With a bearish phase prevailing over stock markets, valuations of private equity (PE) investments have taken a beating. Certain PEs which had overestimated companies to enter at high values have seen a decline in valuations due to volatile capital market conditions. A compilation of how PE investments of 2007 compare with current mark-to-market (MTM) values shows that about 58 percent of the PIPE (private investments in public enterprises) deals of 2007 are in the negative territory. According to the research undertaken by SMC Investment Solutions & Services (May 2008), the only ray of hope is that overall till-date-returns on PIPE deals of 2007 (on volume basis) are still in the positive, although at a margal 8.3 percent, despite rough market conditions of 2008. However, wealth creation is highly imbalanced in different sectors, with Banking, Financial Services & Insurance (BFSI), telecom and retail sectors ducking the volatile capital market conditions. On the other hand, sectors like IT & ITeS, infrastructure, healthcare and life sciences, media, manufacturing and real estate are in the negative zone.   more »

In a sector that’s largely unorganised and dominated by family-run set ups, private equity and outdoor media owners are becoming strange bedfellows. But there’s also a catch — currently, most of the funding is going into newer players with interests beyond conventional media. Recently, Warburg Pincus invested about Rs 276 crore in the out-of-home (OOH) advertising company Laqshya Media. UTI Venture Funds, which is largely credited with identifying the sector, also invested an additional Rs 25 crore in the company taking the total investment to Rs 301 crore. The company had picked up a 15% stake in Laqshya for Rs 45 crore in October 2006. Earlier this year, another OOH media firm received funding to the tune of $50 million from Goldman Sachs and Lehman Brothers. Media reports now suggest that ICICI Ventures, Lehman and Goldman Sachs have lined up plans to pick up around 15-20% stake in the Bangalore-based OOH advertising firm Serve & Volley for Rs 250 crore.   more »