Abdicated Responsibility
No column this morning, due to some unexpected issues on the homefront (don't worry -- nothing serious), plus a ton of deal news to blurb. Hope to return to our regularly-scheduled ramblings tomorrow...
THE BIG DEAL
• Renaud Laplanche, the recently-ousted CEO of LendingClub (NYSE: LC), is speaking to private equity firms and investment banks about a possible takeover attempt of the online lender, according to Reuters. Read more.
VENTURE CAPITAL DEALS
• Cylance, an Irvine, Calif.-based cybersecurity company that leverages artificial intelligence and algorithmic science, has raised $100 million in Series D funding co-led by The Blackstone Group and Insight Venture Partners. Existing investors include DFJ Growth, KKR, Dell Ventures, Capital One Ventures and TenEleven Ventures. Read more.
•GinkgoBioworks, a Boston-based designer and developer of microorganisms for such purposes as flavoring, has raised $100 million in Series C funding. Backers include Y Combinator’s Continuity Fund, Senator Investment Group, Cascade Investment, Viking Global Investors, Allen & Co. And Bailie Gifford. Proceeds will be used to acquire 600 base pairs of synthetic DNA. Read more.
• Buildium, a Boston-based startup that sells software for rental property managers, has raised $65 million in funding from Sumeru Equity Partners, according to Coins2Day. Read more.
• Celonis, a Munich-based provider of “process mining” big data analytics, has raised $27.5 million in Series A funding co-led by Accel and 83North. Read more.
• Midokura, a provider of software network virtualization solutions, has raised $20.4 million in Series B funding from Simplex Inc. (Japan) and return backers Innovation Network Corp. Of Japan and Allen Miner. The company has offices in Tokyo, San Francisco and Barcelona. Www.midokura.com
• ABA English, a Barcelona-based online English language academy, has raised €12 million in growth equity funding led by Kennet Partners. Www.abaenglish.com
• Convercent, a Denver-based provider of compliance management software, has raised $11 million in Series C funding. Tola Capital led the round, and was joined by return backers like Sapphire Ventures. Www.convercent.com
• Nuxeo, a New York-based enterprise content management platform, has raised $10 million in new VC funding from Kennet Partners. Www.nuxeo.com
• iContainers, a Spain-based digital freight forwarder and marketplace for instant quotes and booking, has raised $6.7 million in growth equity funding. Serena Capital led the round, and was joined by return backers Kibo Ventures and Vitamina K. Www.icontainers.com
• Blow Ltd., a London-based on-demand provider of beauty services, has raised £500,000 in seed funding from Unilever Ventures. Www.blowltd.com
PRIVATE EQUITY DEALS
• Antin and Borletti Group have agreed to acquire Grandi Stazioni Retail, an Italian leasor of commercial space at large railway stations, for around €900 million, according to Reuters. Read more.
• Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena SpA has hired Mediobanca to find a buyer for the platform that manages its non-performing loans, according to Bloomberg. Private equity firms like KKR are likely targets. Read more.
• The Blackstone Group is in advanced talks to acquire Acrisure, a Caledonia, Mich.-based insurance broker currently owned by Genstar Capital, according to Reuters. The deal could be valued at over $2 billion (including debt). Read more.
• Pfingsten Partners has acquired Kith Kitchens LLC, a Haleyville, Ala.-based maker of semi-custom framed and frameless kitchen and bath cabinetry under the Kith and Eudora brands. No financial terms were disclosed. Www.doorcomponentsllc.com
• Polycom Inc. (Nasdaq: PLCM), a San Jose, Calif.-based maker of videoconferencing equipment, says that an unidentified private equity firm has increased its buyout offer from the company to $12.25 per share, which represents a 2.5% premium to the company’s closing share price on Tuesday. The offer values Polycom at around $1.66 billion, which remains below Polycom’s existing agreement to be acquired for $1.96 billion by Mitel Networks (Nasdaq: MITL). Read more.
• Prostar Capital has agreed to acquire a 40% interest in a crude oil and refined product storage terminal on Zhoushan Island (near Shanghai) for more than $100 million. The terminal is owned by China’s Tyloo Oil and Gas International Holdings Corp.Www.prostarcapital.com
• Stada (DE: STAG), a German generic pharma company, said that it did not engage in takeover offers with CVC Capital Partners, denying a WSJ report from late last month. Read more.
• Warburg Pincus has acquired a majority stake in Inexio, a German provider of broadband services, at an enterprise value of around €250 million. Sellers include Deutsche Beteiligungs. Read more. Www.warburgpincus.com
• Wasserstein Partners has acquired Northstar Travel Group, a Secaucus, N.J.-based provider of B2B information and events related to the travel and meetings industry, from the Wicks Group of Companies. No financial terms were disclosed. Www.northstartravelgroup.com
• TA Associates has acquired an undisclosed stake in Conservice, a Logan, Utah-based provider of utility management and billing software for property owners and managers, from Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors. No financial terms were disclosed. Www.conservice.com
IPOs
•No IPO news this morning.
EXITS
• Navis Capital Partners is considering a sale of WorldMark, an Australia-based provider of automotive aftermarket products and services, according to The Australian. A deal could value WorldMark at more than A$230 million. Read more.
OTHER DEALS
• Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN) said that it plans to invest more than $3 billion into its Indian e-commerce site, increasing pressure on VC-backed competitors like Flipkart and Snapdeal. Read more.
• Yahoo (Nasdaq: YHOO) has hired investment bak Black Stone IP to sell about 3,000 patents, according to the WSJ. Read more.
FIRMS & FUNDS
• Longitude Capital, a life sciences-focused VC firm, has closed its third fund with $525 million in capital commitments. Www.longitudecapital.com
• Ohio TechAngel Funds has closed its fifth fund with $5.1 million in capital commitments. Www.rev1ventures.com
• SoftTech VC, a San Francisco-based seed-stage VC firm, has closed its fifth flagship fund with $100 million in capital commitments. It also has raised $50 million for an overage fund. Read more.
• Temasek Holdings of Singapore has launched a $500 million issue of new bonds that are backed by a portfolio of 34 private equity funds (managed by such firms as The Blackstone Group and TPG Capital), according to The Straits Times. Read more.
MOVING IN, ON & UP
• Nir Blumberger has joined Accel as an Israel-based venture partner. He previously worked in the corporate development group of Facebook. Www.accel.com
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