Unsung software company Aricent raises new round from KKR and Bahrain investor
Mobile software outsourcing company Aricent has raised a new $60 million round of funding from New York private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and The Family Office, an investor in Bahrain. It’s also becoming one of the biggest private tech companies in Silicon Valley that nobody knows about.
Aricent was created a couple of years ago as a spin-off from contract manufacturer Flextronics, in a funding led by KKR and Sequoia Capital. The round is an… Continue Reading
Accel and KKR raise $600 million private equity fund
Accel-KKR has raised a third private equity fund of $600 million to invest in technology busineses.
The Accel-KKR Capital Partners III fund is a growth-oriented, middle-market tech fund. The fund was initially targeted at just $450 million and was significantly oversubscribed. Now two partners have more than $1 billion in assets under managemen.
The new fund’s investors include college and university endowments, corporate pension plans, foundations, insurance companies, investment advisors, state and government retirement systems and family… Continue Reading
Roundup: Virtual sex bed suit, Geni, Gay.com, Netvibes, Helio and more
Here’s the latest (ahem) action:
Second Life avatar sues another avatar, over virtual sex bed — We should have predicted this. Second Life entrepreneur Kevin Alderman has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Second Life resident Volkov Catteneo. This is apparently the first time an avatar has sued another avatar in the virtual world. Alderman, who has made money before in Second Life by selling a virtual island for $50,000 (real money), says his avatar, Stroker Serpentine… Continue Reading
KKR’s single golf hole on Sand Hill Road — never visited
Here’s an entertaining video taken of Roger McNamee, of Elevation Partners by Kara Swisher.
McNamee’s office is ensconced in the middle of Silicon Valley’s Sand Hill Road, center of venture capital and the region’s large private equity firms.
McNamee turns around about two minutes in, and points to a golf hole right outside his office built by George Roberts of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts. McNamee of Roberts: “…he can afford to bring up the entire grounds crew from… Continue Reading
Jazz Pharmaceuticals files for gutsy $172M IPO
Jazz Pharmaceuticals, a Palo Alto, Calif. company that seeks to license drugs from other companies, buy other drug companies and develop its own drugs, all in the area neurology and psychiatry, has filed for a $172.5 million IPO.
Here is its filing. It is four years old, and lost $81 million last year.
This is largely a financial engineering strategy, and it will be interesting to see whether the public is willing to buy stock in such… Continue Reading