Private Equity Week Wire for Friday 10/27

? MUNICH/BOSTON/SAN FRANCISCO — TVM Techno VentureManagement, the German-U.S. venture capital firm, has opened a new office inSan Francisco – in the heart of a region that is second to none in TVM´smajor investment sectors: biotechnology, telecommunications and informationtechnology. This third office completes the presence of TVM in three of themost dominant biotech and IT regions in the western world: Munich, Bostonand San Francisco. With the opening of an office in San Francisco and the appointment of NolaE. Masterson and Devon Giacalone as Principals and Investment Managers TVMsignificantly strengthens its life science presence on the West Coast.Founded in 1984 in Munich, TVM has established itself as a leadingtechnology investment group in Germany and has built significant operationsin the United States.

? NEW YORK– Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. announced today that Gerald Segal has been hired as a managing director to cover leading technology companies and venture capital firms in Israel. Mr. Segal will report to the co-heads of technology investment banking Denis Bovin and Michael Urfirer.Mr. Segal has over eight years of international investment banking experience. He comes to Bear Stearns from Robertson Stephens, where, based in Tel Aviv, he was responsible for Internet and software investment banking. Prior to joining Robertson Stephens in 1998, Mr. Segal spent six years with Merrill Lynch, most recently as vice president of investment banking in Toronto. He has also worked with Arthur Andersen and Bank Leumi Le-Israel B.M. Mr. Segal serves on the board of advisors of Brightspark, a leading incubator of Internet and software startups, and on the strategic advisory board of Matan, the Israel affiliate of United Way International. He holds a BCom degree from the University of Toronto and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

? RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK — Ziptronix Inc., an innovator in wafer-scale semiconductor integration, announced today it has raised $6.5 million in its first round of venture capital financing. The company is a spin-off of Research Triangle Institute. It is based on a new technology to integrate semiconductors of many types, materials, and functions within existing semiconductor wafer fabrication processes. With Ziptronix, electronics firms can achieve high levels of circuit integration at low power, high speeds, and low cost. Atlanta-based Alliance Technology Ventures is the lead investor in this initial financing round. Mike Slawson, General Partner at Alliance Technology Ventures led the investment team.

? WILLIAMSTOWN, MA — Village Ventures, Inc., an operating company that manages a network of early-stage venture capital funds that is based here, is organizing a fund in Nashville that will be its ninth and will extend its reach into seven states. The Tennessee fund will be managed by Tuff Yen, a venture capitalist who most recently worked with Hambrecht & Quist’s San Francisco office who now lives in Nashville. Robert Frist, chairman and chief executive officer of HealthStream, will serve on the fund’s investment committee and will act as an advisor. Representatives from Village Ventures will join the pair in managing the fund. The fund, which has yet to be named, will invest primarily in early-to-mid-stage companies located in Nashville and the greater Southeast.

If you are interested in having your release run on Private Equity Week Wire, please send your release to Private Equity Wire for publication.