Private Equity

As anxiety over a slowing global economy grows and sensing an opportunity in market dislocations like the crash in energy prices, private equity players are looking to swoop in on distressed assets...but they're increasingly fearful about a tougher fundraising environment. 

The release of Warren Buffett's annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders comes this weekend amid a year in which the famed holding company's stock price has lagged the broader market by the most since 2009.

Consumer-focused private equity company Alliance Consumer Growth has raised $210 million for its third fund through an oversubscribed offering comprised almost entirely of returning investors.  

Global private equity and alternative investment management company CVC Capital Partners has raised $1 billion for a new fund focused on high-growth, middle-market companies in the software and technology-enabled business services sectors. 

Oil and gas companies may be on the ropes, but that hasn’t stopped one private equity group from listing a new energy-related SPAC, or special purpose acquisition company, that hopes to buy oil and gas companies and related assets at bargain levels. 

Waud Capital Partners has raised $1.05 billion for its fourth private equity fund, hitting the vehicle’s hard cap and far eclipsing its original $750 million fundraising target.

BlackRock is reportedly prepping a new multi-strategy private equity pool that will focus on Asia. 

Global alternative asset manager H.I.G. Capital has appointed former GE Capital executive Stuart Aronson as group head of the U.S. direct lending team at its H.I.G. WhiteHorse unit.

Former Goldman Sachs managing director Upacala Mapatuna has joined Victory Park Capital as its chief investment officer.

Global private equity company Thoma Bravo has raised more than $1 billion for a new middle-market fund that will focus on software and technology opportunities requiring less equity capital than those of interest to its larger flagship funds.