equity

Dell in talks with private-equity firms to go private, report says

Dell is in buyout talks with at least two private-equity firms, Bloomberg reported today.

The talks, which would take the computer hardware maker private, are still preliminary and could fall apart because the firms may not be able to line up financing or resolve how to exit the investment in the future, Bloomberg said, citing two people with knowledge of the matter. One of the people told the publication that several large banks have been contacted about financing a buyout.

A Dell spokesman told CNET that the company doesn't comment on rumor and speculation.

Dell, which has long been … Read more

Elevation seeks $1 billion with help from U2's Bono

U2 frontman Bono is embarking on a solo tour but it doesn't involve music. A private equity firm co-founded by the musician is hitting the road to search for more money, according to Reuters.

Elevation Partners, which has invested heavily in social networking, is now looking to dig up $1 billion for a second fund, reports Reuters. The company's largest investment to date has been in Facebook, to the tune of $270 million, which came in three installments and valued the social networking site at $16 billion at the time. (The company is now estimated to be worth $… Read more

Kodak's image-sensor spin-off gets a name: Truesense

The image sensor group that beleaguered photography company Eastman Kodak sold last November has been named Truesense Imaging.

Platinum Equity, which bought the Kodak image-sensor group shortly before Kodak filed for bankruptcy protection, announced the new name yesterday.

Getting a name is a cosmetic detail, but it's an important one for a former business group trying to set up shop as a business. The company sells image sensors for industrial and professional applications such as high-end medium-format cameras and video equipment with high frame rates.

"As an independent company, we now have a great opportunity to expand our … Read more

Clearwire prepping $300M stock offering

Clearwire is on its way to shoring up its coffers.

The mobile broadband provider and wholesaler said it is planning a public stock offering of $300 million. It's unclear how many shareholders are willing to re-up on a stock that has fallen 60 percent this year.

The funds are critical to Clearwire's continued ability to operate and upgrade its existing WiMax network to a newer technology called LTE. Last week, Sprint Nextel swooped in and saved the company by committing up to $1.6 billion in financing. Sprint, along with being the majority shareholder, is also Clearwire's … Read more

Yahoo would reportedly buy Hulu under right terms

Yahoo would pay up to $2 billion to acquire Hulu if the deal came with four or five years of exclusive access to current TV shows and older movies, according a story in yesterday's Business Insider.

Citing a "source familiar with Yahoo's M&A plans," Business Insider said that Hulu's owners would have to guarantee the exclusive access before Yahoo's corporate development people would present such a deal to their board of directors.

However, that type of deal may be tough to swing.

Hulu's owners have reportedly been willing to offer the … Read more

Facebook coughs up information on Goldman deal

Facebook's recent investment round, led by investment bank Goldman Sachs, has been one of the most-talked-about news events that the social network has gotten itself involved in--and arguably the one about which it's been the most secretive. This afternoon, Facebook broke the silence by issuing a press release in which it confirmed, finally, that it has raised $1.5 billion ($1 billion from Goldman Sachs and $500 million in a round that also includes existing investor Digital Sky Technologies) at a $50 billion valuation.

"DST and Goldman Sachs approached Facebook to express their interest in making an … Read more

Seagate to remain a public company after all

After considering its options, Seagate has decided to stick it out as a public company.

The Scotts Valley, Calif.-based hard-drive maker said today that after taking a look at what private equity firms were offering, it will not take the company private, and will instead buy back $2 billion worth of stock from shareholders.

"We appreciate the interest shown by the private equity firms and our dialogues with them were extensive and thoughtful," Seagate CEO Stephen Luczo said in a statement. "However, management and the board have chosen to cease discussions concerning a private equity-led leveraged … Read more

GoDaddy goes on sale

Domain-name registrar and Web-hosting service GoDaddy.com is putting itself on the auction block and could sell to a private equity firm for more than $1 billion, according to a report.

Citing unnamed sources, The Wall Street Journal said Frank Quattrone's Qatalyst Partners has been hired to shop around the Go Daddy Group, parent company of GoDaddy, which has long been known to the general public for its racy Super Bowl commercials.

GoDaddy is attractive to private equity firms because of the money it makes from monthly subscriptions and from selling Web-site extras to customers, the Journal said. The … Read more

Novell: 20 chances to reinvent itself

Most companies struggle to reinvent themselves, so shackled by their pasts that they can't reorient themselves toward the future.

Novell, once the king of the software world, is like that. Over the years it has built up a broad portfolio of software (with associated revenue streams) in repeated attempts to regain its glory days. That portfolio now stifles its ability to focus on other areas with the most promise.

But Novell's management may be about to get a lifeline. Twenty of them, actually.

According to Thursday's Wall Street Journal, up to 20 bidders, most of them private … Read more