Jan 05, 2024

I recently came across a study conducted by Harvard Medical School and University of Chicago researchers that found patients in private equity-owned facilities are more likely to experience falls or acquire infections compared to patients in peer facilities. This is particularly significant as private equity is becoming more involved in the healthcare sector, and the study’s findings could lead to new regulations. The study examined over 1 million hospitalization records over an 11-year period and found a 25.4% increase in hospital-acquired adverse conditions at private equity-owned hospitals versus pre-acquisition.

In other news, The Messenger, a digital news startup, is seeking to raise another $20 million after experiencing revenue shortfalls and laying off around 20 employees. Additionally, there have been several notable venture capital deals, including Perplexity AI raising $70 million and Moonwalk Biosciences raising $57 million in seed and Series A funding. Private equity activity includes AUA Private Equity Partners acquiring Weaver Popcorn Manufacturing and Black Bay Energy Capital acquiring the tech business unit of Merichem Co.

The news also includes a significant acquisition, with APA agreeing to buy Callon Petroleum for around $4.5 billion in stock. This indicates continued activity in the merger and acquisition space, as well as the ongoing impact of private equity and venture capital in various industries.

I recently heard about some significant financial news. OpenTransact, a banking and payments integrator based in New York, has received backing from Trousdale Ventures. Additionally, MSCI, a company listed on the NYSE, has acquired Fabric, a provider of decision support tools for investors based in Boulder, Colorado. Another acquisition that took place was Omnicom’s completion of its $835m acquisition of digital commerce firm Flywheel Digital from Ascential. Meanwhile, Sporting Lisbon, a Portuguese pro soccer club, is looking for a minority investor, as reported by Bloomberg. In terms of fundraising, Banner Ridge Partners raised $2.15b for a secondary fund focused on distressed debt and special situations, while Palladium Equity Partners raised a $450m continuation fund for three Fund IV portfolio companies. Several personnel changes were also announced, including Alexandra Lebenthal joining Rockefeller Capital Management and Scott Macklin joining Obra Capital as head of U.S. leveraged finance. Additionally, there have been several promotions and new hires in various financial institutions.

Stay Well!