When companies see activist investors as a threat before, a Reuters article said companies are now treating these types of investors as a catalyst for corporate change.
Sectors
Walkbase secures EUR3 million in Series A funding round
Finland-based retail analytics company Walkbase landed a EUR3 million in its Series A funding round. The round was led by SBT Venture Capital in London and Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, Nokia's former CEO.
Fairfax buys controlling stake in Keg Restaurants
Canadian private equity firm Fairfax Holdings Ltd. said that it would acquire a controlling stake in Keg Restaurants Ltd. Keg president and chief executive officer David Aisenstat will retain a minority stake of 49%.
Belgian biotechnology company sells drug discovery unit for EUR25 million
Brussels-based biotechnology company IBA concluded the sale of its drug discovery business unit to private equity firm Argos Soditic. IBA raised EUR25 million from the sale of Cisbio Bioassays.
CareFusion Corp enters agreement to purchase Vital Signs from General Electric unit for USD500 million
CareFusion Corp's acquisition of Vital Signs from GE Healthcare was considered strategic as the former aimed to expand its anesthesiology and respiratory care business while saving up to USD15 million in annual costs.
Latest News
British government-owned The Royal Bank of Scotland said it was looking to sell its retail investor and equity derivatives business. French bank BNP Paribas was identified as a front-runner to acquire the business unit.
Potential investors would be having difficulty acquiring a majority ownership stake in beverage company Yeo Hiap Seng Ltd due to the Ng family, who had a controlling interest in Yeo's via Far East Organization.
Although taking different approaches, investors Bill Ackman and Bruce Berkowitz were attempting to salvage securities acquired before the US housing crisis with a combined value of more than USD100 billion, said a Bloomberg report.
An article published on tech news site VentureBeat raises the question on the staying power of social media giants and Silicon Valley darlings like Facebook and Twitter.
Bitcoing exchange BTC China received USD5 million in Series A investment from Lightspeed China Partners and Lightspeed Venture Partners to fund its general operations, but indicated plans to expand its business.
Oracle Corp made an announcement on its website via a redirect from Bitzer Mobile's site link that it had acquired the startup at an undisclosed amount to expand its business in the bring your own device (BYOD) market.
Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, Canada's largest single-profession pension plan, said it would be buying British Burton's Biscuit Co. for an unspecified amount from the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and affiliates of Apollo Global Management.
Companies in India closed 360 private equity deals in the January-October period of this year. The total value of private equity deals amounted to USD8.9 billion.
German investment firm DEG bought a stake in Kenyan Chase Bank worth USD10 million. Chase said DEG's investment will be used to finance their expansion, including the creation of new outlets.
