Dave Keating

To combat the lucrative lure of the private sector, some universities are changing the way they pay their technology transfer officers. In the meantime, these professional monetisers are often offered distinctly non-monetary incentives. By David Rapp

Impress Group, a Dutch-based metal can producer created by Doughty Hanson in 1997, has been refinanced for €1bn after several acquisitions in the past six years.

In another example of consolidation, the fifth largest bank in the US will take the M&A advisory firm under its umbrella.

Genstar Capital has acquired OnCURE Medical Corp., which owns and operates radiation treatment centres in California and Florida.

The New York-based firm has sold its portfolio company Scientific Protein Laboratories for about 4.1x to a publicly traded buyout firm, says a source close to the deal.

Following the recent spike in gold prices, Norwest Equity Partners portfolio company Aurafin, a gold jewellery maker, has received $140 million in financing from several banks.

After an initial announcement saying Francisco Partners would acquire the publicly traded internet security software maker on its own, the two firms have announced they will co-invest equally.

The small-market arm of Bear Stearns Merchant Banking will acquire swimsuit retailer Water Water Everywhere and will merge the store with another portfolio company.

Despite a disappointing IPO for Vonage, VCs are still pouring money into internet-based telephony. Dave Keating reports.

Lisa Edgar, who just joined the firm in 2003, will join the management of Paul Capital Top Tier Investments’ fund of funds offerings.