1 Dec, 2021
SoftBank invests in metaverse platform; Vingroup eyes $1B fundraise for car unit
* SoftBank Vision Fund 2 is investing $150 million into Zepeto, a metaverse platform by South Korean internet company NAVER Corp., Dow Jones Newswires reported. The investment values Zepeto at over $1 billion, according to the report.
* Vietnamese conglomerate Vingroup JSC is holding talks with investors, including the Qatar Investment Authority, BlackRock and private equity firms, for a potential $1 billion private fundraising for its automobile unit, Reuters reported, citing three sources aware of the matter. The fundraising deal could be finalized as early as December, according to the sources.
➤ Data Dispatch: Institutional investors sold midstream stocks in Q3, but some firms saw gains
Enbridge was institutional investors' top buy among leading publicly traded energy pipeline companies in North America during the quarter, followed by Williams Cos. and Energy Transfer.
➤ Big corporations to drive demand for low-carbon technologies like hydrogen
The recently formed First Movers Coalition committed to purchasing targets and other policies for technologies to cut emissions in the sectors that are hardest to decarbonize, from aviation to steel.
DEALS
* A Delaware judge denied Vista Equity Partners Management LLC's motion to dismiss a lawsuit from shareholders of MINDBODY Inc. related to the firm's $1.9 billion acquisition of the wellness technology platform, Reuters reported.
* KKR & Co. Inc. hired Goldman Sachs Group Inc. as it weighs options, including a sale, for market research firm GfK, Bloomberg News reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
* EQT AB (publ)'s EQT Infrastructure V fund completed the acquisition of waste solutions company Covanta Holding Corp. for $5.3 billion.
* Lower-middle-market investor HealthEdge Investment Partners LLC exited The Columbus Organization LLC, a Philadelphia-based provider of care coordination services. Nonprofit managed care organization CareSource acquired the group.
* New York-based private equity firm Greenbriar Equity Group LP is selling logistics services provider BDP International Inc. to port and cargo company PSA International Pte. Ltd. The deal is subject to approvals by the relevant authorities and other customary closing conditions.
* Swedish venture capital firm Kinnevik AB led and invested $115 million in the $500 million financing round of workforce marketplace Jobandtalent. SoftBank Vision Fund 2 also participated.
* Horizon Capital LLP, which focuses on technology and business services companies, made a $33 million investment in Texas-based BP3 Global Inc. BP3 provides intelligent automation services and solutions.
* Israeli software supply chain security company Cycode Ltd. raised $56 million in its series B funding round led by Insight Venture Management LLC, with participation from YL Ventures GP Ltd.
