Saudi Investors

Hevolution Foundation, a Saudi investment firm focused on aging science, has invested $20 million in Aeovian, a San Francisco based biopharmaceutical company.

Aeovian Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing targeted small molecules to restore cellular metabolic quality control. Hevolution has also invested in Rubedo Life Sciences $40 million Series A round. (Hevolution is a Saudi investment firm focused on aging science with an annual budget of up to $1 billion. They also invest in platforms and technologies that aim to compress drug development timelines or increase accessibility to therapeutics.)

Hevolution is listed in the Middle East Investors Directory with the code AJ49.

Riyadh Valley Company, the VC investment arm of King Saud University of Saudi Arabia, has acquired stake at Solexel, a US-based producer of high-performance solar PV technology in a $70 million round.

Solexel which is based in California, has developed the world’s highest-performance thin wafer silicon solar PV modules. It is backed by venture investors including Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers and DAG Ventures as well as GAF, the largest roofing materials manufacturer in North America. Established to help transform Saudi Arabia’s oil-based economy into a more diversified knowledge-based economy, Riyadh Valley Company is one of the Kingdom’s largest initiatives, developed to help adopt innovation culture and foster entrepreneurship.

Riyadh Valley Company is listed in the Middle East Investors Directory with the code SIJ54.

More details follows:

Venture Capital Bank Bahrain and Saudi leasing company Hanco has acquired Byrne, a leasing, car rental, and fleet management company for around $160 million.

Established 20 years ago, Byrne is the largest general rental company in the Middle East with 450 employees and 13 offices and rental depots all over the GCC. The sellers in the deal are Havenvest Private Equity Middle East and HSBC Bank Middle East. The transaction was partly financed by UAE's First Gulf Bank.

Venture Capital Bank Bahrain is listed in the Middle East Investors Directory with the code BFD126

More details follows:

Alkhabeer Capital, a Saudi-based investment firm, acquired a majority stake in the packaging products company Express Group.

Express Group, founded in 1990, is based in Dubai and exports to 25 countries serving clients across the food and beverage, industrial and consumer goods industries. As DubaiBeat reported on September 2012 Alkhabeer had launched a $400 million fund and invests globally.

Alkhabeer Capital is listed in the Middle East Investors Directory with the code BFD18.

More details follows

Alkhabeer Capital, a Saudi-based investment firm announced the acquisition of an office building in Houston.

The property is located in The Energy Corridor, Houston’s top performing and rapidly strengthening submarket, which is home to several of the world’s largest energy companies as well as over 300 multinational companies. As DubaiBeat reported on September 2012 Alkhabeer had launched a $400 million fund and invests globally - specially in UK and US.

Alkhabeer Capital is listed in the Middle East Investors Directory with the code BFD18.

More details follows

Kingdom Holding, a Saudi family office, has acquired Four Seasons Toronto Canada for $200 million.

The Four Seasons Hotel Toronto offers 259 spacious luxury hotel guest rooms, including 42 suites, in Toronto's Yorkville neighborhood.

Kingdom Holding Company is listed in the Middle East Investors Directory with the code BFD84.

More details follows

Sedco, a Saudi private equity firm, has invested $45 million in 10 global companies in the past months - Reuters is reporting.

Sedco’s private equity fund which is launched a year ago has raised $113 million of which 40 percent is invested in 10 companies globally. Sedco has also invested globally in real estate and currently eyes Asian markets as well. The two-year old Jeddah-based firm manages about $3 billion in assets.

Sedco is listed in the Middle East Investors Directory with the code ORP18.

More details follows from Reuters

Alkhabeer Capital, a Saudi-based boutique investment and asset management firm, announced that is currently planning a $400 million investment programme to be rolled out over the next two years - covering region and Europe.

The firm intends to raise three funds targeting a total of $140 million including, for the first time, a fund targeting investments outside of the MENA region. In addition, the firm plans to raise $30 million for a residential development fund specifically in the UK. (The firm is alrady fully invested on its previous Saudi development funds, Alkhabeer Land Development Fund I and Alkhabeer Land Development Fund II)

Alkhabeer Capital is listed in the Middle East Investors Directory with the code BFD18.

More details follows