Private Equity Week Wire for Friday 2/22

OAKLAND, CA — NightFire, the provisioning automation company, today announced that it has secured $11.7 million in its fourth round of funding. U.S. Venture Partners led the latest round, with Sequoia Capital, New Enterprise Associates and the Roda Group also increasing their investments in NightFire.

SAN FRANCISCO — Reef, a global provider of Internet software applications for the management of eBusiness, today announced the closing of a third round of private equity funding. Reef was able to secure a total of $27 million, including the conversion of bridge loans. The round was led by The Carlyle Group and additional investors included IDG Ventures, Finafund (Europe), 3i and Viventures. SG Cowen Securities acted as placement agent and invested in the round.

NEW YORK — Venture Economics, a ThomsonFinancial company and publisher of Buyouts Newsletter, drew hundreds ofdeal-makers from the leveraged buyout industry to the Plaza Hotel yesterday tofind out who among them would be named best in the field in Thomson’s BuyoutsDeals of the Year 2001. The awards ceremony was the highlight of Thomson’sthree-day Buyouts Symposium 2002, which ends today. Capturing top honors asBuyout Firm of the Year was Heartland Industrial Partners of Detroit, Mich.,and Greenwich, Conn.

HOUSTON — Carrizo Oil & Gas Inc. (Nasdaq: CRZO) today announced the closing and funding of a $6 million financing with an investor group led by Mellon Ventures, Inc. Pursuant to the financing, the Company sold $6 million of a new series of convertible participating preferred stock and warrants to purchase Carrizo common stock. The proceeds of the Financing are expected to be used primarily to fund the Company’s ongoing exploration and development program.

WOODLAND, CA — Captus Networks, the leader in protecting networks from Denial of Service (DoS) attacks, today announced it has raised $6 million in third-round funding. Led by St. Paul Venture Capital and GMG Capital Partners, the round included full participation of Captus’ seed and second-round investors.

LUXEMBOURG — Michel NILLES, founding Chairman and CEO of the recently formed entity ASCAFI Management S.A., a structured finance specialist, announced today that ASCAFI Management S.A. has created two Luxembourg-based financing companies to focus respectively in debt and equity investments in the film and music industries worldwide.

ASCAFI Ventures has been created to invest directly as a shareholder in companies that own and/or control intellectual properties related to film and music industries. ASCAFI Partners has been created to provide the portfolio companies of ASCAFI Ventures with unsecured debt financing.