Private Equity Wire Newsletter

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NEWSLETTER | 25 Sep 2020

Interest in Israel's PE space grows; PEWire podcast on Nigeria's early stage ecosystem

This week PEWire looked at Pitchbook’s 2020 Israel Private Capital Breakdown report, and why the country has posted its best first-half deal figures in over a decade. Some of the reasons include the nature of Israel’s legal system, the availability of local financing, and its expanding number of tech-based targets, according to the newly released paper.

Also this week, Eurazeo launched O+, an ESG initiative which the investment company says will promote the drive towards low carbon and a more inclusive economy, in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

VNX Exchange, a Luxembourg-based digital asset investment platform, completed the first VC deal in Europe utilising blockchain tech. The deal sees the issue of EUR1.1 million of asset-backed tokens linked to the investment into Streami, a South Korean blockchain company. Issued on the Ethereum blockchain ERC-20, the asset-backed tokens represent claims on future cash flow from the investment.

Meanwhile, US private equity groups spent an average of USD353,000 on external legal counsel per acquisition when prosecuting deals in 2019, according to research released by Apperio, a London-based specialist legal spend management platform. In the UK, the figure was slightly lower at USD253,000. James Williams explored the topic in a feature for PEWire.

When the Covid crisis hit, Kola Aina, partner at Lagos-based early stage fund Ventures Platform, started comparing notes with partners that they are working with around the globe. It resulted in the launch of the Nigeria Impact Startup Relief Facility, or NISFR, to rally together early stage investors in African startups that have been hit by the pandemic.

PEWire interviewed Aina in a podcast to find out more about early stage funding in the Nigerian ecosystem, what advice Aina would give startups at the moment and how he believes the pandemic will affect the African economy long term.

Karin Wasteson
Editor, Private Equity Wire

Fri | 25 Sep 2020, 10:59

Eurazeo has launched O+, an ESG initiative which the company says will promote the drive towards low carbon and a more inclusive economy, in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Finding value in the GP/LP relationship

Fri | 25 Sep 2020, 10:59

Private equity investing has always been rooted in forging trusted relationships between managers and investors. Relationship building has been central to its success, but the impact of Covid-19 and the move to remote working has arguably put a strain on the GP/LP dynamic this year.

Fri | 25 Sep 2020, 10:59

VNX Exchange, a Luxembourg-based digital asset investment platform, has completed the first VC deal in Europe utilising blockchain tech.

Fri | 25 Sep 2020, 10:59

US private equity groups spent an average USD353,000 on external legal counsel per acquisition when prosecuting deals in 2019, according to research released by Apperio, a London-based specialist legal spend management platform. In the UK, the figure was slightly lower at USD253,000.

Fri | 25 Sep 2020, 10:59

When the Covid-19 crisis hit, Kola Aina (pictured), partner at Lagos-based early stage fund Ventures Platform, started comparing notes with partners the company works with around the globe. The end result was the launch of the Nigeria Impact Startup Relief Facility, or NISFR, to bring together early stage investors in African startups that have been hit by the pandemic.