Grupo Gayosso, Mexico’s largest funeral services company, has been acquired by Advent International in a transaction valued at $317 million, including $40 million in subordinated debt.
US buyout firm Pine Brook Partners has led a four-strong consortium to buy an undisclosed stake in oil and gas exploration company Asia Pacific Exploration Consolidated, as activity in the sector continues.
US venture firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson has closed its first-ever growth stage tech fund on $290 million, exceeding its $250 million target. The fund is already 25 percent invested in five companies DFJ hopes will become ‘$1 billion’ enterprises.
SVG Capital, the UK fund of funds, has hired James Witter (pictured) and Sharad Rathke as directors after making a trio of appointments last month.
KKR and Goldman Sachs have struck a $400 million deal allowing them to terminate their agreed $8 billion buyout of Harman International Industries without litigation or paying a breakup fee to the audio equipment maker.
Indian infrastructure firm Zeus Infra-management and Global Infrastructure Partners have bought East India Petroleum as private equity firms continue to invest strongly in the oil and gas sector.
Octopus Private Equity and Foresight Group, the small and medium enterprise investors, have sold their controlling stakes in outsourcing company Covion Holdings with an 84 percent internal rate of return over two and a half years.
India’s IDFC Private Equity is leading a consortium of Singapore’s GIC Special Investments and the UK’s CDC Group to invest $100 million in the country’s largest optical storage media manufacturer Moser Baer.
Syncom, a US venture firm that typically targets African American- and Hispanic-owned media and communications companies, has garnered $275 million from influential limited partners for its fifth fund.
LGT Capital Partners, the Swiss alternative asset manager, has turned away investors following strong demand for its latest fund of funds targeting the small buyout space.
Alpha Associates, the central and eastern European fund manager, has held the final close of its second fund, which is already 40 percent committed.
Abraaj Capital, the Dubai-based investment firm led by Arif Naqvi, has held a record close on its infrastructure and growth capital fund as it mulls listing on the Dubai stock exchange DIFX.
GMT Communication Partners, the European communications buyout firm, has bolstered its digital media team by recruiting Natalie Tydeman from television production company Fremantle Media.
The European buyout group has more than doubled its predecessor fund with its latest close, while its 2004 fund has fully paid back investors after three exits.
The investment banking arm of UK bank Barclays has appointed Ramon Walsh to its leveraged finance team confident the loan market will recover in 2008.