News Briefs

OpenView Venture Partners, a spinout of Insight Venture Partners' Boston office, reported to the SEC that limited partners in its $100 million inaugural fund include Commonfund, CalPERS, Hermes and Procific. www.openviewpartners.com

Avrio Ventures of Calgary, Alberta has held a Cnd$53 million first close on its inaugural fund. A second closing is planned for next year. The VC firm will focus on Canadian companies in the industrial bioproducts, food technology and nutraceutical ingredient spaces. www.avrioventures.com

Allot Communications Ltd., an Israel-based provider of broadband service optimization solutions using DPI technology, has filed for an IPO of 6.5 million ordinary shares to be sold at between $9 and $11 per share. It plans to trade on the Nasdaq under ticker symbol ALLT, with Lehman Brothers and Deutsche Bank Securities serving as co-lead […]

Clear Channel Communications (NYSE: CCU) has retained Goldman Sachs to evaluate “various strategic alternatives to enhance shareholder value.” One such alternative could be an $18.5 billion buyout, with interested firms including Blackstone, KKR, Providence Equity Partners and Thomas H. Lee Partners. www.clearchannel.com Apax Partners France has agreed to acquire Telenor Satellite Services from Telenor (Nasdaq: […]

The Blackstone Group and PAI Partners have agreed to buy UK-based biscuits maker United Biscuits from Cinven and MidOcean Partners. The deal is valued at just over ₤1.6 billion, and gives United Biscuits an enterprise value of around ₤2.4 billion. Blackstone had been considered the leading bidder for several weeks, after a Premier Foods-led group […]

Q3 Venture Capital Totals: Venture Capitalists invested $6.2 billion in 797 deals in Q3 of 2006, a decrease of eight percent from Q2, according to the MoneyTree Report by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital Association, based on data by Thomson Financial (publisher of PEW Wire ). The quarter saw increased investment in seed and […]

Jingle Networks Inc., a Menlo Park, Calif.

Shyam Kamadolli and Joshua Maxey have joined Fidelity Ventures as associates. Kamadolli previously led worldwide business development for the data security division of RSA Security, while Maxey was vice president and head of Gerson Lehrman Group's international tech, media and telecom practice. www.fidelityventures.com

Miasole Inc., a Santa Clara, Calif.-based developer of thin-film solar cells, has raised $35 million in Series C funding, according to VentureWire. No participant information was disclosed, although the company previously had raised over $21 million from firms like Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Bessemer Venture Partners and VantagePoint Venture Partners. www.miasole.com

Chris Coonfield and Reid Strand have joined GulfStar Group as analysts in the firm's Houston, Texas office. Coonfield previously was an equity research analyst for Simmons & Co., where he covered small-to-mid-cap oilfield services companies. Strand had worked in the corporate development group of Oil States International Inc. www.gulfstargroup.com