years of experience in investment banking at JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs.

Mr. Courtney holds a B.A. degree from Dartmouth College, and an M.B.A. from Stanford University.

“I first met Crosslink Capital when the firm became a value added investor in TiVo about 10 years ago,” noted Mr. Courtney. “I have always had great respect for their process and integrity. I am excited to join their team and help them address the operational needs of a growing investment firm. I am particularly excited to be able to do this for one that invests in both public and private companies, as the needs can vary.”

About Crosslink Capital

Crosslink Capital is a leading stage-independent venture capital and growth equity firm with over $1.6 billion in assets. Crosslink, which traces its roots back to 1989, was among the first and largest investment firms in the U.S. to integrate public and private growth/technology investing in three families of funds: venture capital funds, long/short hedge funds and a unique hybrid crossover fund. This strategy allows Crosslink to partner with its portfolio companies on a long-term basis. With more than 20 years behind it, Crosslink Capital has invested in over 100 private equity portfolio companies, at the early, mid, and late stages including Pandora P +0.52% , Ancestry.com , Omniture (acquired by Adobe Systems), Equinix EQIX +0.49% , Carbonite CARB +0.73% , SeaMicro (acquired by Advanced Micro Devices), Intematix, DataStax and Bleacher Report (acquired by Time Warner, Inc.). For more information on Crosslink, visit http://www.crosslinkcapital.com

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Anime and Asian content streaming service Crunchyroll Inc. has added Eric Feng, former CTO of Hulu, to its advisory board. On the advisory board Feng joins James Hong and Jim Young of HOTorNOT, Naval Ravikant of AngelList, David Chao of DCM, and Max Levchin of Slide and PayPal.

PRESS RELEASE
Crunchyroll, Inc., the leading Anime and Asian content streaming service, announced today that Eric Feng, former CTO of Hulu, has joined the Crunchyroll Advisory Board to help fuel continued growth for the already booming global video streaming service. With more than nine million registered users worldwide and over one hundred thousand premium subscribers, Crunchyroll is innovating how vertical content is consumed and monetized.

Feng brings years of cutting-edge and entrepreneurial experience from various video technology sectors to Crunchyroll. As CTO of Hulu, Feng helped to grow the company into the #2 U.S. video site in only three years, touting more than 43 million monthly unique viewers, 920 million monthly streams, 200 content providers and over 400 advertisers. Feng also was a Partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers where he was an investor and served as the tech advisor to former Vice President Al Gore. In 2011, Feng founded Erly, a social networking platform funded by Kleiner Perkins, that focused on organizing and sharing personal content. Erly was acquired in 2012 by Airtime.

Feng joins other Silicon Valley luminaries on Crunchyroll’s Advisory Board, including James Hong and Jim Young of HOTorNOT, Naval Ravikant of AngelList, David Chao of DCM, and Max Levchin of Slide and PayPal.

“I am honored to welcome Eric as an advisor,” says Crunchyroll CEO and Founder Kun Gao. “Eric has contributed strategically and tactically to the success of many companies through his insight and leadership. That experience, combined with his unique understanding of streaming media and user experience, will be invaluable to Crunchyroll as we tackle the vision of bringing unique and differentiated channel content experiences to the masses.”

“I am thrilled to join the Crunchyroll Advisory Board,” said Eric Feng. “Crunchyroll has experienced impressive growth by delivering a world class service for its customers. We share a passion for transforming media with technology and I look forward to helping Crunchyroll continue on its ambitious mission.”

About Crunchyroll, Inc. Crunchyroll is a leading global video network and developer of social media applications for Japanese anime and Asian media. Through applications like Crunchyroll for iPhone, iPad, Android, Playstation(R)3, Xbox LIVE(R), TV, set-top boxes, affiliate websites and its own streaming website, Crunchyroll delivers over 20,000 episodes and 10,000 hours of officially-licensed content from leading Asian media producers direct to consumers.

Crunchyroll has offices in San Francisco, Calif. and Tokyo, Japan, and is a member of the Association of Japanese Animations (AJA) and Licensing International Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA). Officially launched in 2009, Crunchyroll is funded by leading venture capital firm, Venrock, Japanese entertainment giant TV TOKYO, digital publishing leader Bitway and a group of angel investors representing some of the brightest and most successful entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley.

Middle market buyout shop Ridgemont Equity Partners has partnered with Unitex Oil and Gas, and closed the acquisition of oil assets in Scurry County, Texas. Unitex was formed to acquire and develop producing properties in the Permian Basin. The financial terms of the Scurry County transaction were not disclosed.

PRESS RELEASE
Ridgemont Equity Partners, a middle market buyout and growth equity firm, today announced the formation of a new partnership with Unitex Oil and Gas’ management team and the closing of the partnership’s first acquisition of conventional oil assets in Scurry County, Texas. Unitex was formed to acquire and develop producing properties in the Permian Basin. The financial terms of the Scurry County transaction were not disclosed.

Unitex was founded by David Wilson in 2003 and is headquartered in Midland, Texas. The company seeks to create value through optimizing operations and increasing production through workovers and the drillbit. The company will target acquisitions in and around the Midland Basin. The Scurry County acquisition fits well with the company’s history and focus.

“Ridgemont is delighted to partner with David and his team,” said John Shimp, a Partner at Ridgemont. “Unitex brings the right skill set and the attention required to improve the performance of the mature oil fields it hopes to acquire.”

“I am excited to partner with Ridgemont and grow Unitex’s assets with their financial backing,” said David Wilson, the CEO of Unitex. “Ridgemont shares management’s vision for the company. I look forward to continuing to leverage their knowledge and support.”

K&L Gates LLP and King & Spalding LLP acted as legal advisors to Ridgemont.

About Unitex:

Unitex Oil and Gas (“Unitex”) is an upstream exploration and production company located in Midland, Texas, led by David Wilson. Since 2003, the company has been investing in and improving the production of conventional oil assets in the Permian Basin. www.unitexoilandgas.com

About Ridgemont Equity Partners:

Ridgemont Equity Partners is a Charlotte-based private equity firm that specializes in middle market buyout and growth equity investments. Since 1993, the principals of Ridgemont have invested over $3 billion in more than 110 companies. The firm focuses on investments of $25 million to $75 million in industries in which it has deep expertise, including basic industries and services, energy, healthcare, and telecommunications/media/technology.