Toronto-based private equity and venture capital firm Pinetree Capital has acquired a stake in El Nino Ventures Inc. As a result of the transaction, Pinetree now holds approximately 11% of all issued and outstanding common shares in the company. Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, El Nino is an international base metals exploration company. Update: Its current focus is on zinc and cobalt-copper projects in New Brunswick and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Sun Capital Partners said Monday that it has bought Gem Shopping Network. No financial terms were disclosed. Based in Duluth, Georgia, Gem Shopping is a retailer that sells jewelry and gemstones mostly on its TV network.
Brynwood Partners said Monday that it has acquired the Lightlife brand from ConAgra Foods. No financial terms were disclosed. The acquisition also includes the Lightlife manufacturing facility in Turners Falls, Mass. Lightlife, which will be based in Boston, is a producer of meatless food items.
Sequitur Energy Resources has received an undisclosed investment from ACON Investments and The Pritzker Organization. According to the company, the financing will be used to acquire and develop oil and gas assets in the U.S. Based in Houston, Texas, Sequitur is a provider of energy management services for exploration companies.
TPG Growth, a unit of U.S. private equity firm TPG Capital has invested 1.45 billion rupees ($22.9 million) in Sutures India Pvt Ltd, a privately held medical consumables firm, it said on Monday, Reuters reported.
Australia's Westfield Group has agreed to sell stakes in seven US shopping malls to an affiliate of Starwood Capital Group for $1.64 billion, writes Reuters. Shopping mall giant Westfield will keep a 10 percent equity interest in the centres, with Starwood, a private real estate investment company, owning and managing the majority interest.
Henry Kravis, co-founder of private-equity firm KKR, said he sees rising opportunities for dealmaking in Japan as the country's firms open up to foreign partnerships in response to competition from South Korea and China, writes Reuters. KKR hopes to land more deals in the world's third biggest economy - where it had just 9 percent of the value of its Asian portfolio in March - as well as partner Japanese companies on more overseas deals, writes Reuters.
Host Europe Group has acquired Telefónica Germany Online Services. Cinven announced the acquisition of HEG in July.
Funds managed by CapMan have signed an agreement to sell Curato AS, a provider of medical imaging services in Norway, to Altor Fund III. Curato provides medical imaging (radiology) services in Norway and its main customers are the Regional Health Authorities, as well as health insurance companies and private individuals.
HitecVision has committed funds of $150 million to Oyster Petroleum from its HitecVision VI L.P. fund. Oyster Petroleum is a UK exploration and production company focusing on the UK North Sea.