Fund News In Brief

Sydney based private equity firm Anchorage Capital Partners has announced an A$250 million first and final closing of Anchorage Capital Partners II. The firm focuses on special situations and turnaround investment in the Australian, New Zealand and Southeast Asian markets.

AUA Private Equity, which is officially out fundraising for its debut pool, hopes to hit a $70 million to $100 million first close in June, sources told peHUB. AUA Partners is led by Andy Unanue, who is part of the family that founded Goya Foods.

CapMan Russia has created a new fund for investing in small and mid-sized Russian businesses. CapMan Russia II held a first close at the end of March, with €97 million ($124 million).

Kenya-based private equity firm Catalyst Principal Partners has an eye on demand from East Africa’s growing middle class as it starts to make investments from a broad $125 million fund and from a partnership dedicated to real estate, Reuters reported. Mauritius-registered Catalyst, which in November finished raising cash for its first closed-end fund, sees opportunities in a region of about 200 million people, where consumer demand is rising and a big boost from recent oil and gas discoveries is expected for the future, Reuters wrote.

DPE Deutsche Private Equity has closed DPE Germany II and its related feeder fund (DPE II) with €350 million ($458 million) of capital commitments from 20 institutional investors. Offshore law firm Mourant Ozannes advised on the fundraising.

EMX Capital has collected $68.2 million with its first fund. The pool, EMX Capital Partners LP, will invest along side the firm’s Mexican side-by-side vehicle which raised 1.5 billion pesos ($124.1 million) from pension funds in Mexico. The combined vehicles obtained $192.3 million. EMX Capital Partners I will invest in buyout and growth equity opportunities across all sectors and target mid-size Mexican companies requiring equity capital of $15 million to $65 million.

Fredrick D. Scott, formerly the head of ACI Capital Group, has launched a venture capital and private equity firm, FDS. The firm will focus on minority-focused financial and banking institutions.

Milestone Partners has closed its latest fund, Milestone Partners IV LP, with total commitments of $300 million. The fund is 25 percent larger than its previous vehicle. In connection with the new fund, the firm promoted John Nowaczyk to partner and Dan Ryan to principal and head of business development.

Nepoch Capital, a new private equity firm founded by the son of a former member of China’s Politburo, has launched the first “princeling” fundraising since the new government took power last month vowing to clamp down on cronyism and nepotism, Reuters reported. China’s so-called princelings, the children of the country’s political elite, have a long association with private equity funds, and their investments—and sometimes bumper profits from a swift exit from lucrative initial public offerings—have drawn accusations of favoritism and corruption, according to Reuters.

Pine Tree Equity has closed its third private investment fund on $100 million. The firm’s capital raise was executed in less than 90 days, and it brings the firm’s total committed capital base to nearly $200 million. Pine Tree Equity, based in Miami, focuses on small capitalization growth companies with revenue of $10 million to $50 million.

Starwood Capital Group said it raised $4.2 billion with latest global fund. The Greenwich, Conn. private investment firm focuses on real estate globally.