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Gametime The NCAA brackets are set, American corporations are turning a blind eye toward internal gambling (if not outright endorsing it) and long weekends will begin at around noon on Thursday. That’s right dear readers, it’s time for us to launch our fourth annual March Madness extravaganza. The contest is open to all PE Week readers, with the top finisher to receive two prizes. First, he or she will receive a complementary subscription to the Thomson Venture Economics publication of their choice: Buyouts, PE Week, Venture Capital Journal or European Venture Capital Journal. Second, the winner will be given one-day governance of this space (i.e. the blue text), which could mean a column, company advertisement, plea for work, etc. You could even spend 500 words (mistakenly)expounding on the virtues of Doc Rivers. To Play:
Good luck to all…
InfaCare Pharmaceutical Corp., a Plymouth Meeting, Pa.-based neonatal and pediatric drug company, has raised $30 million in Series A funding co-led by Atlas Venture and Pequot Ventures. Leerink Swann & Co. served as placement agent. www.infacarepharm.com Clearwire Corp., a Kirkland, Wash.-based WiMax company led by Craig McCaw, has raised $360 million in new private financing, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. No details on how much equity (if any) was involved, or who provided the money. Clearwire now has raised over $900 million in funding, including a $100 million infusion from Bell Canada last year and earlier deals with Intel Capital, Convergent Inv*stors, Goldman Sachs and The Edgewater Funds. www.clearwire.com McClatchy Newspapers Inc. (NYSE: MNI) has agreed to buy Knight-Ridder Inc. (NYSE: KRI) for around $4.5 billion in cash and stock, plus the assumption of around $2 billion in indebtedness. McClatchy’s only real competition at auction’s end was a private equity consortium that included Bain Capital, Hellman & Friedman, Oak Hill Capital Partners, Texas Pacific Group and Thomas H. Lee Partners.
NuLens Ltd., an Israel-based company focused on intra-ocular lenses used in surgical procedures to treat cataracts and presbyopia, has raised $6 million in Series B funding. Warburg Pincus led the deal, and was joined by return backer Elron Electronic Industries Ltd. www.nu-lens.com
ScanR Inc., a Palo Alto, Calif.-based company that enables camera phones and digital cameras to scan, copy and fax, has raised $4.65 million in Series A funding. Trinity Ventures led the deal, and was joined by Thomvest International, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Don Listwin (former CEO of Openwave) and James Joaquin (CEO of Xoom.com). The deal closed in late 2005. www.scanr.com
Mall Networks Inc., a Lexington, Mass.-based company that connects online retailers with the broad consumer rewards program universe, has raised $2 million in first-round funding from IDG Ventures Boston. www.mallnetworks.com
vMix Inc., a San Diego-based operator of an online community for video content, has raised an undisclosed amount of first-round funding from Mission Ventures and Enterprise Partners Venture Capital. www.vmix.com gNumber Inc., an Austin, Texas-based provider of mobile ecommerce services like the UnWired Buyer for eBay, has raised $1.5 million in VC funding. Accent Texas Fund led the deal, and was joined by Aegis Texas Venture Fund, DFJ Mercury and Gefinor Ventures. www.unwiredbuyer.com Stirling Danmark ApS, a Denmark-based maker of CO2-neutral heating plants, has raised around $2 million in VC funding from EGJ Udvikling, Seed Capital and the Danish Fund for Industrial Growth. www.stirling.dk
IP.access Ltd., a
Kohlberg & Co. has agreed to acquire AGY Holding Corp. for approximately $268 million in cash, plus the assumption of around $15 million in existing AGY obligations. The deal is expected to close by the end of March. AGY Holding is an Aiken, S.C.-based maker of glass fiber yarns used in industries like automotive, construction, defense, aerospace and marine. www.agy.com Texas Pacific Group and Newbridge Capital have agreed to lead a buyout of Coles Myer’s retail business (including its flagship
