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June 2008
- For Venture Capitalists, Wells Run Dry
  
  New York Times | Jun 28, 08 10:04 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Wall Street has not been kind to venture capitalists in the second quarter. For the first time since 1978, not one company they backed went public, taking away their source of big paydays, the New York Times reports. Observers cite a number of reasons, including lousy market conditions, a shift to investment in alternative energy companies that require time, and a lack of investor interest in the ventures themselves. More »
- Angel Investors Profit From Slumping Markets
  
  Portfolio | Jun 18, 08 4:26 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The bearish market hasn't stopped angels from acting like bulls, Portfolio reports. Angel investors, those who fund start-ups and small companies, are profiting from Wall Street's woes: Reduced private equity funding has made angels the go-to source for capital, improving their bargaining position and giving them more chances to invest. More »
- Investors Throw Dice on Jacko's Vegas Comeback
  
  Wall Street Journal | Jun 13, 08 8:46 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A Las Vegas comeback could be in the cards for Michael Jackson if a private equity firm has its way, the Wall Street Journal reports. A firm that owns the Las Vegas Hilton and a big stake in a casino company bought $23 million of Jackson's debt last month and is now in talks with the singer about an Elvis- or Celine-style residency on the Strip. More »
May 2008
- CBS Shells Out $1.8B to Buy CNET
  
  Wall Street Journal | May 15, 08 8:33 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - CBS has agreed to buy CNET for $1.8 billion, the Wall Street Journal reports. The merger comes just as CNET was facing a full-scale shareholder revolt. Now, those investors are getting $11.50 a share, a price the stock hasn’t touched in two years and a 45% premium on yesterday’s close. Those shares immediately soared to $11.30 in premarket trading. More »
- Icahn Grabs Yahoo Stake, Could Try to Force Sale
  
  Wall Street Journal | May 13, 08 5:39 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A new player has entered the Microsoft-Yahoo epic, the Wall Street Journal reports: billionaire investor Carl Icahn. He has bought about a 4% stake in Yahoo since Microsoft withdrew its offer to buy on May 3. Icahn will decide by tomorrow whether to launch an attempt to take over Yahoo's board and perhaps force a sale. More »
- Economy Has Venture-Capital Scene Looking in Mirror
  
  San Jose Mercury News | May 12, 08 11:56 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Economic troubles that have meant fewer IPOs and less-lucrative mergers have the venture-capital industry in upheaval, the San Jose Mercury News reports after last week's Silicon Valley gathering of VC players. Many believe the moneyed backers must treat entrepreneurs better for prospects to remain lively. Yet, though returns have turned negative, the firms are still attracting investors. More »
April 2008
- Startup Flops Leave Little Trace Beyond For-Sale Sign
  
  Boston Globe | Apr 28, 08 2:11 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A failed start-up doesn't spell purgatory for entrepreneurs with the right connections, the Boston Globe reports. Take Mort Rosenthal, who struck gold in the 1980s as a software entrepreneur, only to launch two flops—one in alternative medicine, the other in cell-phone retail—with millions in lost venture capital. Now he's back in the game with a business backed by $20 million Microsoft dollars. More »
- $6B From Outside Investors Will Shore Up Wachovia
  
  Wall Street Journal | Apr 13, 08 10:48 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Ailing bank Wachovia will get a $6 billion-$7 billion shot in the arm from outside investors, the Wall Street Journal reports. Specifics of the capital infusion, designed to help the company recover from the credit crisis, haven’t been finalized. Details may be revealed when the company reports first-quarter earnings Monday; it moved the announcement up from Friday without explanation. More »
- Murdoch Heir's Deal for Aussie Media Mainstay Falls Apart
  
  The Australian | Apr 7, 08 9:32 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A $3 billion bid for control of Australia's Consolidated Media Holdings by Rupert Murdoch’s son, Lachlan, is dead in the water after Murdoch’s financial backers and CMH—a major magazine and TV player—failed to agree to a price for the takeover, the Australian reports today. The original deal set a $4.80 share price; Murdoch’s equity partners, Providence Equity Partners, would only pay $4.60. More »
- Sinking Market Forces New Venture-Capital Strategies
  
  CNET | Apr 3, 08 4:25 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Venture capitalists are watching economic indicators carefully, trying to find safer places to put their mountains of money, CNET reports. The stats on first-quarter VC activity will land soon, and though experts don't expect dollar totals to have waned, players are “under pressure to invest in quality companies that have a clear business model,” one watcher said. More »
March 2008
- $19B Buyout of Clear Channel Nearly Dead
  
  Wall Street Journal | Mar 25, 08 7:30 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A $19 billion bid to privatize Clear Channel appears likely to fall through as buyers and financiers bicker—with credit-crunch-induced liquidity woes a major stumbling block, the Wall Street Journal reports. A credit agreement between private equity firms and the banks funding the move has become shaky. “No one wants to do this deal except for the seller,” said a source. More »
- Auction-Rate Troubles Hit Silicon Valley Startups
  
  Wall Street Journal | Mar 14, 08 10:46 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A freeze in the market for a type of securities known as auction-rate securities may cause big cash-flow problems for many Silicon Valley startups. A number of private companies have large chunks of cash tied up in the securities, reports the Wall Street Journal . Now, buyers have dried up and they may have to sell at a big loss, if at all. More »
- Carlyle Near Collapse After Defaulting on $16B
  
  Wall Street Journal | Mar 13, 08 7:31 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Carlyle Capital announced overnight that it is defaulting on $16.6 billion in debt, and its creditors are likely to take possession of its remaining assets. The latest casualty of the credit catastrophe is a major embarrassment for Carlyle Group, the private equity firm whose executives own 15% of the fund, reports the Wall Street Journal . Carlyle's fall demonstrates how the world's biggest banks are now playing hardball with their best clients. More »
- Landmark NY Library to Be Renamed for Donor
  
  New York Times | Mar 11, 08 3:30 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Following the style of sports stadiums, Manhattan's stately beaux arts library on Fifth Avenue will be renamed for a key contributor to a billion-dollar expansion of the library system. Private equity king Stephen Schwarzman is giving the library $100 million from his several-billion-dollar fortune, reports the New York Times . Schwarzman, 61, chief executive of the Blackstone Group, says renaming the landmark building—with plans to etch his moniker into the facade—was not his idea. More »
- As Margin Calls Mount, Carlyle Holds 'Crisis Talks'
  
  Washington Post | Mar 10, 08 12:40 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The Carlyle Group is holding emergency talks with lenders to try to save its drowning Carlyle Capital division, the Washington Post reports. Creditors have decided that Carlyle’s portfolio of traditionally safe mortgage-backed securities holdings isn’t good enoug