Virgin Green Fund gains traction with CalPERS investment
Virgin Green Fund, the first green investment fund set up by U.K.-based Virgin Group, has raised $199 million from two large pension funds — CalPERS, Wolverhampton City Council — and other institutional investors to reach its first close, reports the Financial Times. CalPERS made its investment through PCG Clean Energy & Technology Fund. Macquarie Bank’s Clean Technology Fund is another prominent investor.
The fund was set up last year to make investments in renewable energy and… Continue Reading
Roundup: Verizon buys Alltel, CalPERS backs Khosla, and more
Verizon to buy Alltel, your cell phone bill to go up? — Verizon has concluded a deal to buy smaller wireless operator Alltel for $27 billion. Combined, the two will pass AT&T to become the largest operator in the US. Alltel has many users in the Midwest, and it has gotten relatively good marks for things like customer service, that market leaders like Verizon and AT&T are not known for. Analyst Craig Moffett of Sanford C…. Continue Reading
Roundup: Guilt-free stem cells, the trials of Avandia, sponsor research bias, news from ASCO, and more
Flip switch for stem cells – Three research teams reported a technique for “reprogramming” skin cells into embryonic stem cells, those primordial bits of protoplasm that can propagate themselves indefinitely and, under the right conditions, transform themselves into any type of cell in the body. Deriving embryonic stem cells normally requires destroying an embryo — the main reason research with the cells remains limited, as does federal support for the work.
Teams from Kyoto University, MIT and… Continue Reading
CalPERS commits $700M to healthcare, and seeks to make system more efficient
The nation’s largest public pension fund, California Public Employees’ Retirement System announced a plan to invest $700 million more into healthcare companies, and to seek ways to make the healthcare system more efficient.
CalPERS will commit up to $500 million to a new “Healthcare Investment Initiative” for direct investments in healthcare companies, and up to $200 million for investments into private equity funds and strategic joint ventures that make investments into healthcare, the pension fund said… Continue Reading
Angelides forms venture firm to invest in real estate and environment
Former state treasurer, Phil Angelides, will set up his own venture firm in Sacramento.
In an interview with Bizjournal, Phil Angelides says his firm will invest first in real estate and green building projects, where he has experience. Over time, he’ll invest in other environmental projects and products, he said. As treasurer, Angelides led the state initiative four years ago to begin supporting investments in green technology — which helped spark interest in the area by… Continue Reading
Kearny Venture Partners raises $85M of planned $180M fund for healthcare
Kearny Venture Partners, a healthcare focused venture capital firm in San Francisco, has raised an initial $85 million for its latest fund.
The news was first reported by PE Week last week, and followed today by VentureWire (sub required) with a longer story. News comes in dribbles because firms like Kearny tend to raise their funds in portions.
Kearny was formed by a team from Thomas Weisel Healthcare Venture Partners, and had planned to raise $150… Continue Reading