Iris Dorbian
Apcera has named Jan Plutzer as its chief operating officer. In her new role, Plutzer will assume responsibility of company operations and report to Derek Collison, CEO. Apcera is a San Francisco-based software company backed by Kleiner Perkins, True Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, and Data Collective Venture Capital.
Playnomics, a San Francisco, CA-based provider of marketing and data science for games, said on Friday that it has named Jay Cohen as its chief revenue officer. Most recently, Cohen served as president of development at Jerry Bruckheimer Games. Playnomics is backed by FirstMark Capital, Vanedge Capital, XSeed Capital, MetamorphicVentures, Accelerator Ventures, and TriplePoint Capital.
Trunity Holdings said on Thursday that it has completed a private placement of $3.575 million. The strategic financing was led by Pan-African Investment Company, LLC, a New York City-based private investment firm. Also, Pan-African Investment Company's CEO Dana Reed will join Trunity's board of directors. AGCM acted as the exclusive placement agent for the offering, while Mitchell Baruchowitz, who heads private capital for ACGM, was lead banker for the transaction. Based in Newburyport, Mass., Trunity Holdings is the producer of the Trunity eLearning Platform, which provides learning solutions for schools, corporate enterprises and government agencies.
Bermuda-based catastrophe reinsurer Arden Holdings Ltd. has agreed to sell its remaining subsidiaries, Atrium Underwriting Group Ltd. and Arden Reinsurance Company Ltd. to Enstar Group Ltd. Atrium will be acquired for approximately $183 million while Arden Reinsurance will be acquired for approximately $79.6 million. Both transactions are expected to close by the end of 2013. Among Arden's early investors were The Blackstone Group, Texas Pacific Group, Thomas H. Lee Partners, Oak Hill Capital Partners, Olympus Partners, Bain Capital, SAB Capital and Eton Park Capital Management.
Brand Networks, a Boston-based provider of software solutions and digital marketing services, said on Thursday that it has raised $68 million in financing from private equity firm AEA Investors. Investment bank Petsky Prunier acted as financial advisor to Brand Networks for the transaction.
Industrial Opportunity Partners said on Thursday that its portfolio company, Carlson Systems, a distributor of product assembly components, has acquired Western Tool Supply. No financial terms were disclosed. Headquartered in Salem, Ore., Western Tool is a distributor of tools and supplies that serves the needs of construction, industrial, and woodworking customers.
Chicago-based venture capital firm New World Ventures said on Thursday that it has named Carter Cast and Dave Habiger as venture partners. Cast is the former CEO of Walmart.com while Habiger is the former CEO of Sonic Solutions. Also, Kevin Willer, the former president and CEO of the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center, has joined the team as strategic advisor to the company.
J. Robert Tyler III has joined Williams Mullen as a partner in the firm's corporate and private equity law practice. Most recently, he worked as a partner at Poyner Spruill. William Mullens is a law firm with offices in North Carolina, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
Channel Mark Ventures, has launched a new fund, ChannelUp Fund, which is designed to expand their technology venture capital investments. According to the company, The ChannelUp Fund will make a minimum investment of $500,000 start-up capital into each investment. Channel Mark Ventures is a seed and early-stage venture capital firm focused on information technology start-ups and individual entrepreneurs.
OMNIPLEX World Services Corp., a portfolio company of Altamont Capital Partners, said on Wednesday that it has named Philip T. Sweeney as executive chairman. Sweeney will also serve as OMNIPLEX Holdings Corp's chairman of the board of directors. Also, Michael S. Santelli, who currently serves as the company's COO, has been named president. Based in Chantilly, Virginia, OMNIPLEX World Services Corp. is a provider of background investigations and security services.