N&Q: Berlusconi’s family office invests; Family office/private equity/family business investments

JAB buys another big consumer brand

JAB Holdings, the Luxembourg-based investment group owned by four members of the German/Austrian Reimann family, has acquired the US drinks group Dr Pepper Snapple for $18.7 billion. JAB said it was funding the deal with two different funds, including one linked to the Reimanns. The remainder will come from debt raised from investment banks.

Family office investments

The family office of the former Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, Holding Italiana Quattordicesima is one of four investors in a French ecommerce startup called ContentSquare. Holding Italiana and the three other backers invested $42 million in the Series B funding round.

An Indian family investment group called Czar Capital has invested in a travel and retail ecommerce startup called Pay By Group, which is based in San Francisco. Czar committed an unspecified amount for the startup.

Claridge, the family office of Stephen Bronfman, has invested in a Canadian mobile app startup called Busbud. Claridge invested $11 million along with six other investors in a Series B funding round.

RNT Capital, the family office of Ratan Tata, has invested in an India biotech group called Axio Biosolutions. RNT participated in a Series B funding round with two other investors worth $7.4 million.

Omidyar Network, an investment office owned by the US-based Omidyar family, has invested in a Nigerian startup called Rensource Energy. Omidyar was one of three investors in the venture round worth $3.5 million. The Californian-based family office has already made five investments in the first month of 2018.

Striker Partners, a family investment group, has made an investment in the newly-combined professional services company, which combines three professional services groups called Virtual, PCS, and DMG. The amount of the investment wasn’t disclosed.

Gardner Capital, a family-owned investment group that specializes in affordable housing is to build a new housing development to serve homeless young people aged from 18 to 24. The new development will be in Boulder, Colorado.