Stirling Square Capital Partners has acquired 3SI Security Systems Inc. from American Capital Strategies for an undisclosed amount. 3SI is an Exton, Pa.-based provider of electronic security systems for cash protection. Goldsmith Agio Helms advised 3SI on the sale. www.3sisecurity.com HM Capital Partners (f.k.a. Hicks Muse Tate & Furtst) has agreed to sell Activant Solutions Inc. to Hellman & Friedman and Thoma Cressey Equity Partners for an undisclosed amount. Activant is an Austin, Texas–based provider of vertical business management solutions. www.activant.com Grupo Televisa of Mexico says that while it is considering being part of a buyout offer for Univision Communications Inc. (NYSE: UVN), it currently is not part of a consortium reported to include Providence Equity Partners, Madison Dearborn Partners, Haim Saban and the Cisneros family of Venezuela. HMV Group PLC has rejected a revised offer from Permira, which would have valued the UK-based music and book retailer at around Gbp842 million. www.hmv.com Domino’s Pizza (NYSE: DPZ) has repurchased and retired around 5.6 million common shares from Bain Capital for $145 million ($25.78 per share), thus reducing Bain’s stake in the company from 34% to 28 percent. www.dominos.com AXA Private Equity has acquired the rail track systems of German wood products company Pfleiderer AG. Pfleiderer said the deal would net the company around €45 million after taxes. www.pfleiderer.com The Blackstone Group and KKR are considering a joint bid for Portugal Telecom SPGS SA, according to Bloomberg. The deal also would include Portuguese entrepreneur Miguel Pais do Amaral. Portugal Telecom last month received an unsolicited €10.7 billion buyout offer from Sonaercom SGPS.
PGT Inc., a North Venice, Fla.-based manufacturer of impact-resistant windows and doors, has filed has filed to raise $150 million via an IPO of common shares. It plans to trade on the Nasdaq under ticker symbol PGTI. JLL Partners acquired PGT in January 2004. www.pgtindustries.com
Restore Medical Inc., a St. Paul, Minn.-based developer of a medical device to treat sleep and beathing disorders, has filed to raise $50 million via an IPO of common shares. It plans to trade on the Nasdaq under ticker symbol REST, with Deutsche Bank Securities serving as lead underwriter. Restore has raised over $48 million in VC funding since its 1999 inception, from firms like MPM Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, Venturi Group and Charter Venture Capital. www.restoremedical.com
Himax Technologies Inc., a Taiwan-based semiconductor company, has filed to raise $200 million via an IPO of American depository shares. It plans to trade on the Nasdaq under ticker symbol HIMX, with Morgan Stanley serving as lead underwriter. Himax received a small amount of VC funding in 2003 from Hotung International and InveStar Capital. www.himax.com.tw
Jamba Juice Co., a San Francisco–based maker of healthy blended beverages, has agreed to be acquired for around $265 million by blank-check acquisition company Services Acquisition Corp. International (AMEX: SVI). Upon completion of the merger, Services Acquisition Corp. will change its name to Jamba Inc. Jamba Juice shareholders include Technology Venture Investors, Benchmark Capital, GRP Partners, Invesco Private Capital, Oak Investment Partners, Trinity Ventures and Phillips-Smith Specialty Retail Group. www.jambajuice.com Consolidated Fire Protection LLC, an Irvine, Calif.-based fire and life safety services company, has acquired Fire Call, a Paramount, Calif.-based provider of commercial fire alarm and detection systems. No financial terms were disclosed. Consolidated Fire is a portfolio company of Gryphon Investors. www.coscofire.com
Kate Everett-Thorp has joined WaldenVC as a venture partner. She previously was president of interactive at advertising firm AKQA. www.waldenvc.com Glenn Solomon has joined Granite Global Ventures as a managing director, after having previously served as a general partner with Partech International. In other Granite Global Ventures news, the firm has promoted principal Jenny Lee to managing director. www.ggvc.com Chrysalis Ventures has promoted Koleman Karleski to managing director. He joined the firm as an associate in 1997. www.chrysalisventures.com
Denning & Co. has promoted Lisa Herrell to managing director. She has been with the San Francisco-based private equity advisory since its 2001 inception. www.denningandcompany.com Jan Werner has joined Greenhill & Co. as a London-based managing director in charge of the I-bank’s Nordic advisory practice. Prior work has included running the Nordic I-banking teams for both Merrill Lynch and Citigroup. www.greenhill-co.com
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