News and Analysis

I’m expecting that there will be some sort of compromise on the Sallie Mae deal, since all of this huffing and puffing seems to be more about leverage than indignation. But, for the sake of column, let’s assume that the Flowers consortium walks away and is required to pay the $900 million breakup fee. The […]

InfoSpace Inc. (Nasdaq: INSP) has agreed to sell its mobile services business to Motricity Inc., a Durham, N.C.-based provider of mobile marketplace management solutions. The deal is valued at $135 million in cash, and is expected to close within the next 90 days. Credit Suisse Securities is advising InfoSpace on the deal. Motricity has raised […]

E&B Giftware, a Yonkers, N.Y.-based portfolio company of Milestone Partners, has acquired Valeo Inc., a Sussex, Wis.-based maker of fitness accessory and workplace safety products. No financial terms were disclosed. GE Antares led the leveraged financing, while Carl Marks Advisory advised Valeo on the sale. www.ebgift.com www.valeoinc.com

Smalltown, a San Francisco-based user-generated content site for local communities, has acquired Local2Me, an online community for Bay Area residents. No financial terms were disclosed. Smalltown last year raised in Series A funding from Formative Ventures. www.smalltown.com www.local2me.com

CLK Design Automation Inc., a Littleton, Mass.-based maker of static timing and power analysis solutions, has acquired Synchronous Design Automation, a developer of clock tree synthesis and optimization tools for advanced digital chip designs. No financial terms were disclosed. CLK has raised $9 million in VC funding from Atlas Venture and Morgenthaler Ventures. www.clkda.com www.synchronous-da.com

The following is an email from a limited partner with J.C. Flowers, the buyout firm that is in a litigious battle to buy (or perhaps not to buy) student lender Sallie Mae. I’ve been talking to a lot of these LPs, and this basically sums up what I’ve heard. It’s being kept anonymous, per the […]

Medical Specialties Distributors LLC, a Stoughton, Mass.-based supplier of healthcare products and biomedical equipment rentals and services, has acquired of Wren Medical Systems Inc., a Gurnee, Ill.-based distributor of infusion and enteral therapy products to both the alternate site and acute care markets.  No financial terms were disclosed. MSD is a portfolio company of MBF […]

Navarro Discount Pharmacies LLC, a portfolio company of MBF Healthcare Partners, has agreed to acquire Sedano's Pharmacy & Discount Store Inc., a drug retail company with 11 pharmacies in the South Florida market. No financial terms were disclosed. www.navarro.com

PQ Corp., a specialty chemical company acquired in July by The Carlyle Group, has agreed to acquire INEOS Silicas, a division of INEOS. No financial terms were disclosed, except that the combined company would have annual sale revenue in excess of $1 billion. Carlyle Group will hold around a 60% stake in the company, while […]

Specialty Coating Systems Inc., a portfolio company of Bunker Hill Capital, has acquired the remaining interests it did not already own in Parylene Japan KK. No financial terms were disclosed. PJKK was originally formed as a joint venture between SCS and Three Bond Co. of Japan, in order to provide parylene coating services within Japan.